I'll try to type things in before I forget everything.
The expo was quite a bit larger this year than last, both in number of exhibits and attendees. Last year the main floor was around 75% full, while this year it expanded into a second hall. A lot of people were wearing the red "first time attendee" ribbons, especially on Friday and Saturday.
As usual, there were tons of companies showing products that would "revolutionize" the industry. A lot of them were touting "full range" solutions, i.e. systems combining lighting, security, HVAC, drapes, etc. either by providing all of the above, or more often, providing plug-n-play functionality with a myriad of different vendors. And again as usual, I expect a significant portion of the above to turn out to be marketing BS. :lol:
MCE (or WMC) popped up frequently on displays and exhibits. More of the traditional electronics companies, such as Epson, made appearances than in the past, and there seemed to be a bit more emphasis on "affordable" solutions. Unlike last year when one vendor defined an affordable home theatre as "under $25,000", I saw a lot of solutions that would be available to households with incomes well under $100,000. While many people would question the term "affordable" at this income level, remember that EHX is a trade show and the target audience is people who install home electronics (integrators, electricians, security installers, and VARs) for a living, and these numbers mean that the industry is making a niche in the step-up housing market.
The number of vendors using T&A to draw attention was up this year, but nothing like what you see at CES. Most of them showed that they had at least SOME knowledge of the products they were selling, so I shouldn't throw rocks. And as a single heterosexual male, I'm all for any increased female participation.
Orlando is nice, and as convention centers go, the OCCC is good. One complaint was the food. Last year they had several individual kiosks inside the hall, with multiple types of food. I had some passable Chinese food at an acceptable price. This year, the only food was a permanent stand outside the hall, with slowwww and rude employees serving poor quality food at outrageous prices. $7.95 for an institutional quality burger with 4 potato chips and some cole slaw. GAG!! They also had chicken sandwiches, hotdogs, and polish sausage at similar prices, but they had already sold out of the latter two by 1:00 the day I ate there.
Geeks? Yes there were geeks. By definition, anyone attending EHX is a geek. However, as one of the instructors pointed out, we were NOT at the bottom of the food chain. EHX shared the convention center Friday and Saturday with a comic book convention. People dressed up as super heroes, witches, storm troopers, trekkies, etc. I almost dislocated my jaw heading out for lunch Saturday, when I came across a pair of teenage girls doing the anime thing. Plaid skirts, hair in ribbons, bobbie socks, and tight white shirts. Nothing significant, except they were also doing a bondage number. They also had on handcuffs, chains, leather masks, and ball gags. Oh, and if they were over 17, I would be extremely surprised. I'm used to weird things (I live in the DC area and have watched our elected officials for 40 years), but this was a first. :lol:
Sorry, no pictures, as I carefully left my camera and business cards next to the phone on the counter at home.
The expo was quite a bit larger this year than last, both in number of exhibits and attendees. Last year the main floor was around 75% full, while this year it expanded into a second hall. A lot of people were wearing the red "first time attendee" ribbons, especially on Friday and Saturday.
As usual, there were tons of companies showing products that would "revolutionize" the industry. A lot of them were touting "full range" solutions, i.e. systems combining lighting, security, HVAC, drapes, etc. either by providing all of the above, or more often, providing plug-n-play functionality with a myriad of different vendors. And again as usual, I expect a significant portion of the above to turn out to be marketing BS. :lol:
MCE (or WMC) popped up frequently on displays and exhibits. More of the traditional electronics companies, such as Epson, made appearances than in the past, and there seemed to be a bit more emphasis on "affordable" solutions. Unlike last year when one vendor defined an affordable home theatre as "under $25,000", I saw a lot of solutions that would be available to households with incomes well under $100,000. While many people would question the term "affordable" at this income level, remember that EHX is a trade show and the target audience is people who install home electronics (integrators, electricians, security installers, and VARs) for a living, and these numbers mean that the industry is making a niche in the step-up housing market.
The number of vendors using T&A to draw attention was up this year, but nothing like what you see at CES. Most of them showed that they had at least SOME knowledge of the products they were selling, so I shouldn't throw rocks. And as a single heterosexual male, I'm all for any increased female participation.
Orlando is nice, and as convention centers go, the OCCC is good. One complaint was the food. Last year they had several individual kiosks inside the hall, with multiple types of food. I had some passable Chinese food at an acceptable price. This year, the only food was a permanent stand outside the hall, with slowwww and rude employees serving poor quality food at outrageous prices. $7.95 for an institutional quality burger with 4 potato chips and some cole slaw. GAG!!
They also had chicken sandwiches, hotdogs, and polish sausage at similar prices, but they had already sold out of the latter two by 1:00 the day I ate there.Geeks? Yes there were geeks. By definition, anyone attending EHX is a geek. However, as one of the instructors pointed out, we were NOT at the bottom of the food chain. EHX shared the convention center Friday and Saturday with a comic book convention. People dressed up as super heroes, witches, storm troopers, trekkies, etc. I almost dislocated my jaw heading out for lunch Saturday, when I came across a pair of teenage girls doing the anime thing. Plaid skirts, hair in ribbons, bobbie socks, and tight white shirts. Nothing significant, except they were also doing a bondage number. They also had on handcuffs, chains, leather masks, and ball gags. Oh, and if they were over 17, I would be extremely surprised. I'm used to weird things (I live in the DC area and have watched our elected officials for 40 years), but this was a first. :lol:
Sorry, no pictures, as I carefully left my camera and business cards next to the phone on the counter at home.
