New Challenges and Opportunities
Well, the cat is out of the bag (so to speak). I’m headed back to Toronto.
My lovely and amazing wife and I decided to make the move (again) after realizing just how hard it is to be away from that critical support system of close friends and family. Truth be told, as we prep to go back to the bitter cold and snow, we couldn’t be happier.
That being said, moving always presents some stresses and logistical challenges, and we’ll be working through that over the course of the next few weeks. The start date at the new job is February 11.
I will be moving on from MusicIP, where I have learned so much over the last two years and had the chance to work with some incredibly smart and talented people. I leave knowing that there is a great team in place to take the company to success over the course of 2008 and beyond.
So, where am I headed? Well, I’m moving to PlanetEye, a start-up that is still in beta mode, but one that I’m really looking forward to diving in and working on. It’s an excellent opportunity to work with a great team on an exciting new product and market.
I’m going to try and post regularly as much as I can over the next few weeks, but cross country moves always present interesting time challenges, so please bear with me. There is plenty to do, and I’m sure my new environment will spurn many blog posts.
So, with that, we’ll soon be trading in sunny days and warm weather for Winter clothing and slushy snow. This is certainly going to be a ton of fun, and I can’t wait to get settled back in the big smoke.
Webinar is Now Up
The webinar I did on start-up product management is now up and available on the Product Management View community site. There is a Flash version of the PPT deck / presentation and also an MP3 of the audio stream as well.
Some Thoughts on CES
So, CES 2008 is all wrapped up. Did we get a lot out of it? I think so. The booth was great, albeit very tiring, and I know our management team had fantastic success taking a huge number of meetings in a suite at the Venetian hotel.
So, how do I feel about the show? It’s always an experience. I’m not the biggest fan of Las Vegas and all that it has to offer, but I do enjoy looking down at the lights and constant motion from the comfort of a hotel room at the end of each long day.
And the days are very long. My legs have been ready to give out for quite some time, as has everyone else’s that joined me on booth duty throughout the stretch of the show. It’s very interesting - being the Sands, you sometimes feel like you are coming in second to the main convention center. But, that being said, the traffic is a lot of times much more qualified (lead-wise) that just every person stopping by to see what kinda of SWAG they can lay their hands on.
Rachel ran a very successful show. She not only managed to re-brand the company, but also put together an outstanding set of marketing materials, co-ordinated updating our booth with the new brand and really kept everyone in line.
It was amazing and inspiring to see. I really do feel like I know more about how to successfully go to a trade show with a business after seeing her in action. I could never do what she did, mind you…
Of course, the proof is always in the follow-up and the results. They all need to be measured to ensure success of the show is defined well and appropriately.
I did chat with several folks out on the show floor that mentioned they either a) did not like going to CES or b) were thinking of not coming back next year. It was certainly evident that attendance and interest was down, even from only one year ago. I could definitely see having more success by just setting up a ton of meetings in a suite somewhere.
But, the booth is fun. And, it gives you that chance to experience something with your team that isn’t something everyone goes through. It certainly lets you develop a unique bond that carries forward to the next year - being able to trade war stories and memories.
Me? I’m happy we’re headed out tomorrow and will get to sleep in my own bed next week. That is going to be amazing, for sure. I do wish I got to record more Seesmic videos, but alas, no wireless connectivity from our booth made that job extremely difficult.
Webinar Result
The webinar could not have gone better! I had a blast working with the Ryma crew on getting everything together and setup, and wanted to thank all those that attended.
They will be posting a recording of the presentation in the next couple of days over at the site, but I wanted to post the slide deck in case anyone wanted access to it. There are also some rough notes throughout the presentation I’ve included. So, that being said, you can grab a ZIP of the PPT deck here.
Webinar Tomorrow
In amidst all the craziness going on in Las Vegas for CES, I’ll be doing a webinar tomorrow morning (for those on PST) / afternoon (for those on EST). More specifically, 9:00am PST and 12:00pm EST.
All the details are available at the link above.
Yes, it will be live from the Flamingo hotel room I’m staying in for the duration of CES. Why that matters, I don’t know. But, be sure to check it out if you have some time.
