A storm of ideas has a precursor – a blizzard of postcards. The SHRM Annual Conference is in two weeks, and I am booked into San Diego for the big show. As your humble correspondent, I will be reporting from the front lines about the content and quality of the conference. And the quality of the minibar.
That reporting begins now.
The first wave of postcards has hit. I have done some marketing forensics and tell a lot from the sales pitches. FIrst, the volume of postcards is up a little from last year they have the bucks to send mail. Also, the volume of vendors is way up. This year? 2981 listings in the vendor directory. Last year? 2113. That statistic isn’t perfect, as organizations can be listed in multiple categories, and many of the service firms that made it through the recession have diversified into multiple areas of expertise, and therefore show in multiple categories. Whatever.
Another issue is the “bait” needed to get people to come to the booth. Last year the gift of choice was a dashboard GPS system. The year before? iPod. This year? iPad. Offer it, and they will come.
The waves of postcards on the beach of my desk...
I’ll take a harder look at the type and style of sales pitches, and report back. The conference is ON.
Karl Ahlrichs' Uncommon Experience 
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