I will attempt to give you the flavor of some of the things that you missed by not going to the NAB. I did not attend. Two years in a row for me. None of my staff wanted to go this year, either.
The reasons: 9/11, economics, fear of flying, the weather was too nice here in New York, daughter’s violin recital, ex-mother-in-law in town for the theater, gotta wash the deck, we have everything new already, we’re on diets, I have already played too much golf this year, none of my friends are going, there are no new hotels and few new restaurants, a Bar Mitzvah, I have to wash the dog, "What’s the NAB?" and, finally, there’s not much new to see.
Although all of those reasons are valid, the real reason is plain old disinterest. Even the people who went were very unenthusiastic about what went on.
The California contingent, especially post and production people, was well represented: Ron, Ron, Ron, Leon, Fred, even Alan (what is he thinking about?), Junaid, Phil, John, Peter, Rick, Rick, Rick. New York was represented as well: David, David, David, John, John, John and John, and a couple of editors. Detroit was there, as well as Chicago—yes, you were spotted.
The largest contingent of people at NAB this year was people looking for jobs. Yep, it still looks bleak even though we are in pilot season now. Not all of them will be picked up. I hope we get lucky. I wish them luck, too. As with the New York Knicks (a zillion sellouts in a row), officials at the show said there were 90-plus thousand in attendance. No one could really tell because of the addition of the "South Hall." Now the convention space is soooo huge that it is virtually impossible to see it all. The primary tenants of the new "South" were Sony upstairs with a grand exhibit and Avid across from Apple downstairs. Ooooops. Apple’s booth was huge, too. Head-to-head is good competition, I guess.
Quantel did well selling a number of big systems. You did need a respirator after hoofing back and forth from the "Big Box" guys. And the Sands still exists. Still noisy and still busy.
The big buzz was 24P. Everyone said 24P. Well, if so, let’s set a standard. Nothing new flat screen-wise … lots of cool cameras … electronic cinematography was big, too. Some old faces, few new ones. Times have changed. You can tell because the "Circuits" section of The New York Times usually has coverage of the NAB, but this year there was nothing.
Two good things that were observed: no taxi lines anywhere, and you could get a dinner reservation. Anywhere. Let’s get to the important stuff: the parties. Fuji once again had their traditional bash, but the attendees were very different from previous years. Few familiar faces. I guess the whole world is changing. (lol)
AICE had a big party at the Venetian … I guess the slowdown hasn’t affected them as much as everyone else. SSL, the audio guys, had about 300 at theirs. Lots of old friends, too. Also mentioned was the large number of L.A. music people that attended the NAB this year.
The dust level this year was low. Not too much new construction on the strip, and the prices of the rooms, even at the Bellagio, were reflective of the economy. From $500 a night to comp’d, but the average was in the $175s. The Venetian was the focus hotel, with its connection to the Sands. Delmonico’s inside was still the top hang. The usual suspects went to the Voodoo Lounge and Olympic Gardens … "Don’t tell anyone we were there … we will have to have you killed."
The golf talk was sparse, but nonetheless many rounds were played. Four or five new courses, but sometimes the drive was way too long. As a wrap-up, I must say that the "buzz" just wasn’t there: pre, during or post. The show was used for education, sales, camaraderie, fun and reward. I think some of the luster has worn off and the NAB convention may have to be repolished or repositioned. I have not made plans for next year.
