anatomy of a truck event 6: lessons learned

there are a couple of things i plan to do differently next time...

for one thing, our attendees' interests didn't quite align with the technologies we chose as well as i would have liked. that is definitely something i'll work on for the next one.

most of that will be done in our pre-qualification stage while building the initial list.

obviously, we'll make the personal calls before mailing the cards next time, with one of our presenters on the line for each call.

the attendance numbers we analyzed prove that one beyond a shadow of a doubt.

and finally...we'll schedule the fall event a little earlier in the year.

of course...if i could make one suggestion to ms...i'd recommend they retrofit the trucks a bit.

mitchel, our technical specialist, mentioned that instead of having a couch on the right side, newer trucks have a second row of equipment, with its own large flat panel display.

that kind of arrangement would be much better suited to the kind of general event we put on.

the couch...even tho it is insanely comfortable... tends to disconnect folks from what you are presenting in a couple of ways. first, because it really is very comfortable...so much so that it's tempting to doze off, especially after lunch. second, sitting in the couch moves folks so far back from the display they're facing...they really can't see what's on the screen very well.

a second bank of equipment would allow 2 presenters to show more than one thing at a time effectively...something that almost can't be done right now.

also, that second row of equipment would keep people on their feet, and moving through the truck at a fairly decent pace. that would be better for higher-volume events, like trade-shows, for sure. and with a second plasma display on the opposing wall, there'd be no need for the overhead projector, which only served to cause goofy display anomalies at our event anyway.

just some ideas...in case any blue badges still visit the funcave nowadays...

on to part 7