I forget who I was speaking with regarding this issue, but someone mentioned a new Apple policy regarding conferences that involves only sending regional employees to the conferences to conduct the training sessions. I can’t confirm this, but I wonder if someone else can confirm it. If true, then I could see it making sense due to the increasing cost of fuel.

However, there is still the visibility issue — especially at an education/edtech conference. You brought up some good points in this post and I’ll be curious to see how Apple continues to address their presence at these kinds of conferences.

Stephanie

Change is always difficult, and I guess I fall into that frame of wanting some things (like Apple being on the vendor floor) to stay the same. I think you are right, this has everything to do with ROI and finding more effective ways to reach and influence teachers than vendor floor booths.

It will be interesting to see if other vendors follow suit down the road… I think Apple is in a unique situation now because of their commercial stores in lots of places. Did you see how HUGE the Cisco and Verizon booths were this year? I wonder how much those cost?

If vendors support NECC less, it could change the nature of the conference in fundamental ways, and that could turn out to be a good thing. Personally I think the conference should be very learning focused versus vendor and commercial sale focused. The conference means many things to different people and groups, and it certainly WAS and IS a learning conference primarily for me. It will be interesting to see how things evolve on the vendor side, however.

Apple is led by very smart people and certainly this decision was not made carelessly or unintentionally. I think I can better understand now the reasons for it, and although I wish Apple still had a vendor floor presence, I am glad they are still present / available at the conference and providing opportunities for educators to learn about new applications/hardware in workshops. The context has changed, but the presence and commitment on the part of Apple to education is still strong. That is the key. And I am very glad of that.

For example, they typically would spend most of their floor space on a classroom to show off their software. This year they did that in some quieter rooms just off a very heavily trafficed corridor. They also loaned dozens of iMacs for the workshop rooms.

Then there were the many, many presenters who were doing sessions based around iMovie, GarageBand, and other Apple products. Probably the best, and least expensive, advertising. Of course, NECC will be in trouble if other vendors decide to do the same thing.

(PS — if you’re looking for a bright spot in SA, check out Rosario’s for their fish tacos — amazing!)

The bottom line is I’m sad to not see Apple on the vendor floor at NECC. I love Apple and Apple products, I think they are best in class, and I miss the chance to learn more about them at the National Educational Computing Conference.

I want to be clear that this post was NOT in any way intended as a “flame” to Apple. Certainly I disagree with this decision and wish it would be changed, but having that opinion should not and hopefully will not be interpreted as a “flame post.” Those were the words I heard at NECC from some folks.

I’m mainly sad that Apple made this decision. I was trying to articulate that feeling intelligently in this post.

If you wan to talk to Apple staff, go to MacWorld! That is the Mecca for Macintoshes.
Otherwise, trek on to the local Apple Store several times and join a Mac User Group.

Apple has transformed itself into a ubiquitous brand.
It doesn’t need specific and expensive trade shows that do little to advance its platforms.

Trade shows have become archaic in the era of the internet.
Apple knows that.
Numerous large vendors know that.

http://picasaweb.google.com/tinamsteele/NECC08/photo#5217454556054671906

I too am an apple fan. I have been to the Apple store here in San Antonio a few times, but don’t have one anywhere near my home in Amarillo. I wish that that would have had an NECC Presence. I would have liked to ask them a few questions.

Oh well, they don’t need to sell to us, we are a 100% Macintosh district, but it does seem silly to bow out at this opportunity when folks are FINALLY making some decisions to consider Apple.