This will sound like a proper whinging but if you survive first part it get’s better towards the end (is not all that bad after all we just need some truly comprehensive industry gathering with good organisation).

 

Short Internet World 2012 summary:

speakers and exhibitors – premier class,

organisation – third league

 

It supposed to be the biggest and best Internet show in London in 2012 at least this is what you would expect from internet trade show which is around for 20 years! – It wasn’t :-(.

Organisational failures:

- seminar programe unconfirmed to the last moment, about third of seminars unknown –  hilarious outputs of last minute patchwork - SYNOPSIS NEEDED

- Popup Seminar theaters with inadequate sizes – mobile – perhaps the hottest  topic of the year ended up with the smallest theater!

- Not unified strategy regarding “fast track” badge holders advertised on homepage “Guarantee a seat at all education with a Fast-Track Pass”. I didn’t made to 3 seminars! Despite of being at the “gates” on the time before seminar theoretically started. I was told there is no space for me in Advertising, Affiliate & Search Theatre twice (I was told: “You can complain to organizers sir”) and ended up with cancelled – “Best practices: Advice for taking your social media programme global” in social media theater. For people who didn’t pay to attend seminar program this is perhaps fine but for someone who spent money on these “Fast Track badges” it was poor organisation.

- Useless and confusing “Club Visitor” upgrades – Why? – Organizers had this idea of treating potential buyers better – in  general good idea but if you won’t create correct infrastructure it does make no sense! Few tables and chairs is not enough – I spent 15 minutes in a queue for my tea as area was available for everyone else on the first day – never used again simply pointless.

But there was a lot of  good stuff @iwexpo

- The idea of six worlds as there are complimentary sector specific events from UBM gives impression of holistic approach to Internet Industry. And this is very good idea.

- Surprisingly the best element of this show were seminars and presentations or FREE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMME. Speakers step up and they presented high quality stuff. For a very first time only couple of people treated potential buyers as “uneducated lunatics” with budgets to spend (this happens a lot on consumer focused trade shows where sales people try to act as knowledgeable industry leaders). I suppose the harder market becomes the tougher is to sell crap.

Well done Internet World speakers!

To be honest looking on Earls Court Two yesterday I have bad feeling this show didn’t make expected profit as there was a lot of empty space and unused stands. Show didn’t seam to be busy at all with visitors – maybe there is no need for shows like this?

Get a grip of course it can’t be true – worth over £100Bn UK industry can’t make a trade show which would allow potential buyers to show comprehensive internet technology offer from ISPs to Hosting, Ecommerce and online marketing? Internet World has great potentials: Name and established brand but it felt as provincial show. You compare this to Travel shows like ITB in Berlin or WTM in London and you will understand what I am talking about. When I’m entering WTM or ITB I know I can meet there everyone from industry either as visitor, exhibitor or speaker – I mean everyone. Technology section on ITB has got separate building and if organised on its own would perhaps be bigger then all UBM shows put together!

 

“IS OBVIOUS WE NEED INTERNET INDUSTRY TRADE MEGASHOW”

 

Are we unable to create a real world class show for internet industry? It is well known fact there is no other unorganised, polarized and divided industry in the world. See cookie law comes across in EU.

There is no formalised industry voice?- sorry guys this is stupid law and has no sense whatsoever. We just start talking who should handle this – browsers, websites, ISPs etc. How nice would be to meet together and write document to EU commissioners or lawmakers – No sorry look 90% of industry says your law makes no sense whatsoever – go fish.

Where it gets wrong?

Opposite to for example Travel Industry which seems to have one of the best trade shows in the world – engaging , lead generating and well organised from infrastructure point of view we are unable to gather everyone in one place. When I’m on WTM I can see Accor Hotels next to Holiday Inn brands, 5 the biggest car hire companies, even Palestine and Israel have both stands there. Despite their different opinions and native technologies people from top players in each section of the industry argue their points in seminars and conferences and create industry standards to keep external regulators away. Unfortunately I am yet to see Internet Trade Show where in Search Engines section I can see stands from Google, Bing, Yandex and Baidu and Top players from Ecommerce or Social Media World launch new products for business or layouts for customers.

Tell me who wouldn’t join big arena for 1h mobile panel of experts talk – Android, iOS, Windows Mobile, RIM where we would have top Googler, Apple guy, RIM and Microsoft guy replying to some unexpected questions from audience. This same with Browsers standards, ISP speeds etc. We all know how painful this is.

Maybe egos in our industry are too big for such a show ? Or technology leaders are petrified to go head to head during knowledge based not sales based event and discover some company which doesn’t want to be purchased and has got no connections to Sequoia Capital.

Benefits from such a show for the entire industry are obvious – things like SOPA could be discussed across all industry sectors and actions with programme for lobbing politicians and media could be nicely put in place so we would talk using one voice or at least we would be able to identify what is the majority voice in this area.