If you were present, good for you, if not, you missed out. This year’s AIIM event was quite good. The location was pleasant (although the timing was not great with the Boston Marathon), and the crowd was decent. I could write about the new products announced in the area of hardware and software, or about the gossip and rumors that always emerge, but I won’t. Instead I will write about the miss-conceptions about these events. Exhibitors mistakenly think they should close business (this could be the result of pressure put on marketing departments) and attendees think they will find the new solution to that nagging current ECM issue either with an already-implemented system, or one planned.
Both are right, but miss the real reason you should attend, and that is for relationship and understanding of the market. Have you ever had a favorite magazine subscription you regularly read, and then suddenly dropped? Only finding yourself picking up an issue a year later thinking geez look what I missed. Missing industry events like these is the same thing. Look at the shows as a periodical.
Exhibitors should be leveraging their partnerships with vendors, and staking a claim on the market.
Attendees should be taking the time to be critical of their current or possible vendors and getting answers face-to-face to your questions.
I will admit AIIM this year is mostly a partner event. The addition of the company tours was a good idea maybe not the best implemented. This year there was quite a bit of shirt changes and commotion surrounding this. It’s a fun industry in this respect, always refreshing. In my opinion the people who should be attending this particular event are all resellers in the industry and managers in the companies implementing solutions (this is a key place to find that hidden solution for the ever-nagging ECM problem). And don’t forget that not only are the breakout sessions and exhibits important, but also the more casual after events.
See you next year!
- Chris Riley, Artsyl Technologies, Inc.
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