NAB2005- Who's going?

Alain Aguilar · March 2nd, 2005, 04:47 PM

"Day One: North Hall, Audio Exhibits
Day Two: Central Hall, Video & Film
Day Three: South Hall, Upper: Video & Film
Day Four: South Hall, Lower: Post Production"

I think I need a bit of a help, as far as getting the tickets for these events. Is this something you pay for upfront and basically it's good for all these events? How much are the tickets...?

Thanks

David Stoneburner · March 3rd, 2005, 08:00 AM

A ticket is good for all the exhibits. If you have a vender that you work with on a regular basis, you can usually get free passes for the exhibits. I use to have a link to get a free pass, but it's gone now. Good luck on finding a free pass.

Chris Hurd · March 3rd, 2005, 08:33 AM

Nah, free passes are easy to find, they're all over the Net.

See this Google list of NAB 2005 free pass links.

Scott Anderson · March 3rd, 2005, 10:54 AM

Brian and Alain:

Having attended NAB for the past 10 years, I can give you my two cents about attending on the cheap, and some gotchas for first-timers:

Plan on taking 2 hours to get out of the airport, especially if you arrive at a busy time. I usually arrive Sunday morning, and by then the crush of people has already started. Take a shuttle bus instead of a cab to your hotel. The line is usually much shorter, it's cheaper, and you can pay for a round-trip ticket when you arrive. Waiting for a cab anywhere in Vegas usually entails a 15-45 minute wait (75 minutes at the airport last time I arrived), and can run $10-$20 for each trip, depending on the distance. That tends to add up in a hurry! Thankfully, the city buses are frequent, reliable, and fairly cheap at $2 a ride. Get a bus book and carry dollar bills.

All the Official NAB Conference hotels run shuttle buses to and from the Convention Center, but only from about 7-9am and 4-6pm. You don't have to be staying at the hotel, just show up at the hotel's bus pickup area and catch a bus. If you've registered for a free exhibits pass, you'll get your credentials ahead of time in the mail, but I've never had a bus driver ask me for mine. If the new monorail continues to run, staying at a hotel near the line and buying a 3-day monorail pass might be THE way to get around. The monorail stops right at the convention center.

Staying at one of the offical hotels can be pricey, from at least $100+ per night. You might consider staying at a hotel within walking distance from a conference hotel, then walking to the shuttle. I've stayed downtown before ($50/night one year), but it can take a long time or be expensive to get to the convention center each day. Check out cheapovegas.com for a rundown of hotels, and maps of the strip.

I've never paid to attend the classes or seminars, but I've always felt that the show floor provided plenty of opportunities for education. In addition to 30-minute mini-seminars and/or sales pitches, there are more industry professionals per square foot than anywhere else, period. I think most folks are very willing to answer your questions, or point you to someone who can. I've found most people at NAB to be pretty egoless when it comes to sharing information. Just be sure to find the product specialist and engineers, not the paid spokesmodels. There are plenty of those around, too. Sometimes it's hard to talk to someone because there are just too many people crowded around wanting to talk. Just be patient and ask pointed, focused questions.

Because of its sheer size, the show floor can be intimidating. Plan out the major booths you want to see ahead of time, and make a list. Full, huge foldout maps are available when you arrive, so you can use a hilighter or sharpie to mark out who you've seen or booths of interest. Travel as light as possible. You can easily end up lugging around bags and bags full or literature and catalogs each day! I prefer to take a business card, write notes on the back, then followup after the show. Take a CD if available instead of a catalog. You will get an electronic card to swipe your information with vendors, but many of them will not send you literature unless you have them specifically note your contact info on the printout reciept. Always be prepared to do your own followup after the show rather than counting on the company to contact you.

Bring a comfortable shoulder bag with a big, padded strap. Even a light load feels heavy after a full day. Of course, wear comfy shoes - you'll be walking a lot! Be flexible. Even with four days, it's impossible to really see everything. Some of the most interesting conversations I've had are with people I never expected to meet in the lunch line, or vendors I didn't even know existed.

NAB will positively flood you with information. Try to take as many notes as you can, as attending the show is only half the experience. I find real benefit in visiting websites, stocking up on my bookmarks, and following up with people I've met weeks or even months later. You'll find your horizons broadened, and you'll start planning for NAB 06 before you stop getting brochures from NAB 05!!

Kaspar Stromme · March 7th, 2005, 02:48 PM

If you want to stay real el cheapo consider going out of town. I go with some colleagues every year and we've been staying at a place called Gold Strike in Jean, NV. It's a 20-25 minute drive from LVCC. Standard is decent and rooms are $20-30 a night Sun-Thu. You need to rent a car obviously but since we share it easily beats the cheapest strip options.

Not the best option if you want to party all night ofcourse ;)

Kaspar Stromme · March 7th, 2005, 02:55 PM

I've been to NAB 5 years now, first year I got one of the paid admission things, attended some sessions, but found them to be either product placements disguised as serious sessions, or so crowded you couldn't get in. Pretty disappointing and a waste of $$ IMHO.

Since then I've just gone with the free exhibits pass and found it keeps me more than busy.

Christopher C. Murphy · March 16th, 2005, 04:56 PM

Hey, NAB 2005 people!

I'm going to be in Vegas on the 20th through 24th....anyone else going to be there? If so, we can hookup for a beer somewhere. I'll be crashing (yeah right, more like losing at Black Jack all night long!) at the Stratosphere on the 20th and the Sahara the rest of the time.

Murph

Zack Birlew · March 16th, 2005, 09:59 PM

Well, Murph, if I could drink witcha I would. But spring break is during that week so I'll be back at home in California. Besides, I'm not old enough yet anyway and I'd probably drink water anyway because I kind of have no interest in ever drinking alcohol (too much trouble IMO, plus I don't like headaches ^_^). Interesting though, I've visited Vegas numerous, probably almost one hundred times and I've been living in Vegas since August '04 and I have yet to visit the Stratosphere once. Huh. Well, I'm sure you'll enjoy it and, if you like roller coaster drop rides, then you're in luck because they just opened up a big ride last week or so. Enjoy! And go see a show or something, lots of big name people have been coming in lately (finally, some people besides Carrot Top for crying out loud!).

David Stoneburner · March 17th, 2005, 07:57 AM

I've never been to the Sahara yet, so maybe I'll come down for a drink. I'll be there with a friend from work, so I'm not sure what are plans are yet. The department is putting us up at the Casino Royal. I'm hoping their rooms are too much of a dive, but as long as they are clean that's all I really need.

Christopher C. Murphy · March 17th, 2005, 08:48 AM

Hey David,
I think DVinfo (Chris Hurd) should try and schedule a time for everyone to meet this year. Maybe he'll set something up?

Hey Chris,
If you read this...do you wanna try and set something up? Just an official place and time, so we can try to coordinate. If not, I guess we'll all wing it!

Hey Jack,
Sorry you can't make it...and yeah, stay away from drinking. It makes you act stupid, throw up and wastes money.

Do as I say, not as I do. ;)

Chris Hurd · March 18th, 2005, 12:18 AM

Hi Murph,

My favorite part of any trade show is meeting people, especially my fellow DV Info Net members! NAB is a great time to do some after-hours networking. The thing is, if we schedule our own particular evening get-together, it's going to conflict with all the other nightly social events that are going on all week -- events which I'm already committed to and really don't want to miss! So, how about hooking up at any of these evening functions...

Monday night it looks like I'll be attending a Canopus user's mixer, but I don't have the time & location details yet.

Tuesday night is pretty busy! First is Douglas Spotted Eagle's Vegas Users Group celebration, in a 2nd floor meeting room at the LVCC starting at 6:30pm. Click the banner at HDV Info Net for all the details. I'm spending most of the evening there before heading over to the Stardust to catch the tail end of the annual ProMax / Charles McConathy DV Cafe.

Wednesday night it's back to the Stardust again for Michael Horton's yearly L.A. Final Cut User Group gala bash. If I haven't been coerced into taking tickets at the front door, then you'll find me at the cash bar.

I'd love to meet with any DV Info members at one or more of these events -- be sure to pre-register for the Vegas mixer and the DV Cafe -- but any of these would be a good rallying point for us!

Thursday night I hope to be back home in bed. ;-)

Charles Papert · March 18th, 2005, 12:39 AM

Change in schedule on my feature means I may just be able to dash down to Vegas after all, hope to see you guys there!

Chris Hurd · March 18th, 2005, 01:11 AM

All right, Chas! Now it's a real party!

Hugh DiMauro · March 18th, 2005, 09:52 AM

What's the deal with all of this hype concerning JVC's now "Affordable" HD arriving April 18 at NAB? I mean, slick, high profile ads showing this super-secret sihouette of a camcorder. Any buzz on what that might be?

My interest is piqued.

Oh, and when you get to NAB, check out Chris Hurd's hair. It's perfect. I mean, like, 1960's cop TV show perfect.

OOPS! I found the thread! HERE>>

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?threadid=40469

Chris Hurd · March 19th, 2005, 09:41 AM

<< check out Chris Hurd's hair. It's perfect. >>

When you've got it -- flaunt it!

March 2nd, 2005, 04:47 PM	#31
Alain Aguilar Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: North Bergen Posts: 170	"Day One: North Hall, Audio Exhibits Day Two: Central Hall, Video & Film Day Three: South Hall, Upper: Video & Film Day Four: South Hall, Lower: Post Production" I think I need a bit of a help, as far as getting the tickets for these events. Is this something you pay for upfront and basically it's good for all these events? How much are the tickets...? Thanks __________________ Alain

March 3rd, 2005, 08:33 AM	#33
Chris Hurd Obstreperous Rex Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: San Marcos, TX Posts: 27,368 Images: 513	Nah, free passes are easy to find, they're all over the Net. See this Google list of NAB 2005 free pass links. __________________ CH Search DV Info Net \| 20 years of DVi \| ...Tuesday is Soylent Green Day!

March 7th, 2005, 02:48 PM	#35
Kaspar Stromme Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2004 Posts: 36	Cheap lodgings If you want to stay real el cheapo consider going out of town. I go with some colleagues every year and we've been staying at a place called Gold Strike in Jean, NV. It's a 20-25 minute drive from LVCC. Standard is decent and rooms are $20-30 a night Sun-Thu. You need to rent a car obviously but since we share it easily beats the cheapest strip options. Not the best option if you want to party all night ofcourse ;)

March 7th, 2005, 02:55 PM	#36
Kaspar Stromme Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2004 Posts: 36	Conference fees I've been to NAB 5 years now, first year I got one of the paid admission things, attended some sessions, but found them to be either product placements disguised as serious sessions, or so crowded you couldn't get in. Pretty disappointing and a waste of $$ IMHO. Since then I've just gone with the free exhibits pass and found it keeps me more than busy.

March 16th, 2005, 04:56 PM	#37
Christopher C. Murphy Trustee Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Boston, MA Posts: 1,707	NAB 2005 - let's party! Hey, NAB 2005 people! I'm going to be in Vegas on the 20th through 24th....anyone else going to be there? If so, we can hookup for a beer somewhere. I'll be crashing (yeah right, more like losing at Black Jack all night long!) at the Stratosphere on the 20th and the Sahara the rest of the time. Murph __________________ Christopher C. Murphy Director, Producer, Writer

March 3rd, 2005, 08:00 AM	#32
David Stoneburner Major Player Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 493	A ticket is good for all the exhibits. If you have a vender that you work with on a regular basis, you can usually get free passes for the exhibits. I use to have a link to get a free pass, but it's gone now. Good luck on finding a free pass.

March 3rd, 2005, 10:54 AM	#34
Scott Anderson Major Player Join Date: May 2003 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 327	Brian and Alain: Having attended NAB for the past 10 years, I can give you my two cents about attending on the cheap, and some gotchas for first-timers: Plan on taking 2 hours to get out of the airport, especially if you arrive at a busy time. I usually arrive Sunday morning, and by then the crush of people has already started. Take a shuttle bus instead of a cab to your hotel. The line is usually much shorter, it's cheaper, and you can pay for a round-trip ticket when you arrive. Waiting for a cab anywhere in Vegas usually entails a 15-45 minute wait (75 minutes at the airport last time I arrived), and can run $10-$20 for each trip, depending on the distance. That tends to add up in a hurry! Thankfully, the city buses are frequent, reliable, and fairly cheap at $2 a ride. Get a bus book and carry dollar bills. All the Official NAB Conference hotels run shuttle buses to and from the Convention Center, but only from about 7-9am and 4-6pm. You don't have to be staying at the hotel, just show up at the hotel's bus pickup area and catch a bus. If you've registered for a free exhibits pass, you'll get your credentials ahead of time in the mail, but I've never had a bus driver ask me for mine. If the new monorail continues to run, staying at a hotel near the line and buying a 3-day monorail pass might be THE way to get around. The monorail stops right at the convention center. Staying at one of the offical hotels can be pricey, from at least $100+ per night. You might consider staying at a hotel within walking distance from a conference hotel, then walking to the shuttle. I've stayed downtown before ($50/night one year), but it can take a long time or be expensive to get to the convention center each day. Check out cheapovegas.com for a rundown of hotels, and maps of the strip. I've never paid to attend the classes or seminars, but I've always felt that the show floor provided plenty of opportunities for education. In addition to 30-minute mini-seminars and/or sales pitches, there are more industry professionals per square foot than anywhere else, period. I think most folks are very willing to answer your questions, or point you to someone who can. I've found most people at NAB to be pretty egoless when it comes to sharing information. Just be sure to find the product specialist and engineers, not the paid spokesmodels. There are plenty of those around, too. Sometimes it's hard to talk to someone because there are just too many people crowded around wanting to talk. Just be patient and ask pointed, focused questions. Because of its sheer size, the show floor can be intimidating. Plan out the major booths you want to see ahead of time, and make a list. Full, huge foldout maps are available when you arrive, so you can use a hilighter or sharpie to mark out who you've seen or booths of interest. Travel as light as possible. You can easily end up lugging around bags and bags full or literature and catalogs each day! I prefer to take a business card, write notes on the back, then followup after the show. Take a CD if available instead of a catalog. You will get an electronic card to swipe your information with vendors, but many of them will not send you literature unless you have them specifically note your contact info on the printout reciept. Always be prepared to do your own followup after the show rather than counting on the company to contact you. Bring a comfortable shoulder bag with a big, padded strap. Even a light load feels heavy after a full day. Of course, wear comfy shoes - you'll be walking a lot! Be flexible. Even with four days, it's impossible to really see everything. Some of the most interesting conversations I've had are with people I never expected to meet in the lunch line, or vendors I didn't even know existed. NAB will positively flood you with information. Try to take as many notes as you can, as attending the show is only half the experience. I find real benefit in visiting websites, stocking up on my bookmarks, and following up with people I've met weeks or even months later. You'll find your horizons broadened, and you'll start planning for NAB 06 before you stop getting brochures from NAB 05!!

March 16th, 2005, 09:59 PM	#38
Zack Birlew Major Player Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Las Vegas, NV Posts: 613	Well, Murph, if I could drink witcha I would. But spring break is during that week so I'll be back at home in California. Besides, I'm not old enough yet anyway and I'd probably drink water anyway because I kind of have no interest in ever drinking alcohol (too much trouble IMO, plus I don't like headaches ^_^). Interesting though, I've visited Vegas numerous, probably almost one hundred times and I've been living in Vegas since August '04 and I have yet to visit the Stratosphere once. Huh. Well, I'm sure you'll enjoy it and, if you like roller coaster drop rides, then you're in luck because they just opened up a big ride last week or so. Enjoy! And go see a show or something, lots of big name people have been coming in lately (finally, some people besides Carrot Top for crying out loud!). __________________ "Babs Do or Babs Do not, there is no try." - Zack Birlew www.BabsDoProductions.com

March 17th, 2005, 07:57 AM	#39
David Stoneburner Major Player Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 493	I've never been to the Sahara yet, so maybe I'll come down for a drink. I'll be there with a friend from work, so I'm not sure what are plans are yet. The department is putting us up at the Casino Royal. I'm hoping their rooms are too much of a dive, but as long as they are clean that's all I really need.

March 17th, 2005, 08:48 AM	#40
Christopher C. Murphy Trustee Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Boston, MA Posts: 1,707	Hey David, I think DVinfo (Chris Hurd) should try and schedule a time for everyone to meet this year. Maybe he'll set something up? Hey Chris, If you read this...do you wanna try and set something up? Just an official place and time, so we can try to coordinate. If not, I guess we'll all wing it! Hey Jack, Sorry you can't make it...and yeah, stay away from drinking. It makes you act stupid, throw up and wastes money. Do as I say, not as I do. ;) __________________ Christopher C. Murphy Director, Producer, Writer

March 18th, 2005, 12:18 AM	#41
Chris Hurd Obstreperous Rex Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: San Marcos, TX Posts: 27,368 Images: 513	Hi Murph, My favorite part of any trade show is meeting people, especially my fellow DV Info Net members! NAB is a great time to do some after-hours networking. The thing is, if we schedule our own particular evening get-together, it's going to conflict with all the other nightly social events that are going on all week -- events which I'm already committed to and really don't want to miss! So, how about hooking up at any of these evening functions... Monday night it looks like I'll be attending a Canopus user's mixer, but I don't have the time & location details yet. Tuesday night is pretty busy! First is Douglas Spotted Eagle's Vegas Users Group celebration, in a 2nd floor meeting room at the LVCC starting at 6:30pm. Click the banner at HDV Info Net for all the details. I'm spending most of the evening there before heading over to the Stardust to catch the tail end of the annual ProMax / Charles McConathy DV Cafe. Wednesday night it's back to the Stardust again for Michael Horton's yearly L.A. Final Cut User Group gala bash. If I haven't been coerced into taking tickets at the front door, then you'll find me at the cash bar. I'd love to meet with any DV Info members at one or more of these events -- be sure to pre-register for the Vegas mixer and the DV Cafe -- but any of these would be a good rallying point for us! Thursday night I hope to be back home in bed. ;-) __________________ CH Search DV Info Net \| 20 years of DVi \| ...Tuesday is Soylent Green Day!

March 18th, 2005, 12:39 AM	#42
Charles Papert Wrangler Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 6,810	Change in schedule on my feature means I may just be able to dash down to Vegas after all, hope to see you guys there! __________________ Charles Papert www.charlespapert.com

March 18th, 2005, 01:11 AM	#43
Chris Hurd Obstreperous Rex Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: San Marcos, TX Posts: 27,368 Images: 513	All right, Chas! Now it's a real party! __________________ CH Search DV Info Net \| 20 years of DVi \| ...Tuesday is Soylent Green Day!

March 18th, 2005, 09:52 AM	#44
Hugh DiMauro Trustee Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Central Florida Posts: 1,207	Speaking of NAB... What's the deal with all of this hype concerning JVC's now "Affordable" HD arriving April 18 at NAB? I mean, slick, high profile ads showing this super-secret sihouette of a camcorder. Any buzz on what that might be? My interest is piqued. Oh, and when you get to NAB, check out Chris Hurd's hair. It's perfect. I mean, like, 1960's cop TV show perfect. OOPS! I found the thread! HERE>> http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?threadid=40469 __________________ Interesting, if true. And interesting anyway.

March 19th, 2005, 09:41 AM	#45
Chris Hurd Obstreperous Rex Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: San Marcos, TX Posts: 27,368 Images: 513	<< check out Chris Hurd's hair. It's perfect. >> When you've got it -- flaunt it! __________________ CH Search DV Info Net \| 20 years of DVi \| ...Tuesday is Soylent Green Day!