Embedded Systems Conference priced out of reach?

For the customers Atmel, Microchip, et al actually care about (i.e. the people whose minimum annual usage is 100K units of whatever), the marketing budget is spent on actually going and visiting those customers, handing out free eval kits, etc.

At the company where I work, more or less every other week a semi mfr comes in, buys lunch for everyone in engineering who wants to attend, and presents a spiel and roadmap (and sometimes eval boards/demo kits).

The conference organizers are in it for the $$, and they will be insular. If the charges double, and 40% fewer arrive, they shrug.

The ones who should be most concerned, are the exhibitors. If the number, and quality, of attendees continues to decline, they will decide not to bother. The satellite seminars you mention, are already growing in popularity.

-jg

I think semiconductors calculate cost of sales should be around 4%. If you think that you have a project which generate enough business so that the revenue of your project will be 25 x the cost of supporting you with a dedicated visit, you should request it. In that calulation you need to take into account that work spent on you may be useful to other customers as well.

Not unfrequently, have I argued that my company needs to do a specific thing for a small company, because that means that we will be ready with that when the larger customers start to need it. Not unfrequently have they listened.

If you want to buy 50 chips, then you would probably get a no on a visit, but at least Atmel runs seminars at a regular basis where you for a nominal fee will get the full day + a kit.

Something to consider when you decline to go is that you're not paying $3000. You're really paying $3000 pre-tax for conference and travel, plus the $3000 to $6000 in lost revenue, depending on what you charge. So the question isn't do you want to pay $3000 vs. $1000, it's do you want to pay $4000 to $7000 vs $6000 to $9000. Looking at it that way, it's not as big a difference. Even if I weren't presenting and getting into the talks for free, I think I'd have to go at least every other year to keep my training current.

I don't know how much they charged last year, but there were certainly a lot of full rooms when the seminars were being given. If they can continue to fill the rooms, even with their expanded program, I don't see much motivation for them to cut the price.

If they do drive away enough business, however, they'll lose their teaching staff. They certainly don't pay enough to make the trip worthwhile on a purely monetary basis. The value for me (and a lot of other folks doing it) are to fill the room with potential customers for services or training, and to gain credibility as a world-class expert. Were they to pay me the same but not fill the room consistently I don't think I'd keep going.

Then there are us consultants who never buy more than a dozen chips but where a design-win often means massive revenue. Some companies realize that, others don't. The topper was a company that told me point blank that they do not send samples to consultants. "But I'd gladly pay for them". "No, we don't send samples to consultants". It was a part that couldn't be purchased via Digikey. It did not get designed in...

Just wondering how did you get those numbers. That looks like too small to be a cost of the lost opportunity. Networking at the ESC is rather dubious, since those who attend it are mostly the juniors just from school.

There are much better, less time consuming and less expensive ways to keep oneself on current. The conference is mainly the place to have fun (if it is billed to the account of employer), however paying your own money is a different story.

Vladimir Vassilevsky

DSP and Mixed Signal Design Consultant

Yeah, but the food at Teske's Germania in San Jose is so good. It's a nice stroll across St.James Park. Now don't do that if you have to undergo any cholesterol testing in the weeks after the ESC.

The things we get can be ridiculous

"Get small qauantities from DigiKey/RS/Farnell" (parts are too new for any of them to carry or will never be carried by them)

"Only in MOQ of full tray/box of hundreds" (distibutor is actually just a freight forwarder)

"Samples only sent to same company that must be taking the volume quantities" ('distributor' that would only send mains connector samples to same company GUARANTEEING minimum annual usage of 1000 parts)

Distributors/manufacturers that have web sites with NO leadtime or pricing summary, let alone full details.

Samples questionaires that require multiple corporate signoffs and a day to fill in.

We exhibitted at ESC for years and stopped when the industry was no longer being represented. Intel dropped out, Motorola / Freescale dropped out after being a major promotter of ESC. Finally the major technical people from most companies stopped attending.

From an exhibitor point of view ESC was a place to set up deals with customers and partners. That no longer happens. The last ESC I was at was poorly attended with limited embedded industry coverage.

Most of the shows we attend/exhibit now are application specific.

Walter Banks Byte Craft Limited

Get up early, disgustfull security check, procrustean seat, between the giggling monkey and the snoring pig, delayed flight, airport junk food, lost luggage, staying in a line here, staying in a line there, hangover all the way, looking for a woman, oh hi I have never met any russians before, what brought you to US, stupid feeling after locking your key in the hotel room, don't forget to retun the rental car with full tank, here are the charges for the things you didn't order...

Vladimir Vassilevsky

DSP and Mixed Signal Design Consultant

Perhaps it's just coincidence...At the last ESC for which I paid the full fees (about 10 to 15 years ago) I got a free computer carrying bag from Motorola. I went to exhibits only a few years later and there were no goodies from Motorola and I don't remember seeing a booth either. IIRC the only big booths left were the RTOS people and Metrowerks. I did score a Codewarrior T-Shirt, though. ;-)

I don't see much press coverage other than in Embedded Systems magazine. Certainly nothing like the coverage for CES or Macworld.

Mark Borgerson

:-)))

Well, I have a slight advantage here. I can drive to San Jose if I wanted to. Ok, it'll take anywhere between two and five hours. But I could, if I wanted to. Not that I want to. But I could...

Looks like it. Years ago I lined up a deal with QNX there. Now they aren't even on the exhibitor list anymore AFAICT:

TI has a 3rd party pavillon there, whatever that means. Anyhow, after viewing the exhibitor list I think I am not going to attend.

If you change your mind look me up. I'll buy you a beer.

A beer would really hit the spot. Maybe Teske's has Hefeweizen on tap. I'll buy the next one then ;-)

But seriously, around $2K for full access is a bit steep. IMHO this has gotten a bit out of hand.

Just try to rent a booth....

One company that is very good on samples and tech support in general is analog devices. No quibble, order online, no hassle and the samples are there in a few days at most. AD have had several design in's here because the product and business attitude and the quality is always first class as well. The amount of goodwill generated is considerable and more manufacturers need to wake up to the idea.

Chris

... snip ...

If Vladimir can influence Putin, Alaska, and Bush & gang to fund a bridge over the Bering strait, he too can drive to it. Maybe (I understand the Siberian highway system is not the best, also the Alaskan). :-)

Small quantities/small orders internationally via Digikey is an absolute PAIN.

They want all sorts of export regs questions and cannot define enduser, when one project I am working on the ultimate 'enduser' is the US DoD, but that is not good enough for them.

Some small quantities is good from the websites then you find that production quantities are a pain (Maxim, AD.....).

You wonder at times how anybody but the existing large companies gets from prototype to production quantities.