Walking down a crowded isle or sidewalk is a lot like driving on a busy
street, and generally the same rules apply.  There are no stop signs, lane
markers or traffic cops of course, but here are some traffic tips that apply
equally to motorists and pedestrians.

Stand on the right, pass on the left!  Where in the world is it OK to block
traffic by loitering in the left lane? In most states, traffic law
stipulates that slower traffic keep to the right.  The same rules apply to
pedestrian traffic, especially on escalators and moving sidewalks.

Watch the road.  I’m not surprised to find the majority of attendees at a
telecom show staring attentively at their phones. With so many folks
checking their email while walking, I am surprised I haven’t seen any major
pedestrian crashes.

Observe and try not to upset the flow of traffic.   Everyone occasionally
has to cut across an entire isle full of people, but when doing so, try to
remember that the majority rules so it is your responsibility to merge in
and out of moving traffic.

Pull over if you get lost.  If you aren’t sure where you are going or what
you are doing, try to get out of the way while you figure it out.  New
Yorkers and Washingtonians get a bad reputation for being hostile and
impatient with tourists when in fact they simply have a low tolerance for
people mucking up the works.  City dwellers and tradeshow attendees would
rather give directions than wait behind someone who stopped because they are
lost.

This vehicle makes wide turns.  Pulling a rolling bag or pushing a cart
makes you the pedestrian equivalent of a tractor-trailer.  Leave yourself
some extra stopping distance, don’t make any sudden moves, make wide turns
and watch out for people who may get caught on the inside of a sweeping
right hander.

Don’t block the box. Pedestrian intersections are uncontrolled so anyone
standing in the center of two intersecting isles will have traffic coming at
them from all directions, dramatically increasing the odds of a collision
and subsequent traffic jam.

Signal before turning. People don’t have turn signals but their eyes can
serve the same purpose.  If you are approaching someone head-on, look them
in the eyes and they will generally divert their eyes to the side on which
they plan to pass.

Arrive alive by driving gently, going with the flow and obeying local
traffic laws.  See you in the hammer lane!

I haven’t been everywhere on the show floor yet and it is only day two, but here is a list of things usually found at Vegas tradeshows that are noticeably scarce or absent at NXTcomm08:

Porn flyers and cards littering the halls and bathrooms

The smell of too many people in a small space

Small booths of consumer grade trinkets

Mentally ill people posing as reporters

People sitting on the floor

Lines for the bathroom

Wheelie bags

Beach attire

Complaint

I don’t want to leave you with the impression that there is nobody here.  There are plenty of people milling around and getting down to the business of doing business.   They are just being surprisingly polite and professional about it!

In keeping with the digital dialogue of the information age, here is a numeric expression of the excitement around NXTcomm08.

200,000 square feet of exhibit space

500 exhibits

250 reporters and analysts (pre-registered)

100 keynotes, sessions and conferences

27 official hotels

19 exhibit hours

12 Eos Awards

4 days of conferences

3 Summits

One event delivering the entire ecosystem of network-enabled voice, video and data.

If touring all the booths on the show floor isn’t exhausting, you probably aren’t doing it right.  With over 500 exhibits and countless products to take in, NXTcomm attendees are bound to need a break by Tuesday afternoon.  To help weary attendees get some rest without losing valuable time, the NXTploration Theater brings new product demonstrations and presentations to the show floor!  Conveniently located on the show floor (Booth #SL8322), this 100+ seat venue is a great way to see what’s hot in the telecommunications industry without leaving the exhibit area. Continue reading “NXTploration Theater Brings Presentations to the Show Floor”

Merriam-Webster defines a network as “an interconnected or interrelated chain, group, or system.”  While technically accurate, this definition fails to adequately describe the network’s potential beyond simple content delivery and communication.  As network bandwidth approaches the throughput of the data busses found inside personal computers, enterprise network topology may begin to look more like a motherboard than a traditional distribution system. Continue reading “The Network as a Platform”