Feedback From Las Vegas

Last week Jason and Bob were at the ISC WEST Show at the Sands in Las Vegas.  This is the first time Metra Home Theater Group has exhibited at this show and we featured our Spyclops line.  I hear the show went well and the booth looked fantastic.  When the staff returns, I like to ask a few standard questions to get a feel for a show and how it went, how to improve, etc. I email them the questions and they answer them within the first few days of being back in the office.   I work with some funny people and sometimes these answers make me laugh.  This was one of those times.  I decided to make it my ISE Show Wrap up post because it shows why we are such a tight group here at Metra Home Theater Group.  I hope you enjoy these as much as I did.

1. What did you learn at the show?  Las Vegas is just as hard on us Floridians in April as it is in January when we are there for CES.  When breaking down the booth we need to make sure our crates get there on time.  It’s difficult to work hard when your body is craving humidity.
2. What did you think about booth location?  I think by the time people got back to us, they had seen it all and they gave us a glance and turned around.  Still got some good leads in between nose bleeds.  Also, we need to make sure we do a nose check during the show.  Nose bleeds can happen at any time and scare people off no matter where we are located next year.
3. How many exhibitors were there?  Over 10000 and they all had big TVs in their booths.  We need big TVs next year to help draw in the crowds. 
4. What can we do to improve at the show next year?  Didn't you just ask that?  Well, big TVs are the way to go next year.  They catch the eye and will bring in traffic. Packing a humidifier in the crates so we are prepared for environment will also save us from multiple trips to the store after the show.
5. What was one positive from the show?  Break down goes really fast when you are ready to get home and breath the fresh Florida air full of humidity.

WHAT IS THE INTERNET OF THINGS?

The term "Internet of Things" (or IOT for short) is everywhere.  Do you know what this means?  Do you know how this effects you?  I took some time to read up on the Internet of Things to educate myself because frankly, the phrase annoys me.  It sounds pompous.  This phrase reminds me of rich people saying “money does not solve everything.”  Really?  Money does not solve everything?  I am pretty sure money would have solved my problem of trying to figure out how to pay for books for college.  With that being said, the IOT sounds like it might solve everything.  The IOT is being thrown around in articles about everything from kitchen appliances to smartwatches. Yet no one has explained exactly what the Internet of Things means.  There is a hashtag to following and everything – yet no explanation.

Until last Friday.

I found Dan Sung’s article at Wearable.com and he explained what the internet of things means:

“It's an all-compassing term that refers to the internet changing from a giant network of connected PCs to a mega-network including everything around you. From your kitchen to your car and everything in between, the Internet of Things (IoT) is changing the world”

Read the fully article here. 

It is a wonderful explanation of how this Internet of Things revolution is important, how it could change our lives as we know it and the downside.

Read the article and see if it reassures you on the Internet of Things and how it is set to change everyday life. 

Personally, I have gone from annoyed to a little scared.

Wearable Technology. A Game Changer

A month after CES 2015 in Las Vegas and one topic keeps popping up everywhere: Wearable Technology.  The wearable technology market is set be a game changer especially the fitness wearable.  As the various newsletters and emails are delivered to in boxes every morning the topic of “fitness wearables” can be found.  I cannot get away from hearing about all the different types of products out there that can help one lose weight, track runs and get healthier.  The various wearable fitness products are set to change the workout world much like the waffle running show did for runners in the early 80s.

After years of portions getting bigger, there are now various products that will track calories consumed and calories burned to help society get smaller.   No longer tied to the gym.  Customers now can have fitness socks to track runs to calculate elements that can be improved.  Smartwatches are equipped with the necessary programs to track steps, calories, sit-ups – an entire gallery of items to burn that extra drink or dessert from the night before.  In short – No. More. Excuses.  That’s right!  Technology is taking away the excuses we tell ourselves for not getting in shape.  No longer can we say “I do not have time to figure out what I am doing wrong.”  Or ‘Who has time to track my work out?”  Technology can now do all tracking to help one be successful in becoming healthier. 

The one question that still remains – will we, as a society, get healthier with all support from wearables?  Will the old “I will get healthier for the New Year” resolution be kept more in 2015 than previous years because of this new technology?  If the fitness wearable is as revolutionary as the waffle running shoe, then the answer will be a resounding YES!