Now that CEDIA Expo 2009 is over, and we know attendance was down 12 percent, we want to know your thoughts on the show.

What was your favorite part of the show? Least favorite part? What products impressed you the most, how was booth traffic, etc.

The Good:

Easy to get cabs and move around.
Everyone at the booths was upbeat and helpful.
Easy to meet with decision-makers
Great publications and emails by CEDIA showing how to get the most from the show, and the daily magazines were very helpful.

The Bad:

Atlanta is an unsafe town. There were no warnings that one could turn their back at breakfast and have a homeless person snatch an omelet right off your plate, as happened to a friend and colleague. Panhandlers were everywhere. Cab drivers ignored the posted downtown flat rates and tried to gouge you on short trips.

Not many choices for fun and food within safe walking distance, compared to Denver’s stellar 16th Street.

The Ugly:

The Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC) is an abomination created by sadistic Escher fetishists. Once inside the Las Vegas Convention Center or the Denver Convention Center, you’re in the show. At the GWCC, your journey is just beginning, as you navigate a maze of escalators and winding hallways, guided by comically poor signage.

The B Hall is another abomination, with its flea market atmosphere and Alien Autopsy lighting. C Hall attendees got very little indication of how to get there, or that it even existed. I can’t count how many people I talked to, who had no idea there was a second exhibit hall.

This industry of ours is fantastic.  There is room in the market place for so many different sizes and styles of companies.  And while it isn’t the only way, Cedia is creating a value proposition to those in our industry that want to not only grow a business, but also are interested in participating in the growth and improvement of the trade.

Cedia 2009 represented the associations loyalty to it’s members to continue to innovate and evolve.  Atlanta may not be the right home, the GWCC is clearly not a popular venue (personally I liked the Escheresque and gargantuan architectural style) but that comes with change.

My favorite part of the show was the times I found myself meeting individuals in this industry i had previously only read about.  And it really only required being there for dozens of such opportunities.  Actually - my favorite was Buzz Aldrin.  I also appreciated that the training notes were not handed out to everyone, you could download the PDF files.

I was impressed with the products, but was really there to research business tools.  It’s good to connect with manufacturers, reps and distributors.  All-in-all great show.  Looking forward to the management conference in March.  For those who made it, get involved and volunteer!  For those that didn’t make it - set your sites on next years Expo.

The show itself was great- however, the location was horrendous. Atlanta is not a great city to host anything. Its not a walking-friendly city and the GWCC is absolutely horrendous. It’s too big and the amount of walking participants had to do just to get around equated to a marathon! The two exhibit halls were poorly advertised. We heard from several of our dealers they couldn’t find us because they had no idea there were two halls.

ALSO- who’s idea was it to have the close of the show on the same day as the Falcon’s opening home game??? The traffic and finding parking was HORRIBLE. Here’s a tip CEDIA- if you have this in a city with an NFL team, make sure they aren’t playing a home game at the exact same place you’re holding the Expo. I’m glad to see they are finally having it later in the month too. I hate having to cut my Labor Day vacation short because we have to rush to Expo the Wednesday after a long weekend.

Same thoughts as others on the venue.  Atlanta is a poor choice; baseheads and hookers galore in a city without a whole lot to do.  Indy too.  Denver is a centrally located city that is easy to love with a great cluster of entertainment and lodging all within steps of the convention center.  Oh yeah, it’s centrally located in the US too.  ‘nuff said.

how strange that you can’t count how many people I talked to, who had no idea there was a second exhibit hall.  :(
i can’t go through such uncertain situations…

Its real simple, Atlanta just down right SUCKS. Smells too. Rental car vandalized. Hard to understand english? dialect spoken that was MISERABLE.

A nerve racking city that often made me want to carry a gun. Scary place. Wont go back.