Over the years, we’ve developed a bit of a bad-boy reputation for our Tech.Ed high jinks. Our marketing team spends months planning it. This show is basically Microsoft’s big push to bring IT managers and system administrators up to speed on the latest IT-related advancements. It’s also an opportunity to imbibe massive quantities of sugar and drive around in buses.
Last year, we gave out a custom-made chopper. This year, we gave out a $25k entertainment system. This thing was pretty bad-assed, and included:
Pioneer Elite 61″ PureVision Plasma Monitor
Xbox 360 Premium
Alienware Mediacenter PC
Denon AVR-5805 THX 9.1 Receiver
Denon DVD 3910 Progressive Scan DVD player
8 speaker Bowers and Wilkins Surround Sound system
(specs)
We also had four Xbox 360s for runners-up.
We’ve posted some pics of the show at our Sunbelt Underground site. However, I’m also posting a few here.
Our booth, with the presentation system on display. I routinely upset Tech.Ed staffers by cranking up the volume and playing the THX deep-note sound at extremely high decibels. It was so loud, it was echoing throughout the convention center. I’m sorry, I’m naughty, but it was so damned cool.
Our VP of Product Management, Greg Kras, doing a demo on our new Ninja messaging security product for Exchange.
Our trade show presenter, Gary Saxer, showing off our products. He’s a non-stop presentation machine (some of you may recall him when he and I worked together at Quarterdeck years ago — he was known as “Mr. Memory”). I’m in the foreground with our tradeshow manager, Kendra Wallace, trying to figure out how to scan a badge with these new-fangled RFID readers.
More Gary Saxer presentation madness.
There’s me (white shirt) again trying to figure out the damned RFID card scanner.
Sunbelt’s co-founder and VP of Marketing, Stu, pondering.
The madness surrounding the giveaway. And it was madness!
More massive mobs of techies looking to win.
The winners: One got the whole entertainment system, and four got Xbox 360s as runners-up.
We have entirely too much fun around here.
Alex Eckelberry