PCR Tech and IT retail, distribution and vendor news
With it taking hours for some people to just get off the M1, it was a quiet start to Ingram Micro’s retail extravaganza. But by lunchtime, the hall was buzzing.
The new Wembley Stadium is the venue for Retail Expo 2007 and, once you get here, it’s an excellent place; much more polished than you expect a football stadium to be and with loads of parking.
Getting here, however, is another matter and is something that will need to be addressed if the new national stadium is to become the top conference venue they intend it to be.
But enough moaning about traffic, PC retailers who were unable to make it will doubtless be interested to know what they’re missing. The show floor is laid out in traditional trade-show style, albeit without the huge, over-the-top stands. The vendor line up is impressive, with everyone who’s anyone in the IT world exhibiting.
The only apparent exception is Intel and, with AMD/ATI having a relatively small stand, the flavour of the event is very much in the mainstream and convergence areas. HP, Acer, Sony and Toshiba are all flaunting their laptops.
HP is also showing off a new camera that has built in panoramic stitch, while Sony is showing off its great, big televisions and Toshiba appears to have branched off into digital photo frames.
The highlight of the show, however, has to be Targus, which is giving away a free, decent, laptop rucksack to pretty much everyone who turns up. On that note, I must sign off as I’ve got an important interview with Targus to do…
