The Jeff Pulver Blog: Guest Blogger, Alan Weinkrantz, talks about how he and his PR team are helping his agency¹s client and VON Exhibitor, Surf Communication Solution, prepare for a show like VON.

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February 21, 2007

Guest Blogger, Alan Weinkrantz, talks about how he and his PR team are helping his agency¹s client and VON Exhibitor, Surf Communication Solution, prepare for a show like VON.

Spring 2007 VON / Video on the Net is now less than one month away. For us, it¹s really about three weeks away because of the advance planning we have to do.

We¹ll be supporting our client, Surf Communication Solutions with the objective of generating pre and post show media, analyst and blogger coverage. We¹ll do this primarily by reaching out to selected members of this community in hopes of booking one-on-one appointments during the show.

Yes, we have a new product and even a very cool application story to talk about. And best of all, we are planning on having the company¹s President and CEO, Eyal Zagagi, with us on hand for meetings. I also realize that we are competing with other vendors, as well as all of the surrounding events during show itself, including the Video on the Net event.

I think the key to getting quality coverage and meetings at a show like VON is to demonstrate why your client matters in the grander scheme of the industry -- and how they lead and innovate.

In the case of Surf, we will be promoting a new fully-integrated PCI Express DSP resource board that actually delivers much of what Spring VON is all about: distribution of voice, video and data for enterprise telecom and CTI applications across converged networks.

I think the coolest about Surf¹s product is not just what it does, but how it¹s designed. That¹s going to be part of our pitch: You have to see this thing to believe it.

Surf has this extraordinary patent-pending design featuring the SurfDocker modular plug-in. I am not engineer, but the best way to explain it is to see how the board carries up to four pairs of mixed types of DSPs and supports a variety of configurations to meet the application developer¹s requirements. That is going to be part of our pitch. This thing is really an engineering marvel.

Surf also has a great relationship with Texas Instruments, and we¹ll be focused on the fact that just before VON, since they have been invited to demonstrate their video processing capabilities at the TI Developer¹s Conference in Dallas earlier in the month.

We have a great technology, a practical case study, a great CEO and a very cool design factor.

All the makings of a successful VON Show -- right?

While we have big plans for Surf, we also have reasonable expectations.

Working a show like VON is not a one-time event. I know that journalists, analysts and bloggers are hounded by PR people like us and the vendors themselves.

So, I think part of the key to a show like VON is to manage your expectations. Even if you don¹t get a chance to meet with everyone on your hit list, if your message is right, and your story is timely, over time you will succeed.

My advice is to give this process six months. Be persistent. Be relevant. And most of all, be patient. Your time will come if you stick to the basics, use a touch of creativity, and make a bit of your own luck.

PsssstŠ.wanna book an appointment with Surf at VON? Email me: alan@weinkrantz.com and I will be in touch...

Tags: voip, Alan Weinkrantz, von, Video on the Net, Internet TV, Jeff Pulver