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Posting from London

June 21, 2009
I arrived Saturday, June 20th, in London for the preparations for the MTO Summit UK.  I have it on best authority that there are still some seats available, so if you are reading this post and have a desire to attend, and happen to be in London, send me a quick email to stephen@advontech.com and I can provide some passes.  Can't promise it will be free, but can probably get a decent discount off the 50 GBP.  

I am staying at Think apartments that include a kitchen and washer/dryer.  While my room is very clean and efficient, it is quite small and does not have Internet access.  I am considering another hotel to stay connected.

Last night I went to a local grocery store – Tesco, and purchased a meal to cook in the apartment.  I must admit that I had a time finding and choosing simple grocery items given the unfamiliar surroundings and ‘way of doing things”.  Even as I checked out, I required the clerk’s help in counting out the British money, as I had not had the time to reacquaint myself with the coins.

I thought how stupid I looked with even simple tasks.  Interesting analogy. Technology users who have not had the opportunity to become proficient with the different technology solutions suffer the same challenges in making simple purchase decisions.  I often rely on other industry experts, despite some of my own skills and knowledge of the latest solutions.  What about meeting planners and show managers who are experts at the details of designing a tradeshow floor or controlling the F&B budget, but have no clue about the latest smart phone solutions?

It is a good reminder to all technology suppliers.  Remember your customer.  Don’t assume they have are up on the latest tools and go overboard on education.

Cheers

Posted by Stephen Nold on June 21, 2009 | Comments (0)