Overheard on the exhibit floor

All quotes guaranteed authentic: "We can build a customized solution" . . . "Oh, yeah, we're involved in that stuff all the time" . . . "So, it's all performance-based?" "Ummmmm" . . . "You know what an intervention is?" . . . "When it really comes down to it, it's all the same thing" . . . "Like anything else, it just takes a media kit, I guess" . . . "I'm formerly with AOL."

Ruminations Over ad:tech Chicago, and ad:tech in General

I was trying to think how I could adequately top off my ad:tech Chicago coverage but have been admittedly hard-pressed, mainly because one speaker in my last seminar, Actions Speak Louder Than Clicks: Exploring the New Laws of Relationship Marketing, reminded me of Dr. Strangelove, and that singular thought wouldn't go away.

This is the third ad:tech I've been to. One thing I noticed about each respective conference is the variation in social culture - yes, even marketing culture can be segmented.

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And the Schwag Award Goes To...

Someone told me today that the word "schwag" came from the name for the bag that thieves used to carry their stolen booty in days of yore. Of course, Google thinks it is bad marijuana so don't quote me on that.

Regardless, anyone at ad:tech who came within 50 feet of the exhibit hall soon becomes very familiar with this term. If you've ever seen those videos of people scrambling over each other at a Walmart midnight opening the day after Thanksgiving, then you'll understand the seriousness with which some people scour the exhibit floor for tchotchkes.

Now, before you head out tomorrow to get you some of that, let us guide you to the real gems. Fellow blogger Brad Waller and I searched to find the best and brightest goods from all over the hall today. And now, we present them to you.

After gathering the goods we recruited an expert panel of judges, who all happened to be in the press room at that exact moment, to determine The Top Five Tchotchkes of AdTech 2007. So, without further adieu here are the results:

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Proposed New Rule: No Bathroom Texting

Steve was mentioning a few images from the exhibit hall he's trying to purge from his brain. Well, is it just me, or is it strange to see guys standing at the urinal "hands free" because they are too busy typing on their blackberry?

What are the rules of etiquette here?

Exhibitors Rest After Arduous Set Up

Following the theme of today's New York City Marathon, ad:tech hosted a party for its exhibitors giving them a selection of food and beverage alongside a racetrack adhered to the floor of on of the Hilton's function rooms. Hot dogs, pizza, ice cream ans drinks were served.

Interestingly, to get to this off the beaten path function room, a trip through the exhibit hall and up an escalator was required revealing yet another exhibit hall space with about 30 more exhibitors. That, in addition to the number of exhibitors on the main floor brings this to an all time high for the show. We're told upwards of 7,500 people will attend the show this week.

Booth Babes Still do the Trick

Each conference requires the ubiquitous booth babe coverage if only to reinforce the notion that ad:tech is about advertising and, in advertising, it's well known that sex does sell. As before, SEO Inc. hired several beautiful women to attract attendees to its booth so its search engine optimization services could be described. From the throngs of people swarming the booth, the strategy, once again, has paid off.

ad:tech chicago 05 Unloads, Sets Up

Per usual, on the eve before the first day of an ad:tech conference, the exhibit hall looked like King Kong's playground with large crates strewn about the floor, booths half built and trade show staff furiously working to put the puzzle together before the throngs of attendees swarm the floor the next morning. Without fail, the hall will look pristine by the time the doors open and attendees make a mad dash for free pens and other assorted tschotchkes. Admire King Kong's playground here.

Two 'Hottest' Apps Nowhere on the Show Floor

As I walked up and down the aisles of the show floor yesterday I was struck by two things I didn't see. No one was talking about blogging and social media. And no one was talking about mobility applications. Meanwhile, I had just exited a keynote where mobility and blogging were mentioned as part of the 'Next Wave.'

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Exhibit Hall Sadly Lacks Male Booth Babes

Brad may feel that booth babes were few and far between, but from my perspective...there weren't any.

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Attendees In Search of the Next Party

Depending on one's viewpoint, Tuesday afternoon, with no sponsored parties and exhibitors packing up, is either a great chance to flood the hotel bar and chat and have dinner with associates or it's the sad beginning of the end of AD:TECH - even though the conference still has a half day to go. Traditionally, companies pack their events into Monday night rather than spreading them across both days. The exception, of course, is the usual AD:TECH Wrap Up Party. However, this year, there is no official Wrap Up party but rather a party, sponsored by a host of companies most have never heard of but that claims, as we indicated yesterday, to be "The After Party People Will Be Talking About For Years." Whether that comes to pass, we won't know until tomorrow but we'll do our best to let you know.

Wayward Trade Show Temp Staff Given Booth

At the last AD:TECH show, attractive representatives of affiliate network iTraffic, Mandy Ashford and Michelle Moya were roaming the halls, boothless, promoting the companies "got traffic" business mission. Well, it seems iTraffic has made them into honest trade show attendants, giving them their own booth this time around.

Best or Worst Promotion?

Omniture wins the award for best scheme for getting hundreds of show attendees to wear their bright green t-shirts everywhere during the show. The idea was that if the roving Omniture crew saw you wearing the shirt you could win from $100 to $5,000. Every once in a while, you would hear a ruckus and look over to see three people in green shirts making a lot of noise as they approached the lucky winner and then loudly counted out their cash.

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Booth Babes and Other Attractions

This year the number of wacky attractions and booth babes seems to be quite low. In addition to the usual flashing LEDs, funky tchotchkes, logo wear, and free t-shirts, I found only a few truly noticeable gimmicks. In my first walk through the exhibit hall I saw booth babes at Search Engine Optimization, Inc. (booth 221, if you must). They're wearing t-shirts reading "Wanna Be On Top?" as captured here by a picture from Steve Hall. Also present were strolling babes for Partner Weekly, a beer tap at Adknowledge (Booth 115 if you are thirsty), and Alyssa the contortionist at FindWhat, right inside the door to the exhibit hall doors. I'm sure I'll see more as I explore further.

Omniture Winner of Best Strategic Banner Placement

Winning best banner placement at this year's San Francisco AD:TECH is Omniture. Every one of the 5,000 attendees filing in and out of the session rooms and exhibit hall must pass under this to enter the exhibit and session areas.

Many Firms, Many Plans, DoubleClick Bids to Cause Industry Consolidation

While a record 7,000 attendees roam the Ad:TECH trade show floor, stuffed together into a waxing tide of slow-motion gawking, very little hard news broke this week - perhaps because the real news isn't ready for the press releases just yet. Upstairs in the Hilton's corporate suites, CEOs lined up in an only slightly less crowded figurative line of companies talking to DoubleClick about purchasing bits and pieces of the firm. DoubleClick's sudden announcement at 11:20 p.m. on Halloween that it had hired an investment bank was the release that launched a thousand board level conference calls, with senior management eager to line up strategic approval to explore a purchase. This is starting a chain of events that could lead to massive industry consolidation will beyond the scope of DoubleClick.

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AD:TECH Kicks Off

Contrary to Sunday night where virtual cobwebs were hanging in the AD:TECH exhibit area of the Hilton, this morning the hotel was abuzz with thousands of attendess registering, meeting, greeting, and checking out exhibitors booths, which, miraculously are in a dramitically different state than they were last night.

In the registration area, there were two characters dressed up like Microsoft butterflies asking for business cards and offering attendees a chance to win a Rio. DoubeClick provided the closest thing to a "booth babe" this year with a beach, complete with a woman sunning herself while reading a book and being fanned by a male "servant."

Click Read More for more.

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AD:TECH Eve, New York '04

On the eve of New York's AD:TECH and with just a few hours to go, exhibitors were busy setting up for the storm of more than 7,000 expected attendees. At 6 p.m., boxes were strewn throughout the exhibit hall, booths appeared half-built, and piles of registration materials were quickly being organized. There's much work to be done, but if history is a guide, everything down to the last tchotchke will be in place come tomorrow morning.

The New York Marathon is still afoot, with plenty of runners, their support teams and their families looking for some rest and relaxation.

Click more to see all the event set-up pictures, including PointRoll's FatBoy booth, which appears to have been relegated to the corner, perhaps for bad behavior.

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The Ups and Downs of AD:TECH Chicago

Maximizing a weekend on Cape Cod, I opted for early Monday morning travel to Ad:TECH Chicago. The 4 a.m. flight and put me at the Sheraton around 9:30, and I immediately realized the escalator was going to be my best friend, especially as the event is spread across four floors. There is quickly developing an escalator social club.

Speaking of social events, there are no less that five parties to look forward to tonight, so prepare your party hopping shoes. Luckily, they are all about one half mile from the hotel. See the list in the comments section of the party post below. Later - going to catch the sessions.

Palace Hotel Lobby Observations

While AD:TECH attendees stroll the exhibit hall and attend the sessions, there's another part of the Hotel that is teeming with activity and is likely where many of the deals are being made. The Hotel lobby. Just outside the lobby, Looksmart is smartly hosting a Starbucks coffee party where vistitors can get a $3.00 gift certificate for an afternoon boost. After the pick me up, attendees are swarming the lobby and adjacent hallways conversing about business, which parties they went to last night and which they plan to attend tonight.

One attendee commented that, from a strategic viewpoint, the lobby is one of the best places to actually find someone you are looking for by following the "stay in one place long enough and everyone will pass by" strategy.

AD:TECH Crowd Big, Enthusiastic

Like 1999, the crowd is large and confident. Unlike 1999, many of them work for firms seeking to make profits in the foreseeable future.

The Old Sandwichboard Prank

Tchotchke Harvest

First pass at exhibit hall loot found the following highlights: The Digital Envoy folding frisbee The iProspect bag of Gold Mine bubblegum nuggets The Mirrorimage.com little plastic mirror The Web Loyalty twisty stick The Atlas Search pocket searchlite The Neighbornet.com retracting duster The Insight Express hackysack ball The pink savings bank pig from Coolsavings.com The gingerbread cookie and cookie mold from Mamma Media The fake ice cube that lites up from Whitepages.com There were the obligatory keychains, mints and superballs. The only one that made an impression was the keychain from espotting.com who were thoughtful (or thoughtless) enough to leave off anything but their "target" logo that would tell you who it was from. Missed those Flip-Flops from Hotbar. Can someone send a picture? (Here you go, Rick[/Bob].) I'll post pix of these choice tchotckes later today so we can have a vote.

AD:TECH - Calm Before the Storm

Walking through the ornate lobby of the Palace Hotel, site of AD:TECH San Francisco, before the throngs of conference attendees descend Monday morning, there is an eerie calm. There are lonely placards on three floors of exhibit areas ready to guide the onslaught of those eager to glean online marketing insight and bathe in the Vibe.

There is a meeting room full of conference planners buzzing about last minute organizational details. The press room is dark but ready for action. There are vast piles of registration materials ready to be handed out to attendees as they line up early in the morning. And the bar is filled with those already getting ahead start on one of the most important aspects of this event - networking.