Trade Shows and Expositions
Reported by R. Allen Leider
Business, Finance and Technology Editor
Coming in November
Ad:Tech 2008
CES Preview
Natinoal Comic Show
Coming in November
Ad:Tech 2008
CES Preview
Natinoal Comic Show
| SpeechTEK 2008 is the world’s biggest speech technology
conference and exhibition. It is the best and only place to gleen information
on the latest technologies, services, and solutions, mostly CRM, in speech
recognition and synthesis.
In today’s economic environment, successful businesses need to understand what opportunities speech technology offers for maximizing the money invested in CRM, and more importantly, how to harness those opportunities. SpeechTEK used to be a show about people talking to computers that spoke to them in human voices and related technology. Now the show and the technology has morphed into the 'CRM show' with the major emphasis on how to stop people from pressing '0' and increasing costs by necessitating human CRM attendants. The keynotes given at the luncheons were very up front about this fact and had lots of statistics from those who have deployed speech to provide better service to their customers and to generate revenue to improve their bottom line by avoiding pressing '0'. The show this year sported more than 100 exhibitors and was like a smorgasbord of free tech opportunities to learn about the latest products and services from all of the major vendors. Among the better vendors we spoke to were Nuance, whose Conversations 2008 is a product touted to be a real money saver for all businesses with CRM cost problems. Avaya;s Voice Portal is a web-based self service platform that claims to tie together the advantages of IP Telephony ad the Web. The demo was VERY impressive. IQ Services new White Paper Series of voice recognition software deals effectively with problems related to echo and load capacity. Again, the demonstration was very helpful in understand how they handle these aspects of customer satisfaction. |
Angel.com unveiled two solutions: Voice Secure which
accurately and securely handles IVR problems related to customers wanted
their data quickly, but in privacy and Call Center '08 which keeps the
costs of CFO in line with your budget with a virtual call center which
is easy to set up and very cost effective.
SugarCRM showed off their total CRM package of open source CRM tools and solutions including their client/servcer, hosting services and software products.: Sugar Enterprise, Sugar Professional and Sugar Community. HIGHLIGHTS: Keynotes
SpeechTEK Labs
SpeechTEK University gave courses to provide in-depth, 3-hour seminars on compelling topics for speech technology and information technology professionals. |
Chiller Con Spring 2008
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CHILLER-CON is a labor of love from producers Kevin and Susan Clement who pull two of these monster ( literally ) conventions together annually. The ChillerCon is the biggest horror and fantasy confab in the nation and the lines to get into the convention center sometimes wind around the block. Costumed attendees are standard and you may eat lunch sitting next to a celebrity, a ghoul, Freddy, Jason or a bloodsucker. Features this Hallow'een included the Friday Night Fantasy Film Festival, a Tribute to Bobby 'Boris' Pickett, the Saturday panels of famous directors, writers and actors followed by the awards for model making and original artworks. Saturday night saw the huge costume contest presented by Horror Business Magazine with bands like Masterburner, Lourds, The Deck Lizards and The Dead Elvi. There were some very interesting panels as well including the Lovely Ladies of Horror and Sci-Fi, one on independent filmmaking, plus Q&A sessions with Zachereley, A panel on Classic Television and all topped off with the Saturday Night Rock and Roll Monster Watusi Party. |
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The Baltimore Science Fiction Society announced at their annual Balticon Convention that the 2008 Compton Crook/Stephen Tall Award winner was Mark L. Van Name for his novel “One Jump Ahead” published by Baen Books. The award plaque and check for $1000.00 was presented during the Balticon 42 opening ceremony at 8pm on Friday, May 23, 2008. The Compton Crook Award is presented to the best first novel of the year written by a single author: collaborations are not eligible: in the field of Science Fiction, Fantasy, or Horror by the members of the Baltimore Science Fiction Society, Inc. |
Comic-Con 2008
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New York Comic Con is the East Coast's biggest and most exciting popular culture convention. The show floor played host to the latest and greatest in comics, graphic novels, anime, manga, video games, toys, movies, and television. Our panels and autograph sessions give fans a chance to interact with their favorite creators. The screening rooms featured exciting sneak peeks at films and television shows months before they hit either big or small screens. And with dedicated professional hours, New York Comic Con is a market place, bringing together the major players in the entertainment industry. |
Big Apple Comic Con Summer 2008
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MIKE CARBONARO’S BIG APPLE COMIC BOOK, ART & TOY EXPO kicked off the SUMMER SIZZLER at the PENN PLAZA PAVILION, SATURDAY & SUNDAY, JUNE 7th & 8th. There were more than 300 dealers & exhibitors, showcasing comics, toys, action figures, original art, videos, autographs, trading cards, TV & movie memorabilia & more. It’s the place to buy, sell or trade your collectibles! |
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Microsoft's X-Box 360 Gaming System |
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Samsung's Digimax NV3 Camera |
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Samsung LNR268W Flat Panel LCD HDTV |
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Archos 104, 404 and 604 Media Players |
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Logitech MX-500 Wireless Keyboard and Mouse Combo |
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LOGITECH QuickCam Fusion |
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Mighty PuttyAmazing New Repair Tool |
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Turbo Charge TC2 Cell Phone Charger Great for the Traveller! |