COMPTEL PLUS Fall 2013 Convention & EXPO
Orlando, Florida
Gaylord Palms
September 23-26, 2013
Attendees: 1,720
Exhibitors: 80
Media & Analysts: 12
Calysto Overview
The COMPTEL PLUS Fall Convention & EXPO organized by COMPTEL, the Washington D.C.-based industry association for communications service providers and their supplier partners, once again was a good venue to conduct business and secure leads. This year’s event held at the end of September in Orlando drew an estimated 1,720 attendees, which is in line with previous year’s attendance. Some takeaways:
- More than 980 or 57% of attendees were senior level decision makers.
- COMPTEL’s CEO breakfast attracted more than 40 C-level executives.
- 19 exhibitors were at the show for the first time this year, including providers of cloud services, unified communications, VoIP, network management and optimization, carrier Ethernet, corporate compliance, and video caching and delivery.
Conference
Sometimes it’s a good idea to take a break from scheduling the traditional industry speakers at an event. This year’s COMPTEL PLUS keynote was delivered by Denver Bronco Pro-Bowler Karl Mecklenburg — a former linebacker who rose from a college walk-on and twelfth round draft choice to a distinguished NFL career that included three Super Bowl and six Pro Bowl appearances. Mecklenburg doesn’t have the football pedigree of, say current Bronco’s QB Peyton Manning, but he delivered a pretty good talk that resonated with this audience.
Mecklenburg talked about his relatively slow speed at the NFL Combine: “If you watch the Combine, that’s not fast enough to be a linebacker in the NFL. That’s what the 300-pounders are running now.” However, he told the audience, “I found out early on in my career that if I took the first step in the right direction before anybody else did, all the angles would change in my favor. All of a sudden, the guard can’t cut you off, the tight-end can’t pin you in. How do you do that? Preparation and anticipation.” Mecklenburg called it “the courage to be decisive.”
Other themes Mecklenburg spoke about were what he termed six keys to success: teamwork, courage, dedication, desire, goal setting, and honesty and forgiveness. If you’re interested, the highlight reel is available at http://ow.ly/pgREg .
As for the individual educational sessions, topics covered for 2013 included: broadband deployment, cybersecurity, lifeline, IP transitioning, cloud solutions, Ethernet, VoIP, small cells, and financial markets and strategies for strengthening the bottom line.
EXPO
There were approximately 80 exhibitors this year, including ADVA, Alcatel-Lucent, Ciena, Overture Networks, Walker & Associates, Huawei, NEC Corporation, and others, with almost 20 new faces. The deal center was reported busy.
There were plenty of networking opportunities as well, including a golf tournament and an opening night reception in the EXPO hall that was attended by more than 1,000 guests.
Media
Approximately a dozen media and analysts attended, including Atlantic-ACM, Channel Vision, Communications Daily, Fierce Telecom, Light Reading, New Paradigm Resources Group, Telecom Review North America, Telecompetitor and TMC.
“One of the things I’ve always liked about the Comptel Plus show is that it is a show for competitive carriers by competitive carriers, so the carrier execs are there. And because most of them grew up in the competitive carrier space, they tend to be a bit more opinionated — or willing to share their opinions, at any rate,” wrote Carol Wilson of Light Reading. “And this time around I wasn’t disappointed by the thoughts, often volunteered, about some of the “hottest” trends in telecom.”
Summary
The COMPTEL PLUS Fall Convention & EXPO is a good event – and good size — to put on your fall schedule to visit with prospects and customers who tend to be decision-makers in a congenial setting. While perhaps not the best venue for major product announcements, consider scheduling media and analyst briefings, as well as submitting for speaking slots at the educational sessions.
Upcoming
March 16-19, 2014, Aria, Las Vegas
October 5-8, 2014, Gaylord Texan, Dallas
Articles of Interest
Comptel Plus 2013 Show Daily
Day 1, Day 2
Comptel: The Contrarian View
Light Reading
By Carol Wilson
September 26, 2013
Security Threat Intensifies for Service Providers
Light Reading
By Carol Wilson
September 25, 2013
Comptel a Sunny Spot This Fall
Light Reading
By Carol Wilson
September 25, 2013
ANPI Takes Unified Comms to the Masses
Light Reading
By Carol Wilson
September 24, 2013