Someone asked me last night what I thought was the most unique item at the show. Frankly I couldn't come up with anything that really rang my chimes. So my goal today is to search out the most unique item and run it to ground. I'll have camera and notebook in hand. I will be in a lot of booths, big and small. Watch this space.
In Europe the big parking events are every other year. The World's Largest show, Intertraffic, will next be held in Amsterdam in April 2012. Here's the deal. Manufacturers use that show to "launch" new products. They time their research to fit the show. It's difficult to have something "new and different" every year. It used to be that auto companies had a "new model" every fall. Today major changes come, what, every five years and when you see them, they are stunning.
I'm not saying that the IPI should go to an every other year schedule, but certainly the exhibition would be more exciting.
As for "new" – most wags at the exhibition told me that they see new "skins" wrapped around the same products. Maybe improvements on the technology (Digital's LUKE 2 for instance) and perhaps some yielding to marketplace requirements, but something really cutting edge – If it's there, I'll find it.
Perhaps it's not one, but a number of "new" products or upgrades that solved so called fatal flaws – by tomorrow – I'll be travelling tonight – I'll bring you the List.
JVH
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