NAB Show 2011. I’ve been looking forward to this for months.
Flew in Sunday night, and arrived at Bally’s about 9something or other in my room. (I’m used to Central time, so for my internal clock, add two hours). Cleaned up, unpacked, got stuff dewrinkling, then caught up with my friend until roughly 130 am. Well worth it… realizing I had gotten up that morning at 530 PST… Well, I was tired enough I probably looked drunk walking across the casino floor last night. Came in, set an alarm for “ungodly o’clock” and laid down, but didn’t sleep all the 4 hours or so I had left.
Needless to say, my morning started out way too early. Woke up about 5 am (alarm set for 530), and spent the next 30 minutes in bed dozing off and drooling on my pillow going “unghhhhhhhhhhearlyneedcaffeinerawr”. Got out of bed (my room was cold!! Who forgot to turn on the heat last night!?? oh right, that would be my fault.) and dashed around getting ready. Couldn’t figure out if I wanted to eat breakfast downstairs at Bally’s (while it is a yummy breakfast…) or if I wanted to risk hitting Banner’s at the convention center. Banner’s won, and about 715 I headed down to the monorail and got to NAB proper. Fortunately they were open, I got my usual breakfast (Fruit, Yogurt, Bagel and Cream Cheese, and Caffeine). It was/is delicious and has become a staple of my NAB mornings. Oftentimes (like I am right now) I can sit here and eat my breakfast and work on my blog. It’s very nice and comfortable. Also, I have my tea that I brought from home that has more caffeine than most coffees. Nom nom nom nom nom.
While I was eating I was perusing around Twitter and the intermittently working NAB App, trying to figure out if I wanted to brave the James Cameron Keynote or not. I decided before I came out that if I’m going to be doing active things on Twitter, I need to be.. different to spot. (Aside from my fairly awful fashion sense). So I coordinated my outfits around various hair flowers I have. (Monday was bright orange, Tuesday is Dark Blue.. etc.) More on this with hilarious consequences later. You see all kinds here for dress, but generally if you’re clean and neat, don’t smell icky, and don’t look too scruffy, you’ll be okay.
I saw a tweet from @tysonbanks lookiing completely overwhelmed. My goal here at NAB is to network, meet as many of the NAB twitterati as humanly possible, and job hunt. Of course, to have fun but that’s pretty much a prerequisite as soon as you hit Vegas soil.
So I tweeted back, got a call, and met up. I remember how lost and amazed I felt last year – 80k+ people IS overwhelming! – and I didn’t really want to see the keynote alone, so we traipsed over there.. to see the ENORMOUS serpentine line. How was everyone going to fit in the room? The answer is, rather well – we got amazing seats and proceeded to watch NAB officially kicked off. There were the general welcome to NAB comments, the award to Eddie Fritts (former President of NAB) and then James Cameron.
It was literally all about 3d and how it will revolutionize the industry.
Alright. I have a confession to make.
I CAN’T SEE 3D. Not in art, not in paintings, and ESPECIALLY not on A SCREEN. The notable exception to this has been at the new Warren IMAX near my house in Wichita, KS – that screen is massively huge and I could see some elements for the first time, which is pretty awesome. But this year, NAB is really leaning heavily on 3d – the most notable thing I can remember from the keynote is “Soon we will be shooting everything in 3D and pulling the 2D elements out” – and I just hope that maybe by then they’ll improve 3D to the point where I can see it. (PSST: I am available to beta test a lot of things like that! I’m a willing scapegoat! I don’t eat much and I keep myself clean and entertained!)
The keynote really was amazing, and it was awesome being able to just listen to 2 obviously great minds banter about their passions. People following their passion is something I am always in favor for and will always support.
After the keynote, Tyson and I went our separate ways and I descended into the Pro Audio area. I love audio equipment. I love to play with it, I love to listen to it, it’s all shiny, new… and well, well out of my price range. Sigh. I immediately gravitated to one of my favorite booths from last year – Sennheiser/Neumann. I make no secret I am a huge fangirl, because last year, I finally found a pair of ($300) headphones that I (still) wish I had. This year? Found another pair I wish I had. The 30-35% hearing loss I have in my ears is drastic with better headphones. They make headphones that I cannot HEAR the difference. Basically, with normal headphones, I always feel like I have a piece of cotton on my left side – everything is slightly muted, it’s a bit off the highs and lows. I’ve grown accustomed to it.
However, at a show like this, I naturally gravitate to trying EVERY SHINY PIECE OF EQUIPMENT I CAN PAW GENTLY. Ahem. (I have OCOS- obsessive compuls–OOHSHINY. Explains much).
Back to Sennheiser. Their HD 25-I II headphones this year are “only” $199 and they also have no variance between my two ears. They sound THE SAME. I CAN HEAR THINGS. I undoubtedly will go over there every single day of the show just to listen and drool. They really are gorgeous though, along with the rest of them they have out, and they make great product. They also announced a couple of new mics yesterday and they really are lovely:
http://www.prosoundweb.com/article/sennheiser_announces_new_shotgun_microphones_at_nab_2011/
No, I’m not being paid for this promotional, but I do accept discounts on equipment @SennheiserUSA. Y’know. Like on headphones. 
or Mics….. *drool*
Ahem. Last year when I was here I methodically went through every hall, booth by booth.
My INTENTION yesterday was to do exactly that. This is more what happened.
Keynote > central > south > central > north > central > south > south > central > north > north > central.
I’m not actually sure that with all the exciting things going on this year I’ll be able to go booth by booth, unfortunately. That and I have a lot of interests on my own this year now that I’m more used to the ebb, flow, and layout of NAB. I have noticed this year, like last year, a lot of the presenters are either disinterested or tired of being here. ACTING, PEOPLE! nothing turns me off more in a booth than seeing interested people walk up to be ignored or half heartedly given an answer. Yes, I know having to work is a drag, but try not having a job for ~16 months.. then being asked all the time what kind of work you do. Plus, this is a really neat conference.
(Also. Males…. doesn’t matter what gender I am, I still love equipment, thank you for acting accordingly)
So after the keynote and while I am running around I check compulsively around Twitter.
There’s a group tweeting called Front Porch Digital (@fpdigitalcom) and they have a magician at their booth? And they’re actually tweeting with people and networking? SOLD! I run over to their booth, watch the magician (who was eerily good, really quite scary – magicians freak me out sometimes) and got to meet the actual voice behind the twitter account! We chatted for a while and I picked up my very first pen (please note, exhibitors, if you want a good mention in my blog, HAVE PENS. PEEEENSSSSSS – said like zombies!) Their product was really nice too, I should say, but check them out if you’re here. They’re over in N5806.
After that, I bum around North a bit more and gathered more pens I see that there’s a tweetup with @NABShow in South Upper, which is about as far away from the North Hall as humanly possible. Oh well, that’s what comfortable shoes are for. So I head up to South Upper and the Post Production Pit, and I got to meet @MitchArno and @KariRippetoe, and have some amazing conversations with them. I really want to be able to sit down at some point before this week is over and talk to them more! (as well as attend every tweetup humanly possible here at NAB). Unfortunately we were the only three at the tweetup… why? I’m not sure! there are tons of people on Twitter at NAB! Not so many companies… which should be rectified. (I have a great plan to merge the video/production portion of NAB with Social Media, stay tuned to this blog for details)
I got some awesome swag – pick of the litter! I always wanted a giant tshirt that’s very comfortable. 
Since I was in South, I poked around a bit before hitting up South Lower… man, am I glad I did.
Killer Tracks was here last year – very nice people, great music licensing group, very nice to everyone, bright shiny booth (SL7615). They always have nice bags and neat swag – this year it’s a flash drive that you can wear as a bracelet – probably one of the most unique giveaways I’ve sen on the floor – and as I’m walking by, I see a poster that says “Alex Band! Here at the booth at 2 pm” and literally scream “WHAAAAAAT”.
Long ago, in almost another lifetime, I did Music/Entertainment/Movie/Game promotion.
Loved doing it. Still do. And in this lifetime, we worked with RCA, and I worked with this at that time little known band called “The Calling”.. of which Alex Band was the lead singer. So, we go way back. Circa 2002-2003, which would have probably been the last time I saw them.
Needless to say, I was absolutely floored and thrilled. YAY LIVE MUSIC ON THE NAB SHOW FLOOR! LIVE MUSIC THAT I LOVE! So I furiously rearrange the few plans I have for the rest of
the day and plan to be back at the booth by about 1. And then my phone starts dying. Drained battery in about 4 hours. WOOPS. Reminder: Next year – more phone battery backups.
I forgot to eat lunch yesterday. So insert a glowing review of some local restaurant that simply has the world’s best fish and chips ever. Because that’s what I want for lunch today. mmm. food.
I honestly kind of forget where else I ran around between finding out about the show and going to it. Pretty sure I headed back to Central and went around more on the attempt for more pens.
Oh. I headed back to North Hall to try to find a charging station for my laptop and hit the wifi lounge.
THERE ARE NO OUTLETS IN THE WIFI LOUNGE THIS YEAR. SERIOUSLY WHAT? They had tons last year. The Wifi was – and still is – sketchy, but NO PLUGINS (There’s a bank of them near the vending machines in the middle of Central Hall, though, so that’s where I’ll be going to charge things)
So I made the long trek BACK to South Hall and hit the restroom. Normally I wouldn’t share this, but there’s a hysterical #overheardatNAB story.
I’m washing my hands and checking the makeup, like girls do in the bathroom, and I hear “Hey! You’re that girl from Twitter!”
*blink* “Yeah! you have the flower in your hair”
“Woah! it worked! Who are you?”
And that’s how I met @LeeLeeB, who is a great person and very sweet!
~
I’ll review the Alex Band show later on today, but right now the floor is open and I’m itching to get out there. See you @NABShow today! And please, stop and say hi to me if you see me! I don’t bite. (much.) And I’ve had my rabies shots. (promise).
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