From CES to the Cable Show - the excitement is building...

I've been attending all the major events in our space this year - starting with the CES, followed by the CTIA (yes, we do wireless too!) and then the NAB - all of which were in Las Vegas. So, it is a welcome relief to be attending the Cable Show in Los Angeles! At least there are no distractions to doing business (and fewer risks to the health of our wallets)...

But seriously, Los Angeles is a great location for the Cable Show, focused as it is on content and it's delivery as it pertains to the Cable industry. The proximity to Hollywood should ensure a significantly increased content presence at the show, and must be welcomed.

This being the second year of the Cable industry changing the format of its events, it will be particularly interesting to see how the new format is working out.

For those not familiar with this bit of history - the Cable industry used to have four major events a year:
- the Emerging Technologies conference
- Cabletec - or the SCTE's Expo
- the Cable show - or the NCTA Expo
- CTAM and the CTAM research conference (two separate events, actually)

Due to an inordinately heavy travel schedule for all concerned, these are now consolidated into two events annually, one in spring and one in the fall.

For someone interested in the future of technology, there is one thing I sorely miss - and it has totally disappeared this year - the Emerging Technologies summit. Last year, the ET happened in parallel with the Cable show, but attendance was way down.

ET used to be the place where technologists in the Cable space could get together and listen to, discuss and debate technologies that were coming down the pipeline, not just a few months away, but two, maybe three years away.

I've presented at ET several times, and received great feedback. I found it to be a very useful event from a "CTO" perspective. Well, ET, RIP dear friend...

Meanwhile, the excitement level in the industry is palpable. From the CES to CTIA to NAB, I have sensed an increasing level of participation, the noise level in the expo halls has been increasing, people are becoming more excited, animated, as though the damp economy of the last few years has been shrugged off, and people are ready to do business again!

Bring it on - let's have some fun at the Cable show 2010!