In the words of teenaged girls and eager bloggers everywhere…”I CAN’T EVEN!”

I mean, I didn’t think I could, until it happened, and then, eyes faced downward, I got in line with the throng of millions.  I jumped on the bandwagon with a mindless effort and posted a Pokemon Go image on Twitter,  Instagram and  Facebook page.    We had one of those little Pokemon boogers in front of our building.  Phone-in-hand gamers were in and out of our parking lot all afternoon.  I was intrigued enough to get a Millennial employee to send me a screen shot of what he saw while he was playing.  So was posting the screen shot a lame marketing effort?  A drop back and punt?  Who cares.   This stuff is cool.

Although I am getting tired of looking at the top of kid’s heads and having people bump into me while I’m walking, one can’t help but be impressed with the technology. But what does this technology mean for us non-gaming, boring and otherwise productive adults?  ALOT, actually!

As a trade show manufacturer, it means more new products and technology that need exhibits to introduce their item to the marketplace.  Win for us!  We’ve got two designs underway right now for displays for companies that make AR googles.  New products and new marketplaces?  Yes, please.

In the AR/VR world, Pokemon Go is  Augmented Reality (AR). It’s taking a Virtual Reality (VR) element (orange birds and pikachus and such) and putting them into a real world scenario thus augmenting the reality that you experience.   But aside from new, cool product, is this technology just for fun?  Hang on, because this is where otherwise boring adults should get excited.

This type of technology can be life saving…literally!  It has spurred something new…Mobile Merged Reality.  Merged Reality takes two live realities and puts them into one field.  Think of  Facetiming your friend but jumping in their screen (virtually of course.)  And this is taking place NOW to perform lifesaving brain surgery.  Say a general surgeon from a rural hospital has to perform an emergency surgery following a car wreck and there’s no time for transport.  They can connect with a specialized surgeon virtually that guides them through surgery with their own    hand.  This is happening now!  How wild is that?

In our everyday walk, mobile merged reality can provide such services as guitar lessons with someone on the other side of the world, virtual plumbing assistance, the opportunities are endless.  And you can do this without special equipment… just an app!  Although I don’t see myself downloading the Pokemon Go APP… an APP that would help program my mom’s AppleTV 300 miles away?  I’m on that bandwagon for sure!

In March 2014 I took a trip to Las Vegas for the Exhibitor Show.  With a marketing career spanning 2 decades, I’ve been to countless trade shows and lost count of the number of trips I’ve taken to the trade show mecca around the time I stopped carrying my laptop on a plane.  But this trip was a first, my virgin experience on the other side of the aisle.  I was on there to sell, not to be sold…and was I prepared!

For 6 months, I’d been marketing this new-to-me product.  Building new slick and shiny talking points for the company.  Laying out new plans, new concepts, new angles. With this fresh knowledge and prep, I stood shod with a pair of comfortable but horribly unbecoming shoes, ready  with my script.   The ribbon was cut on the show and with our years of tenure our prime booth location provided me with my first guest in seconds.   She passed the men in the booth and eagerly walked straight to me.  Here it comes…the sell!  But instead, “Excuse me, Do you know where the restroom is?”

Fluke.  Next customer.

Up comes #2, “Where’s the bathroom?”   “Sigh“.  I’d prepped, I’d studied, I’m ready with my script and ready for the big questions.  So here comes Beeline Betty,  “Pardon, but do  you know how I get to show services?”   What the What?!?!  Come, on.

“How long does it takes to put together a MultiQuad frame? ”
“What tools are needed?”
“How is it shipped?”
Ask.Me.These.

Of course, I told pointed to the rest rooms, it’s woman code.

Perhaps being the only woman in the booth on a main aisle crowned me the Queen of info.  Or maybe it was the librarian shoes that made me look extra knowledgeable?  But my Vegas bet lies squarely on inferior wayfinding tools.  So once we found out we’d be occupying the same space for the next show, I knew we needed a plan.  Wayfinding is one of the services of our interiors division, so it’s on my radar.

The plan was pretty simple, and as with many simple and obvious plans … IT WORKED!  We embedded a show floor map in our graphics.  It added another reason for traffic to stop at our booth.  Were we showing competitors spaces?  Yes, who cares.  It’s not proprietary information.  It was usable information.  I asked permission from the show and then obtained a high resolution map of the show floor, altered with large red restroom symbols and built it into the edge of our display.  Although I  never mind providing directions, instructions and courtesy, I have to think most people really want to find that information out themselves.  We made an easy way for people to get the info they needed, and we provided another reason to stop, look and engage.

So would I do it again?

Yep!  Next question.