Brown Smith Wallace to host Virtual Tech Fair Sept. 12–13

Staff -- Industrial Distribution, 8/1/2006

The Brown Smith Wallace Consulting Group is hosting a technology event it hopes will feature the information and teaching advantages of a trade show—but without attendees having to fly in or pay registration fees.

BSW's Inaugural Virtual Tech Fair will be held online Sept. 12–13, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. There is no charge to participate.

The tech fair will feature the most successful elements of a live trade show and communicate them via the Internet.

“There are people who would like to go to the conventions who never get invited because it's not in the travel budget,” said Steve Epner, founder and president of Brown Smith Wallace. “This allows the people from your technical departments to get out and visit with the vendors…with no travel expense and no registration expense. We think this is the way to spread information.”

Online attendees will be able to see product demos, take part in event networking and view educational presentations. Educational programs will be archived and remain available for “probably three to six months,” Epner said.

Adam Fein, a fellow of the National Assn. of Wholesaler-Distributors' Distribution Research and Education Foundation, will deliver the keynote address on “Embracing Changing Technology.” Event sponsors include IBM, Industrial Distribution magazine, ID Supplier Search, and Modern Distribution Management magazine.

“We in no way want to hurt the attendance at the annual conventions and shows of the various associations. I don't think there is anything better than meeting in person for distributors and manufacturers,” he said. “We want to provide a benefit to everybody in industrial distribution.”

Exhibitors who have signed up for the show include Activant, Computer Insights, Gillani, IBS, Infor, Integrated Systems Technology, Intuit Eclipse, Microsoft, Sage Software and SAP.

“It's not just the CEO or the head of computing who gets to go,” Epner says. “Because it's online, you can take the whole department or people from many different departments. We are trying to duplicate the convention experience from your own home or office, so it becomes a very valuable resource.”

Registration forms, and a virtual tour of the online trade show, are available at www.virtualtechfair.com.