It has been said that exhibitions are a reflection of the industry they serve; a microcosm of their markets. This could not be more true of the storage industry. Last month, we were overwhelmed by the reception to the launch of Storage Expo at the NEC. If proof were needed that the storage market is not only bouyant, but positively buzzing, even in the current economic climate, then Storage Expo provided that proof.
We estimate that 4 out of 5 storage projects have been borne out of necessity so despite the fact that IT budgets are getting slashed, storage projects simply can’t get postponed because companies are already suffering the effects of downtime stemming from information overload. Storage is very much a here and now issue which has made the leap of not only getting onto the boardroom agenda but getting to the top of the agenda, and underlined in red.
We projected that Storage Expo, which sold out a few months before taking place, would attract around twelve hundred visitors. Naturally it is always difficult to estimate the interest in an event that has yet to happen, but we were fairly confident that we would be able to meet our exhibitor’s expectations. As ten o’clock approached on the first day of the show, the Storage Expo team waited with baited breath to open the event. It was with enormous relief and satisfaction that I glanced out into the concourse to see that there was a queue of people waiting to be let in.
In the end, actual attendee numbers on the two days of the event almost doubled the estimated figure. The resounding topic of conversation at the event by exhibitors, visitors, and attending journalists, was proof that storage is probably the hottest area of IT, and least affected by the current economic and political climate.
Sean Jackson, Markeitng Manager EMEA for BAKBone Software told me , "As the explosion in data growth continues, end users need a place where they can learn about the various storage solutions available that will help them handle this and Storage Exo is the place to go. As a well planned out, marketed and attended event, Storage Expo proved to be invaluable to both the storage industry and end users alike."
As organisers, we too were delighted that the response from the user market was every bit as enthusiastic as the vendors, when we first approached them about the idea of staging Storage Expo in the UK. Anecdotal comments from the exhibitors were particularly complimentary about the well educated audience, who had obviously done their homework and arrived with a specific agenda in mind.
We found that people have a pressing need to future proof their important storage investments by choosing technology that lasts. However, buying storage is often an impulse decision rather than a strategic one. The interest in Storage Expo was huge because companies both big and small are not really sure what decisions to make. They are determined not to end up with the Betamax of storage technology.
One thing is sure, demand for storage will continue to increase. According to the University of California at Berkeley, world data will double over the next two and a half years and the personal terabyte will be with us by 2005. "Given these statistics, clearly we will need new paradigms to deal with the quantity of data out there," says Dr Guy Bunker, Chief Scientist at Veritas Software.
Storage Expo 2002 is set to take place again the same week in October at the NEC in Birmingham. Imago is pleased to announced that its Account Manager, Harvey Bremner, has been promoted to Show Manager for next year's event. The close relationships that Harvey has developed with the vendor community over the past year makes him an ideal candidate to take more of an active role in developing Imago's interests in the data storage market in future.
Harvey says, "We are trying hard not to let all of this go to our heads right now, because we feel that there is a lot more we could be doing to help bring vendors and user communities closer together. At the same time it is very pleasing to hear such a ringing endorsement from attendees and exhibitors alike that live events can form an integral part of for the IT purchasing process."
Ensuring that your company has a fast, reliable storage service will remain a top priority for your IT department and one that will require considerable thought and intelligent decision making. Storage Expo is designed to help make that task easier. Before the next event, Storage Expo will be using its ties with the storage industry to bring news and research to the market. We wish StorAge magazine all the best and would like to thank all our exhibitors for supporting Storage Expo. sm