It’s that time of year again.

It’s the time of year when I hear “the call of the wild”. It’s coming from the NAB (National Association of Broadcasters) Convention in Las Vegas. And what could be wilder than Las Vegas? Thousands of Broadcast Professionals all converging in the same place at the same time ― that’s what.

I love Vegas.

I have been there during the months of November, December, March and April and as far as I am concerned, April is the most perfect month to be in Las Vegas. I have been attending NAB every year since 1998; sometimes on my own; and sometimes for whoever I worked for at the time. The weather is always perfect in April, and a funny thing happens every year. I watch my fellow Broadcast/Media professionals as they prepare for the trip. Everyone seems worn and tired. We file onto crowded planes and cram ourselves in too small seats. But as we approach Las Vegas, the energy level changes ever so slightly. There seems to be a little spark in everyone’s eye. The talk centers on what we are focusing on at the show. We step off the plane into the perfect weather and it can’t be helped … the sides of our mouths start to curve upward. By the time we hit the convention floor on Monday morning, you would barely recognize those weary travelers from the day before. The game is on. Let’s see what’s new, what’s improved and just how big the Sony booth is this year.

The past couple of years have been trying times for Broadcast/Media folk. We have said good–bye to long standing co-workers and some of us said good–bye to places we worked at for a decade or more. Of course there were cutbacks: things not purchased; trips not taken. As they say on Twitter … “fail”. If there is anything that can raise morale in a company, it would be to send the brightest and best somewhere, anywhere that they can get refreshed, energized, and learn. NAB affords an opportunity to learn and grow. To network. To see new technology. To touch new technology. To talk to experts. To ask questions … Yes, I could go on and on. On the trip home, when the same bedraggled people get back on the same overcrowded plane and sit in the same too small seat, they don’t even notice. They are talking to anyone and everyone. Did you get to talk to “Ted from Red” ? Did you catch David Basulto at the Post Magazine booth? Can you believe the size of that Sony booth? That all comes home with them and it’s contagious. They bring back a breath of fresh air for those who were left behind. But their enthusiasm spreads like wildfire. It was worth every cent.

This year, I hope some of the people attending NAB will go home talking about FORscene.

FORscene @ NAB

That’s right, FORscene will be there.

The booth (SL8305) will be manned by the creators of FORscene – the good people from UK-based Forbidden Technologies plc.
I’ll be there too, along with Lucy La Grassa the President of Formidable Technologies. We would love to talk to you. You can send me an email michelle@formidabletechnologies.com or tweet me @FormidableTech

There it is again…can you hear the call?

Talk soon,

M