Impressions of the CTIA Wireless 2008 show

By Mickey Alam Khan

April 7, 2008

Mickey Alam Khan is editor in chief of Mobile Marketer and Mobile Commerce Daily

Las Vegas and the conference it hosted last week, CTIA Wireless 2008, had one thing in common: crowds.

Throngs milled the numerous session rooms and exhibit halls at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The lucky ones managed to soak in the salubrious April weather of Vegas -- certainly the best time of year to visit the city for business or pleasure.

Aside from the crowds -- CTIA expected 40,000 wireless industry executives from around the world -- what stood out? The sheer size of the booths.

Microsoft, LG, Samsung, Alcatel-Lucent, Nokia, Yahoo and several other manufacturers and online companies spared no expense in creating elaborate stands with meeting rooms, reception areas, demo pods, Tiffany-quality display cases and merchandise that any consumer would love to lay hands on: next-generation mobile phones and software.

From a handset manufacturer's standpoint, CTIA Wireless is the best place to display their hardware and software strengths.

It wasn't easy checking out each and every one of the 1,200 booths and the poor numbering system and lack of adequate visible signage and floor maps didn't help.

But a walk around the North and South Halls showed that all players in the mobile ecosystem were well-represented. The messaging companies and the software firms were out in full force, supporting the latest advances in wireless technology.

Could there have been more mobile marketing firms? Yes.

Expect more marketing specialists to exhibit next year as the wireless industry gets a better handle on the monetary benefits and technical challenges of mobile marketing. Besides, there are several other shows, such as the Mobile Marketing Association's Mobile Marketing Forum, that are better suited for mobile marketing discussions.

On the session side, the Marketing -- The Mobile Channel day was a bit of a disappointment. The tracks could have been livelier and perhaps the panels could have had fewer participants for more cohesive discussions.

CTIA definitely needs someone with star power to open its marketing event, just like it does with keynotes such as Virgin Mobile boss Sir Richard Branson for its main event that follows the mobile marketing day.

The lackluster attendance in the marketing sessions surprised, too.

Companies with a stake in the mobile ecosystem must make it a point to send at least one employee to sit through the mobile marketing day to understand where the winds are blowing.

Like it or not, consumers are already using the mobile phone for activities other than talk or text -- searching, buying music and ringtones, reading business, entertainment and sports news, emails, GPS, television, paying bills, banking and shopping. This all falls under the realm of mobile marketing, media and commerce.

Overall, the CTIA Wireless 2008 conference was well-organized, boasted adequate transportation and lacked hype -- a good thing, since the $500 billion wireless industry has a lot at stake.

Wireless carriers are worried about disintermediation, issues around standards need to be settled, concerns over marketing use and abuse hover, and ROI questions need to be answered.

However, every industry entering a new phase goes through this shake-rattle-and-roll and everyone who says that this is not the year of mobile marketing or that phones are not sophisticated enough or that the consumer isn't ready is firmly sticking their head in the sand. Not Vegas', though.