It will be beneficial to have the banner and business cards available, but we
need more. Remember the audience that will be there - business owners, both
small and large businesses, government representatives, from small school
districts to the State of Arizona, and a few Joe and Mary Sixpacks. Remember
the competition - BIG businesses with marketing departments and fat wallets.
Will the PLUG banner and a few business cards with the PLUG web site address
compete for the attention of the audience against that kind of competition?
Think of the audience. They will probably react very positively to a
computer sitting there running Linux and Open Office. Office apps are
something these people run on a daily basis. So is email and web browsing
and maybe a spreadsheet. We can show these potential customers that they can
not only do almost everything they do on a daily basis with Linux and Free
Software, but we can show them that they can even use Free Software on their
Windows boxes (at least for Office-type apps).
Granted, the best things that we have to offer them is our knowledge and ourt
support. Our knowledge is an unknown quantity to them. They are not used to
dealing with people who know what they are talking about or who are willing
to share that knowledge to help them without first seeing a credit card (ever
called as MS help line). Lets put the best face we have on. We are the free
software community.
One final thought. Do not be overwhelmed. We may be the most crowded booth
at the show if it is like the shows we have been at in the past. We need to
be aware of the simple fact that there will be more of them than there will
be of us.
- --
Jim
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