Hardened NAB showgoers know the best way — or maybe the only way — to get the most out of their annual April visit to the Las Vegas Convention Center is to have a plan. Booth to booth, aisle to aisle, hall to hall, the last thing you want to do is run around from one end of the complex to the other without a clear idea of what you want to see or accomplish.
But maybe you’ve never been to the show before. Perhaps you’re trying to set up a production studio for the first time and you’re looking to piece together the big picture before you get down to brass tacks. NAB Show will be happy to lead you on a curated or custom tour of the exhibit floor — for a price.
“The NAB Show exhibit floor spans more than one million net square feet and hosts over 1,700 of the world’s most innovative companies,” said NAB Executive Vice President of Conventions and Business Operations Chris Brown in a prepared statement. “The new tour program is designed to help attendees navigate the show while highlighting a diverse array of breakthrough products and solutions.”
Two-hour tours are planned this year to start at 10 a.m., 12 noon, and 2:30 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. The cost is $150 per tour, and a maximum of 15 people will be allowed on each tour. Three different tours are available. “Future Tech + Innovative New Products” promises a round-up of hot technology trends, break-out product launches, and intriguing start-ups. “Film and Episodic TV Production Workflow” will cover the gamut, from camera systems, support and lighting to music and sound, video editing, storage and VFX. Finally, a “Live Production and New Production Workflow” tour will hit cameras and lighting, green screens, virtual sets, NDI and Dante networks, storage, wireless audio capture and more.
Need something more specific? NAB Show will arrange a custom tour for those willing to shell out $885/per person, up to a maximum flat rate of $4,425/hour with five or more people. Yeah, that sounds like a lot. But if you or your bosses aren’t really sure what you need to get out of the show, and you’ve got the overall budget to absorb it, it could help you make the most of your overall investment in attending NAB.
If you prefer the self-guided tour, keep an eye on this space and make sure you subscribe to the StudioDaily Fix e-letter. It’s getting to be the time of year when news about what you can see and do on the NAB Show floor will start flying fast and furious, and it’s never too early to start taking notes and making plans.
