Friday 20 February 2009

Yeovil World Congress

It's been a bit slow on the old blog front recently, due to starting a new job, and getting embroiled in the madness that is Mobile World Congress. Mobile World Congress (MWC to the educated, 3GSM to the old timers and GSM to the really old timers like me) is the telco industry's biggest trade show, and a week of madness.

For PR types like me, it's about making sure that your clients are in the press, meeting journalists and generally feeling loved. But it's also about being in a place with hundreds of people you've known for years, catching up and drinking sangria.

An analyst said to us this morning that it takes:

Three weeks to prepare for the Mobile World Congress,
Four nightmare days and sleepless nights to deliver it,
And five weeks to recover

For me, it takes two weeks to gear up to the flight - one hour of moaning about the flight - and two hours to recover with beers in hand. I bloody hate flying. So on the way back home, with some of my colleagues and pals, I suggested that the show would be much better if it upped sticks and moved wholesale to Somerset (where I'm from). It'd mean no flying, and much less hassle.

It should be called Yeovil World Congress, we soon decided. I said that my hometown was definitely geared up to the show, given that it has the second biggest Tescos in the UK - and plenty of cheese and cider.

Exploring this theory a little more, we came to the conclusion that it should be virtual at first (on ciderspace) in order to persuade the organisers of its potential merits. I'm getting my mother to set up a webcam to Yeovil high street - and thinking of approaching local legend Ian Botham to open the show.

Watch this space, it's definitely a goer.

Anyway, I'm back now - so service should resume as normal.

4 comments:

@EmVicW said...

I still call it Cannes rather often. Where does that put me on the scale of oldies?

Sarah said...

Are you sure Yeovil has the second bigggest Tesco in the UK? I think Coventry and Cheshunt are the largest (excellent shopping in both may I add).

@EmVicW said...

Oh now I thought it was the Baldock Tesco Extra?

This isn't really what you wanted us to take away from this post, is it?

Anonymous said...

Surely as a mobile congress it can be held wherever it likes? I'm not sold on Yeovil though. Sorry.