A Hitchhiker’s/Bargain-Hunter’s/Cynic’s/Idiot’s/Newbie’s Guide to COMEX 2006
As you all may or may not know, every year, the quarterly IT fairs and exhibitions are getting more crowded, having more companies applying for an exhibit space (and more “booth babes”) and attacting more non-IT companies latching onto this crazy affair (e.g. insurance agents, travel agencies, brokerage firms, etc). Honestly, I seriously wish that the IT craze would wear off, and drive off the “I’m only here for the money”/”Because my mummy/daddy say must go IT industry”/”I love Apple/Creative MP3 Players because its cool/chic/fashionable, therefore, I love IT” people, which probably makes up most of the crowd at COMEX/SITEX/PC Show/IT Show (yes! I named all four quarterly computer fairs/exhibits! Can I get a badge?) and even the Creative Warehouse Sale.
Over the 5 years of visiting the quarterly event at Suntec/Expo, I’ve noticed that 80% of the crowd are there to see exhibits (and buy nothing or grab freebies), 5% are wannabe-perverts with cameras aiming at booth babes, 10% are browse-everything-and-buy-what-interests-me, and the final 5% are the serious buyers who aim straight for bargains, offers or whatever they want from the exhibits. Additionally, there were less booth babes previously, and there was absolutely NO insurance agents, travel agencies, brokerage firms and what not. How times have changed. Anyway, I’d better get this “guide started”.
Usually before any exhibit there will be ads in the papers or online usually 1 month before the event. As the date draws nearer, more ads will appear, culminating with the Digital Life (or Straits Times special section just for the event) on the Tuesday of the week of the exhibit. “Early bird” deals are not really good, as most (desperate) people can, and will go to the exhibit as early as possible. Try settling for a deal that lasts the whole event, or last-day deals near closing time.
In the morning or night before the event, some flyers will be scanned by some anonymous people and posted online. Additionally, within 1 to 5 hours of opening the doors, some anonymous people would have made their rounds in the event and reported bargains and offers, again, online (Why the event websites have no page for exhibitors to upload their offers is still a mystery, hopefully future events will have one, as it saves people time and the Earth’s resources). If you can spare the time to walk around, go ahead, go anytime you want, but if you’re short on time, working or studying, having a look at the offers online before heading down helps to decide what to buy and/or where to get good deals.If you’re travelling by public transport, you will need to finish your shopping and tap your ez-link card at the MRT entry gantry or board a bus within 30 minutes of your last tap to save the 25 cents (discount?) on transport. If you can afford the extra 25 cents (or more), then take your time to shop. Taking leave (or, in some cases, whether accidentally, coincdentially or genuinely falling sick) just for COMEX/SITEX/PC Show/IT Show is optional.
At this year’s COMEX at Expo, avoid going into the main “lobby” area if you can, because there are insurance agents at that area. Instead, go to the right and along the (super long) taxi pick-up area, if it doesn’t rain, that is. If it rains, yo have no choice but to hope that the insurance agents don’t bug you to buy a policy (dressing down helps, but is not a 100% deterrant). Once past the insurance agents, avoid Hall 6 at all costs, as most of the crowd will go straight into Hall 6. Go past Hall 6 to Hall 5, where there should (hopefully) be less crowded.
There, I think that should be all to it. Do comment if you have any questions/feedback on this “article”.