I should have done this for RSA back in March, but there was too much going on to do it properly. Last week in London, however, I had a few minutes to walk around and make some market observations.

Clearest Messaging

One of the things I like to do the most is walk by all the booths at a reasonable speed without stopping to get a sense of vendor messaging. I try to see if I can figure out:

* What each vendor does, if I've never heard of them or
* Whether their messaging has changed, if I have heard of them.

This give me about 3 seconds per booth and it's remarkable what you learn when you put yourself in the shoes of the buyer.

This entry wins my award for clearest positioning. It states clearly who they are and what they do and, more importantly, what they don't do:

I actually stopped and told them how much I liked it. That and a pound still won't get you a coffee in London, but they were very appreciative nonetheless.

Worst Messaging

Just look at the picture below and see if you can tell me what this vendor does if you don't know them already. I'm sure they are wonderful people and do an excellent job. And maybe they're dominant in their industry and don't need to describe what they do (and I have to admit to hearing their name previously), but I still don't have a clue after walking past their booth.

Plus, their logo looks to me like it needs a piece of cheese in it.

Interesting Technology

Amidst all the application whitelisting products and GRC reporting and MSSP offerings, I felt this one was relatively unique. It authenticates users by the cadence of their keyboard use. I've long suspected that the way we type is as unique as our fingerprints and I'm interested to see how they do. Fairly narrow solution and I have no idea how well it works, but I like it.

Coolest Booth

While the nCircle booth was large and well-placed this year, I found the booth below to be especially compelling. It looks quiet and restful and futuristic. And it's got a bar. It's like you're having a drink in the Tomorrowland lounge while a soft, British, female voice gently announces "Solar Express 429, now leaving for Io, Jupiter, and Triton."

Tackiest Tradeshow Gimmick

While there were lots of booth babes in London (far more than at RSA, including several without pants), I felt this one deserved extra attention. From the front, she's wearing a long skirt, but from the back, well, you can see. Nor did I see a lot of people following her for the free t-shirt.

Lamest Giveaway

The hot (and obvious) giveaway this year was the iPad -- available in US, not yet available in UK, lots of hype, people falling all over themselves to play with them. nCircle gave away two iPads as did about a half-a-dozen other companies. However, there was one vendor (whom I shall not name) who decided that what would really excite their prospect base was an iPod and a logo-ed Snuggie. I guess their customers want to get all cozy on the sofa, but still shuffle between their 90's tunes....

Special Mention

And I can't finish this entry without a shout out to our booth neighbors. Your presentations were excellent and your loudspeakers were very effective. But I have to draw the line and say that karaoke is entirely inappropriate in a tradeshow environment, especially when most of you can't sing. I'm looking at you, Sophos. (Your birthday cupcakes were excellent, however.)