Subscriber Discussion

"Robots Will Revolutionize Trade Shows"

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Brian Karas
Jul 08, 2016
IPVM

The Robolliance has posted a blog about robots revolutionizing trade shows, foreseeing:

We’ll be seeing more and more robots at trade show booths greeting people, handing brochures, and passing out promotional items. All of this will free up men and women to do what trade shows are really for - - -networking and building business connections.

Curious to hear IPVM members feedback on this / Vote inside:

JH
John Honovich
Jul 08, 2016
IPVM

robots at trade show booths greeting people

That made me laugh, thanks!

So people go on a plane to get away from their computers to spend time with other humans and a robot is greeting them?

How can a robot be better at greeting people than a human? I get taking orders at fast food or making french fries but you want robots to 'greet' people?

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Alex Wasilesku
Jul 08, 2016
IPVMU Certified

Good laugh however I do see the sense in it. You will not receive attitude from an employees bad day. Example would be the typical walmart greeter, zero expression, doesnt really care you are there, misses greeting many that enter the facility, and have zero sincere desire to be where they are.

A robot will always greet you with a friendly attitude, if you are attractive you will not be stared at as you walk by, if you say hello it will say hello back, sadly robots can easily be programmed to be a more satisfying interaction and more respectful than with the typical employee who works those kinds of jobs. In Japan they have taken it way farther. They have robots that will greet you in the entrace of a 50 story building, use facial recognition to identify you, call you by your name, have pre programmed where in the building the potential customer has a meeting, walk them to the room, and drop them off with whoever they are there to see. Absolutely incredible.

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John Honovich
Jul 08, 2016
IPVM

Example would be the typical walmart greeter, zero expression, doesnt really care you are there, misses greeting many that enter the facility, and have zero sincere desire to be where they are.

That's a good counterexample though that's not typical at trade shows since exhibitors spend thousands of dollars per hour just for exhibit fees to be at major shows. Because of that, inhospitable employees at trade shows is not a problem that needs to be solved.

Outside of the novelty of a robot greeter, what really would the robot 'greeter' do at a trade show?

You might as well stick up a monitor and a PC and have it opened to your website. Presumably the robot would do more than that, but what?

MM
Michael Miller
Jul 08, 2016

U
Undisclosed #1
Jul 11, 2016
IPVMU Certified

Lol. My Dad was a pioneer in the Trade Show Robot field, starting over 40 years ago with walking(okay rolling), talking (real time speech synthesis) promotional robots. I mentioned this article and he sent me a couple pics.

This is Perry Parodi, for Parodi Cigars (AKA Delta Dawn), en route to a trade show circa 1972, a local article, then giving the "big interview" to my Dad at Pocono Raceway.

Of course this was robots as gimmicks, the coming revolution the robots are purely for utility...

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