Sunday, August 31, 2008
COMEX 2008
For those who went to COMEX this year, would find it just as crowded. But I have been to every IT show in Singapore for the past 6 or 7 years since 2000.
I'd say this year's comex is undoubtedly the most crowded, the most packed, and the most insane. The previous ITshow only saw 770,000 shoppers thronging the mall. During this 4 days, 1 MILLION people are expected to turn up. That's one-quarter of Singapore's population!
This time the fair didn't fail to disappoint in terms of sure mass and size. And of course, there wasn't anything really worthy of buying either. The fair this 4 days encompasses the entire 4 floors of the suntec convention centre, with the big boys taking up the first 3 floors. (Normal IT fairs only take up 2 stories), but in recent years the size has ballooned up to take up the 3rd storey and now the second as well.
This fair is crazier, the escalators couldn't take the weight, so they forced people to take the stairs, and because the floors were too crowded, (there is a pressure max that each floor is designed to take). So there were auxiliary police preventing people from going up the escalators till sufficient crowds have left the premises.
I didn't stay long, at most an hour or so and it is get-the-hell-out-of-the-place.
Take it from me. The MK's veteran guide to surviving an IT fair in Singapore.
First, do your research. Get the floor plans, zoom straight to your target. Shopping at any of the IT fairs requires precision military execution if you don't want to find yourself mobbed. You need planning, you need information, you need to strike early, strike fast, and evac quickly.
Pros and experienced veterans will mentally plan a route in their mind so that they do not have to double-back against their paths or pass the booths more than once.
Plan a route, get the lightest items in your list first before getting the heaviest and the bulkiest last. E.g a printer or a laptop. Don't get a laptop first because you are tempted by the sweeteners thrown in and regret lugging it around later to buy an ink cartridge or a mouse.
Don't forget, it is a precision military strike. Means, quick insertion into the target area, strike the required target, and evac. Don't drive unless you are going to be there an hour or two in advance or you'd never find parking. Get someone to pick you up later.
Go early. Go on Thursdays and Fridays. Ideally before 5.30pm when the office crowd comes in. Avoid weekends, especially Sunday. Eat before 12.30pm or after 1.30pm, that's when the lunch crowd hits and you'll be competing with the office crowd.
Don't take lifts. Go by the sides of stairs. Wear shoes. Don't wear skirts, why? People with bulky purchases or paper bags with sharp ends tend to catch onto the flimsy sides of skirts, and with throngs of people jostling their way through, you're bound to get your toes trodden on.
Drink water, wear a comfortable T-shirt. It's not a fashion show, the air-conditioning at such fairs cannot keep up with the amount of heat generated by the human crowd, so it's bound to get hot.
Well, I got myself a new stick of Kingston DDR2 2Gb Sodimm ram for my laptop, plus a nice skin. It's more of a want purchase than a need. Still, now my laptop is a blazing speed with the new upgrade, bringing the total ram to 4gb. Good enough.
For those who missed the Comex, fret not. Next one is end of this year in late November.
Posted by MK at 9:50 PM
