Re:Re: Who's doing the Keynotes this year?
Bob Dawson wrote:
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Selling 3000 copies at half price may not be significant, but
publicly advertising the intent to do so in front of those millions
is quite another thing. For example, it might be the case that
Borland's bulk deals with major retailers would include a provision
guaranteeing them that Borland will not advertise a price less
than what they're paying.
I doubt this. The price, as far as I remember, has not been specified at
earlier Borcons. It has just been said that you can select products by
certain rules and will get a conference rebate.
This applies to most conferences, and exhibitions in particular.
The price has to be calculated like this:
(Conference fee + lodging + travel + product price) - product discount.
It will still be more expensive than going to the local dealer.
You can't just knock on the conference door and purchase products at
half price.
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Additionally, there is the problem of 'perceived value'; how happy
are your million customers going to be if they can see on the web
for six months that they're being asked to pay twice what other
people are paying?
The same as always, Nothing. Mostly I go to local warehouses and dealers
to buy what I need, am satisfied with the price, even if I know that my
neighbor who went to an exhibition got an unbeatable offer.
That's the way it works.
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it may be of much greater value to delight the 3000 who attend by
actually including it in the discount unannounced, than to
anger/exclude the rest of the market by broadly advertising a price
intended for only a select few.
This offer has made it much more attractive to go to Borcon. And it has
to be announced. It was like that in the past, and will be so, I hope.
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Don't know--there might be an assurance given here by one Borlander
or another as the conference nears. But I really don't expect it as
a matter of policy. Borland is saying 'selected
products'--whatever the thnking behind it, that approach didn't
come about by accident or oversight.
I'll stay home if it is pure luck what products I can get a bargain on.
--
Ingvar Nilsen