Musk oxen and manicures at the Cable Show
Forget about yo-yos and mints in the tech booths. The cable TV channels know how to make a splach in the exhibit hall.
The National Cable Show in San Francisco is a display of contrasts.
One exhibit hall houses the sprawl of technology booths, with Motorola and Scientific-Atlanta, Microsoft, Cisco elbowing each other for attention. I've been through my fair share of tech booths and I thought I had seen it all until I walked over to the other exhibit hall reserved for the TV networks.
The first thing you see walking over to other hall is a palatial set-up by Disney. It's a sleek and cushy set-up with hardwood floors and sofas surrounded by towering lamps that give the booth (what an understatement) an eerie glow. Puts Microsoft's arrangement of PC monitors to shame.
Lifetime, also in a white lounge-style set-up, offered free manicures. MTV Networks had its own DJ. Gol TV, which on Monday brought out legend Pele for a press conference, set up its own indoor soccer field. Skateboard king Tony Hawk signed autographs for Fox Sports, creating a line that snaked through the convention floor.
My favorite was the Outdoor Channel, which set up a display that reminded me of the Museum of Natural History. The station filled its space with stuffed hunting game, including a moose, a musk ox, a wild turkey and a couple black bear cubs clinging onto a tree. My favorite was the pack of wolves attacking an elk.
Tech companies take note: pens, mints and yo-yos are nothing compared to the black jack tables and showgirls at Casino and Gaming TV's layout.