Five unexpected lessons from EMC World

May 27, 2014

Now that the dust has settled on EMC World 2014, we’ve had a chance to reflect on the whirlwind event. It was four fun-filled days of sharing knowledge and showing the world some of the ways Syncplicity by Axway is reinventing mobility:

Go Lite—turn smartphones and tablets into primary productivity devices
No Silos—provide access to enterprise-wide content from a single mobile app
Storage Choice—store data where you want…on-premises, in the cloud or a hybrid of both

But we knew all of that before EMC World. So here are a few things that surprised us…

EMC world: Small is the new big

First, we asked our engineers to turn the iPad into a more productive tool than the laptop. Then, we challenged them to do the same with the iPhone…but to make it even better. At EMC World, we gave folks a sneak peek at the new Syncplicity by Axway iPhone app, and it stole the show! Read about the Syncplicity by Axway for iPhone app here.

The pleasant surprise was the near-universal endorsement of our work by a discerning and demanding audience. Small is, in fact, the new big. Jaws dropped, and oohs and aahs abounded as our General Manager, Jeetu Patel, showed key features of the app live from Area 53. From traversing complex directory structures to seamless sharing and information filtering, the demo showed how breakthrough UX innovation has the power to transform small form factor devices into indispensable productivity boosters.

Do you agree? Tweet this … Small is the new big! First (and only) sneak peek of @Syncplicity iPhone app at #EMCWORLD http://bit.ly/1myWzew

Click-to-Tweet: http://ctt.ec/PD3xO

Storage techies love our mobile apps as much as they love flash storage

It was standing room only for our mobile app demos and sessions. Step aside Celine Dion, it was almost like we had our own Vegas show! Storage techies flooded the venue for anything with the word “mobile” in it.

Do you agree? Tweet this … Storage techies love mobile @syncplicity #EMCWORLD http://bit.ly/1myWzew

Click-to-Tweet: http://ctt.ec/ns837

Unscripted moments make for a great demo

Preparing for a 10-minute demo is a lot more work than it appears. From the sandbox environment to hardware, content, and scripting, there are a lot of moving parts. In the end, all the hard work and rehearsing paid off, and Jeetu’s Area 53 keynote went off without a hitch. But there are always things you can’t predict, like the spontaneous live tweets and texts that came in during the event, which made the demo come alive.

Do you agree? Tweet this … Spontaneous live tweets at #EMCWORLD Area 53 made sneak peek of @syncplicity iPhone app even more thrilling! http://bit.ly/1myWzew

Click-to-Tweet: http://ctt.ec/8hV43

Hydration packs = the greatest giveaway ever

Forget stress balls! We handed out hydration packs to the first 300 attendees who completed the passport. Within 20 minutes, we’d given out more than 100 packs! People were thirsty at our booth…maybe it was all the rock climbing.

Do you agree? Tweet this … Hydration packs rock @syncplicity #EMCWORLD http://bit.ly/1myWzew

Click-to-Tweet: http://ctt.ec/16kfz

Men in suits can climb walls

So, we had a rock-climbing wall (doesn’t everyone?) and skepticism loomed around audience participation. Would people actually dare to tackle it? Thankfully, our fears were unfounded. A suit, tie, dress shoes? No matter. Climbing a wall was second nature to our executive team and EMC World attendees.