Online Information 2010 - Exhibit Hall Report
Jinfo Blog

8th December 2010

By Nancy Davis Kho

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For this contributor raised in the snowy north of New York State, where people drive 'winter cars' with snow tyres and salt damage to spare their regular ride, the frigid climate around Online Information in London last week seemed a bit overblown (pun intended). But there's no denying the toll the snow and cold took on transportation to Olympia, with cancelled trains and flights wreaking havoc on plans for visitors and vendors alike. What that meant for those who could make the Exhibit hall, however, was the luxury of time to peruse the vendor stands without a lot of crowding, and to engage in meaningful discussions about industry trends. For the VIP readers with whom I had the chance to speak, hot topics include deeper workflow integration of business information products (one subscriber said 'I sometimes wonder if we are more technologically advanced than our vendors!'),sources for private company data, and a continued need for BRIC data. Reflecting the latter, I sat in on a presentation of Bureau Van Dijk's new China Connect module for Zephyr, and am looking forward to scheduling a review of that during 2011. Customisation continues to be highly desirable and vendors spoke with us about how they are developing products around user personas and specific tasks. We'll be looking at our VIP review formats in the months to come to make sure that they reflect the way that products and platforms address the needs of specific users. Two other things stood out for me in contrast to last year. Because we work with freelance contributors, we welcome the chance at trade shows to meet independent info pros looking to round out a work portfolio with editorial work for VIP. Last year I brought home a stack of cards from interested contributors who had been made redundant or had fewer customer engagements; this year, I collected exactly two cards. I take it as a positive sign that demand is picking up for information pros (and am relieved we already have a deep bench of VIP contributors!). The second observation was that while many of the traditional content vendors who used to exhibit at Online were still absent (Factiva, Thomson Financial) or exhibiting in smaller spaces, LexisNexis signalled their seriousness about the UK market by not only upsizing their presence but handed out the most coveted booth giveaway of the show, tokens for free Cosmopolitans from the bar at the centre of the hall. Had it been for hot buttered rum or cocoa, there probably would have been fisticuffs.

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