Ball State

» promotional gifts

By China at 8:45 PM

I love class trips especially when I get to go there, get credit for it, and leave with a bunch of free stuff. This week for our finals on thursday, the entirety of three sections of my marketing class got to go to a computer company promotional products show. This is one of those big get together where people representing various technology firms bring their newest products and show them for the first time. They also have little workshops and presentations where they show these items and giveaway promotional gifts. I really had a great time just walking around and talking to computer companies about new products and collecting logo merchandise along the way. It was really cool because this was the first time I ever felt like I had a voice in the technology hierarchy. As I walked around, people would show me products and programs and I would shoot them questions about older products which I am using right now. They would tell me about all of the new features and I would voice my concerns about the older models. I felt really great when the Microsoft reps were taking notes from what I was saying an actually taking some interest in my thoughts. I had some, what I feel are, good ideas of how they could change some of their products. Some of my suggestions were already included in new programs they were showing there, and new programs they were already working on. I may be going to far with my excitement and hope that they think about what I feel, but it was a moment where the technology movement had a human face. I just imagine that this is the way all of the other program changes came about, by users making suggestions that would really help them in their lives. So anyway now I am loaded up with tradeshow giveaway items and I am going to enjoy my summer with my Dell visor and my brand new Xerox mug while I try my best to stay outside and get away from technology. I am not going to give it entirely but I am going laugh at the irony in the situation.