I will be attending CTIA next week in San Francisco (Sep 10-12). It is a short visit to the US — a business meeting on the East Coast, then 3 days on the West Coast, and then back to Mumbai. All in a week.
The non-stop flights from Mumbai to New York have made travel that much quicker. I like air travel — gives me time to think. My US visits previously used to be much longer — typically 10-14 days. Now, they have become shorter — typically about 7-9 days. The non-stop flights to New York make it a little easier.
I like attending trade shows and conferences — a quick walk through the aisles and talking to people gives an idea of what’s happening in a much better way than reading articles on websites and in magazines. Listening to industry experts speak at conferences expands my mental models – sitting there, I compare what they are saying to what I think, and then, if needed, adapt my understanding of what’s coming.
The Mobile VAS industry is at a very exciting stage. And being in the thick of it in India, I have developed very clear models of what’s happening and how we need to proceed. Conferences and discussions with people help refine and evolve these models. Doing this exercise once every few months is a good idea.
