What if vendor booths at HIMSS told the rest of the story?

I enjoyed wandering the halls at HIMSS this year. Much like Las Vegas, the booths are majestic, the signage is overwhelming, and it feels like a fantasy world. On the last day, I had a strange thought: “What if every booth only messaged the true, unembellished reality of the company? What would the new taglines be?” Instead of every vendor on the show floor presenting itself as a surefire solution to your accountable care problem, what would the real story be?

With this thought in mind, I walked by several booths and added my own taglines. Many would be pleasantly surprised. I walked by one very small booth that has a fantastic product. The vendor gets in the way of their own message, even though they have multiple Best in KLAS awards. Their sign might say something like, “Don’t let the small booth fool you. We invest in our product instead of marketing.”

For some of the new vendors that really do have innovative solutions and a solid delivery plan, what would their booths say? “We undercommit and overdeliver. Your organization might like that for a change.”

Or my favorite, which you likely won’t see on any banner ad: “We are so good that many other companies want to buy us . . . but we’re not for sale.”

However, not all messages would be so positive. For our own booth, it would likely read, “Our marketing director just left, so bear with us.” You likely didn’t see that sign if you wandered by the KLAS booth.  

I walked by a few more booths. For a couple of unnamed vendors with gorgeous-looking booths: “We are desperate to sell the company. Buy from us and our sale price will go up!”

Or, from several booths, both from the largest on the floor to some of the 10 x 10 spaces: “We haven't sold one of these yet. Be the first!”

Or a few others from the booths that I passed in the aisle, struggling to find the exit: “Many of our senior executives just left. Don’t worry,” and “Our offshore development hasn’t gone well, and we are rewriting our code.”

What “truth” taglines did you wish you had seen on the HIMSS floor?