The trial download thing could go both ways. At least sometimes you can download a trial but if you enter a full product key you can activate the trial as the real unlimited software. The MS Office / Groove give-away a year ago was like that where you just could get a card with the key on the sticker.
On the other hand I don't think the default state of any of those trials you can download now is to work for 1 year.. more like 90 days or 30 days or whatever. So it could be a key card to activate the 90 day trial software for a duration of 1 year.
Heavy loot huh? Well when I've gone before you're lucky if you get two pieces of folder paper worth of stuff for the give-aways -- like a paper DVD holder or two and a few key sticky labels on 5x6 cards or something. No manuals, software boxes, no discs half of the time. On the other hand there are usually like 100 glossy pages / pamphlets / folders of promotional product literature about various Microsoft and Partner company products / services / etc. you can get. So the marketing literature can easily be enough for somewhere between half of to a full briefcase worth.
I'd get the give-away stuff that looks highly interesting / useful / valuable ASAP, and leave the bulk of the promotional literature to collect / browse / read during lunch / intermissions if your event is that long.
When I've gone before they usually don't give away the main "give-away" stuff until at least a couple hours after the event starts, maybe like lunch time or at the end of the day. Not immediately when you arrive in the morning (usually). Though if your pager goes off 2 hours into the thing and you have to bail for a meeting or something you can usually grab it from them on your way out.
At least a couple of the events I've been to were *crowded* to the point of people standing / sitting in the aisles, though, so that's a good reason not to be too overloaded with stuff while you're there.
Originally posted by: nordloewelabs
Originally posted by: QuixoticOne
I noticed they have the trial downloads linked right on a special page of the HHH web pages:
http://www.microsoft.com/heroe...downloads/default.mspx
if the progs are really Trials, and they are stamping download links to said trials on the Event's page, that makes them look bad. maybe it will be Trials in a few cities.... or maybe it will be Trials if they run out of RTMs.
i read somewhere at HHH site that the giveaways are rather heavy and therefore the attendee should wait till the end of the event before grabbing his goodies so to avoid look like a loaded camel during the event. funny that i actually treasured the suggestion when i read it.... now i believe i'm better off getting the stuff as soon as i arrive.
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