Network Computing Magazine
hosts an annual “Best of Interop” awards program at the Interop Las
Vegas show in the spring for the best new products offered by exhibitors
at the show. This really helps the casual networking specialist sort
through the hundred of exhibitors and products offered.
Vibrant noticed an important category missing in the awards though
and took it upon ourselves to dig up the best “Schwag” or “Tchotchkes”
that we could find on the Interop expo floor. I’m really not sure how
this was previously overlooked! 
Please take a look at the three finalists below and vote for your favorite.
{democracy:2}
(apologies for the audio in these clips… the show floor was pretty loud and our external mic didn’t work out)
Extreme Networks Purple Mug
These mugs were everywhere during the Interop Pub Crawl, filled with cold beverages and vividly purple. Extreme Networks
had an incredible presence at the show and these mugs that changed
color when cold were one of several brilliant concepts in their arsenal.
Extreme also had a preacher and gospel singers at their booth as well
as a “purple people” lounge. In the video below, Dan Sibille, Sr.
Director of Channel Sales & Operations speaks with me about why
their mug should win the award.
[youtube]O4a0u6_ZHUk[/youtube]
Raptor Networks Bottle Opener
Bottle openers that look like a menacing raptor, nice. Raptor
Networks had a fun booth too with a giant raptor sculpture out front. I
spoke with CFO Bob Van Leyen about their prospects of winning (and
their mascot “Rappy”).
[youtube]FjThqqehtzU[/youtube]
Solarwinds Rubik’s Cube
This certainly isn’t the first time that an exhibitor has given away a
Rubik’s cube and as a matter of fact, another vendor was handing them
out at Interop. What made the Solarwinds offering impressive was that they also had a guy at their booth who could solve the cube in 20-30 seconds. Check it out.
[youtube]CJ5-HiehGgo[/youtube]
Tchotchke Challenge
While not an entrant in the contest, no article about tchotchkes at
Interop could be complete without mentioning this terrific idea. The Tchotchke Challenge
was a charitable endeavor by Secure Computing where if they were able
to fill a chest with Interop giveaways that they would give out $10,000
to the Children’s Heart Foundation. They will also repurpose the
schwag items as charitable give-aways.