Ed Lee is the founder of Lee Public Relations, a firm that has provided executive communications, new company introductions, product rollouts, etc. for a significant number of EDA vendors. Ed took  a “temporary” job at American Microsystems back when that chip company was independent and never left the ASIC/EDA world (and never looked for that college teaching job again!). He founded Lee PR in 1991, after stints at Cadence and VLSI Technology and working with clients that go as far back as Valid Logic Systems.  After all these years, Ed continues to find EDA topics, technology and issues completely fascinating.

Rick: Synopsys recently hosted our second iteration of Conversation Central at DAC. What are your thoughts about how this type of engagement compares with the traditional trade show press room of years past?

Ed: Wow, you want to get me started on this?

OK… well… I think that the Conversation Central model ushers in a new, active, fully-engaged type of media participation at DAC. That’s in stark contrast to the traditional DAC press room presence that we all grew up with and got used to.

Not to use the old press room as a whipping boy… but! That press room served as a sanctuary for the press from the rigors of the conference.  It always was situated away from the conference itself, as if the conference was a little too much to bear. Not to be cynical, but it probably served a legitimate purpose when the press had PR folks constantly hounding them, although you have to wonder why they needed a break from the conference action when no one else did. Of course, now, you wonder how many press are left to use the press room. And judging by the paucity of traditional press material exhibiting companies left at the press room, it appears that the press room’s function as a place to keep the press informed about company activities is headed for oblivion as well.

Granted, traditional press started holding meetings next door starting about 10 or 15 years ago,  but let’s focus just on the closed off press room itself, where the press kits were.

So the press room was, in essence, a place of intentional non-activity.  It didn’t serve a function as part of DAC. It still doesn’t.

Rick: Why do you think introducing Conversation Central into this landscape was significant?

Ed: Conversation Central upended this privileged presence by bringing an active, vibrant program on the role of communications to DAC. What an idea! That communications people might want to talk with one another and EDA’s media/new media people about how best to convey and exchange information. Of course, last year’s focus on how to use social media in the EDA world was a perfect thematic christening for a new type of media gathering place.

And Conversation Central welcomed anyone and everyone who was interested in the program! Put another way, Conversation Central was inclusive, the press room, exclusive, to the point of being exclusionary. Conversation Central is located right in the middle of the exhibit floor. It wants to be part of the DAC action and doesn’t give any sanctuary space.  There’s something, a lot, happening at Conversation Central… as an intrinsic part of DAC.

I’m still amazed at last year’s press room rules that refused press badges to bloggers. As we all saw with the creation of Conversation Central, turns out the bloggers didn’t need the press room.  Still don’t. Although the press room apparently did welcome bloggers this year and had an on-the-floor bloggers space. Funny, I never saw a single blogger in it.

Seems to me that the best thing the press room could do is to morph into a Conversation Central- like presence, with an active program on the techniques, protocols, likes and dislikes of members of the new media and PR types. I’d sure like to hear other opinions, but in my mind, the press room, as we’ve known it, is dead.

Rick: From a PR perspective, what effect is social media having on how companies communicate with their customers and other core constituencies?

Ed: A lot of curiosity, a little bit of fear, an acknowledgement that they have to use it to reach out to customers as well as new media such as bloggers. Clients want to know how to use social media to get their stories out to the new media. But it’s a little like any of us when learning a new thing. Sometimes, I get the feeling that they worry about employing social media in some wrong way and that they’ll damage themselves.  So they’re a little timid.  

I think there’s also an under-estimation about the amount of time and effort it takes to get social media to work for them.  That it’s active and ongoing… that it’s NOT a one time delivery of the message, as before, with traditional press.  That blog or article comments require responses and constant monitoring.

Rick: Yep, I agree. Social media is way more about building relationships, networks and communities than just another way to distribute marketing messages.

Thanks, Ed, for your perspective on all the above.  Thoughts and opinions — always welcome!

Day One of Synopsys’ Conversation Central at DAC was packed with so many interesting guests and compelling perspectives that I’m glad somebody had the foresight to record and post it all on the Web.

Take The New Publishing Paradigm for example.  John Reardon (seated to my right in the photo below), John Donovan (right side of the photo) and I covered so much territory in our half hour together that I missed some of the nuances the first time around — and I was sitting right there in the middle asking the questions.

Here’s the link to that session www.blogtalkradio.com/synopsys/2010/06/14/the-new-publishing-paradigm-2

(Photo by Aaron Foellmi)

All nine of today’s sessions are now available online at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/synopsys

Many thanks to the excellent guests (Peggy Aycinena, Brian Bailey, Ron Wilson, John Donovan, John Reardon, Mike Santarini, Ed Sperling, John Blyler, and Kevin Morris), inspiring hosts (Yvette Huygen, Ron Ploof, Harry Gries, Lori Kate Smith, and Sheryl Gulizia) and awesome Synopsys team (Rich Goldman, Karen Bartleson, Roy Stahl, and Richard Paw to name but a few) who made it all possible.

But wait, there’s more! For details about the remaining sessions this week at #47DAC, visit the Conversation Central website.