Friendly advice for Supercomm

Having gone through the Supercomm routine in various locales for more than a decade, I was thrilled when one of Gary Lytle's final acts as USTA president was to sign the papers moving the event out of Atlanta and into Chicago, which is not only Telephony's hometown but the place where I've chosen to reside for most of my life. In the spirit of welcoming all of you returning to Chicago next week--Supercomm's last appearance here was in 1992, which ironically was the first Supercomm I ever attended--I offer the following pieces of advice:

• Say goodbye to some familiar names. The obvious ones like AFC, Catena and Telica will have their swan song because they were bought up. Others may be bowing out for good after this year's show. Also watch for a shakeup in the access market. With AFC now concentrating a good portion of its resources on the RBOCs and select big independents, look for a bunch of former start-ups and even a few newcomers to chase the IOC market.
• Ketchup does not belong on hot dogs. Ever! And leave the sauerkraut in New York. The proper dressings for a Chicago dog are yellow mustard, green relish, onion, tomato, a slice of pickle, two small peppers (known locally as sport peppers) and a dash of celery salt.
• Get ready for a heavy dose of video. Triple play will be one of the major themes of the show, and you can expect lots of flat-screen displays with brilliant colors. Expect to see a few high-definition demos, but don't be too taken in by them. Most are using canned content and equipment that is either incredibly expensive or simply isn't available for purchase yet. But they're still fun to watch.
• If you find yourself talking to a local and the conversation begins to drag, the following topics are always safe and may even win you a friend for life: the Bears, the 1985 Bears, anything related to hatred of those dumb cheesehead-adorned Packer fans and Mike Ditka (or "Da Coach," as he's known locally). Remember that it's less than two months until NFL training camps open.
• Look for sneak peeks at "ultra broadband." Chipmakers already are pushing 100 Mb/s downstream and 50 Mb/s upstream. Yes, it's probably a long way off for most U.S. consumers, and Korea will have it first, but this is the kind of stuff trade shows are made for.
• Most bars in Chicago stay open until 2 a.m. Some stay open until 4 a.m. Sample them wisely. They will open again tomorrow. And get off Rush Street. Going only to places there is like going to New Orleans and never leaving Bourbon Street.
• If you have to be in town Monday, attend Telephony's VoIP event. We've put together a great roster of speakers who can tell you all the ins and outs of deploying VoIP services.
• And when you tell a cabbie "McCormick Place," you're likely to be asked, "Which side?" Supercomm will take place in the South and North Halls of McCormick. The east side is the older part of the massive facility. Head over there if you want a nice view of the lake--and a chat with the union guys who run the joint.

E-mail me at vvittore@primediabusiness.com.