模特喧宾夺主，科技展开始禁止Show girl着装暴露

    如果你参观过某个科技展会，你很可能已经欣赏过众多“展台宝贝”的倩影。她们还有一个更体面的头衔——“促销模特”。各大公司聘用这些穿着清凉的美女，主要是吸引参会者前往它们的展台，试试蓝牙耳机，联网牙刷，甚至安全软件。

    从CES消费电子展到全球移动大会，“展台宝贝”已经成为各类科技展会不可或缺的一部分，就像大排长龙的出租车候车队伍和糟糕的无线网络一样。但有些参会者抱怨称，在一个如此专业的场合，她们那无异于脱衣舞女的着装——没错 ，我说的就是胸贴——显得特别突兀。他们宁可和真正的销售人员打交道，因为这些人对自己要卖的产品了解得更清楚。（“展台宝贝”往往都是临时聘用人员，如果你想深入了解最新加密技术的解决方案，她们绝不会是你咨询的最佳对象）。

    现在至少有一个年度科技展已决定听取这些怨言。上周，信息安全大会（RSA Conference）的组织者在其参展商规则里加了一条新规，实际上就是禁止“展台宝贝”入场。该组织将于下个月在旧金山举办一场信息安全展会。

    新规规定：“所有参展人员应一律身着正装或商务便装……决不允许穿着过于暴露或具有性暗示意味的服装。”展会组织者甚至列举了这类穿着，如过分展现乳沟的上装，超短裙，暴露的服装及莱卡紧身衣（这种衣服确实撩人）。

    该展会副总兼策展者桑德拉•汤姆斯在接受《财富》杂志电话采访时表示：“我认为这个规定来得太迟了。如果你是一位参观者，时间有限，你就只会想问一些具体的技术问题，并寻求解答。这是我们从调研中获得的反馈意见。”

    汤姆斯已为这个展会工作了近二十年。她说，参观者也表示，那些穿着特殊，或确切点说，穿得很少的“展台宝贝”让他们很不舒服。实际上，多年来，在各类科技展会上，这类批评时有耳闻。

    事实上，一些颇受尊敬的大公司还在用人体彩绘来引人关注，这种做法似乎已经过时了——这有点像给参观者赠送印有公司标识的薄荷糖（而且和薄荷糖一样，“展台宝贝”也并不一定能帮参展商引来更多人气）。诚然，这类展会多数都缺乏女性参与，但这种做法并不能营造让男女都喜闻乐见的氛围：大家得直面现实，这些公司摆明了就是针对男性开展营销的，而且就要用这种最赤裸裸的方式。

    每年有大约三万人参加信息安全大会，但其中只有15%是女性。对科技展会来说，这个比例很正常。这个大会已经旗帜鲜明地要让“展台宝贝”禁入了。而据汤姆斯称，迄今为止获得的反馈都很积极。

    她说：“很多人都支持我们这个做法。我想大家理解这个新规的意图，他们确实想更尊重女性。”

    当然了，禁止“展台宝贝”参展可能也会带来不利影响——参与的女性更少了。但不妨换个新思路：各家科技公司，你们还是可以请女性来展示讲解产品，只是别再让她们穿紧身莱卡了。（财富中文网)

    译者：清远

    审校：任文科

    If you’ve ever attended a technology conference, then you’ve likely seen your share of booth babes. Also known by the more respectable term “promotional models,” they’re the scantily-clad women companies hire in an attempt to lure conference-goers into checking out their Bluetooth headsets, Internet-enabled toothbrushes and yes, even security software.

    From the Consumer Electronics Show to Mobile World Congress, booth babes have become an expected part of the scenery, much like hours-long taxi lines and horrible Wi-Fi coverage (go figure). But some attendees have complained that stripper-like attire—yes, I’m talking pasties—is offensive in a professional environment and that they’d rather engage with actual salespeople who are more knowledgeable about the products they’re trying to sell. (Booth babes are usually temporary hires and therefore not your best bet if you want a deep dive on the latest cryptographic solutions.)

    At least one annual tech expo has decided to listen to the complaints. Last week, the organizers of the RSA Conference, an information security event that will take place in San Francisco next month, added a new clause to its exhibitor rules and regulations. Effectively, it’s a booth babe ban.

    According to the new rules: “All expo staff are expected to dress in business and/or business casual attire… Attire of an overly revealing or suggestive nature is not permitted.” The RSA organizers even list specific examples of such clothing, including tops displaying excessive cleavage, miniskirts, offensive costumes and Lycra bodysuits (apparently that’s a thing).

    “I think it’s a long time coming,” Sandra Toms, VP and curator of the RSA Conference, said on a phone call with Fortune. “If you’re an attendee you have a limited time and you want to ask specific technical questions and get your answers. That’s what we’ve heard in our [attendee] surveys.”

    According to Toms, who has been working on the conference for nearly two decades, conference-goers have also said they are offended by specific clothing worn—or more accurately, not worn—by booth babes. And such criticisms have been lobbed at tech conferences for years.

    The fact that some large, respected companies still use women in body paint to try and draw attention to their wares seems outdated at best—kind of like handing out breath mint containers inscribed with a company logo. (Like mints, booth babes don’t necessarily help vendors generate more leads.) And while it’s not to blame for the overall dearth of women at many of these conferences, it certainly doesn’t promote an atmosphere that’s welcoming to both genders: Let’s face it, these companies are explicitly marketing specifically to men, and in the crudest way possible.

    In case you were wondering, about 30,000 people attend the annual RSA Conference, but women make up just about 15% of attendees. As far as tech conferences go, that ratio isn’t unusual. RSA has chosen to take a stance with its new booth babe ban, and so far, says Toms, the feedback has been positive.

    “We’ve had a lot of support for it,” says Toms. “I think people get it, and they want to be respectful.”

    Of course, banning booth babes does have one potential downside—the sad reality is, it could mean even less women at tech conferences. But here’s a novel thought: Technology companies, you can still have women showing off and explaining your products. Just don’t ask them to wear Lycra.