PTC Press Event Gets Off the Ground -- Slowly

NEEDHAM, Massachusetts, January 17 --Maybe the intense cold outside (11^◦F this morning, I hear) was freezing all manner of items, inside and out. PTC's annual press event was having trouble getting off the ground. A poltergeist in the PA kept playing an annoying voice menu. It appeared that PTC had invited every living journalist and analyst -- the room was packed -- but was still attempting to reach more of an audience with a simultaneous webcast. The voice menu was intended for call-in attendees but somehow it had invaded our briefing room.

Live by the sword, die by the sword. Technology companies have had famous meltdowns. The best known was Bill Gates getting the blue screen of death when showing Windows at Comdex years ago. PTC was to get the blue screen during one of its presentations, too. Whatever. We have learned to roll with it.

Not able to report on the quarter just ending, PTC CEO C Richard (Dick) Harrison was only able to rehash some old numbers:

• Annual revenue up 19% to$855M in FY 06 (see Nov 1, 2006 press release)
• Cash and equivalents of $183M
• Sales increases by geography for year:
  • North America, up 33%
  • Europe, up 13%
  • Asia Pacific, up 6%
    • Pacific rim, up 34%
    • Japan, down 14%
• 4,309 employees worldwide

Comments

[Edwin Muirhead]

Hi Roopinder,
Thanks for the information from Boston... interesting to hear what was going on upstairs, while we were all downstairs with the Technical committees! [http://cadmincouk.blogspot.com/2007/01/action-stations-ptc-hq.html] I listened to their webcast and spotted a couple of telling comments...[http://cadmincouk.blogspot.com/2007/01/ptc-media-webcast.html] Mind you, Jim Heppelmann sounded like he was on good form...
Thanks for the blog, keep up the good work.
Edwin