Rainmakers

10:30 AM -- What is it with the storage crowd and wet weather? While conditions at spring SNW this week weren't nearly as threatening as the tail end of hurricane Wilma that hit Orlando last fall, San Diego has hardly been its sunny self in its first year as SNW host. (See Storm Clouds Gather Over SNW.)

In what The San Diego Union-Tribune described as a "winterlike storm," more than a half-inch of rain fell Monday and Tuesday. That might not sound like much for visitors from storage hotbeds like Northern California, Massachusetts, and Colorado. But it was rare enough in San Diego that the Padres were rained out at home Tuesday night for the first time since 1998.

Still, considering how many brave souls showed up despite Wilma last October, it's hardly surprising that San Diego showers didn't keep people away from the show. The Manchester Hyatt Regency has been bustling with activity, mostly with folks used to the rain after 20-plus days of rain in Northern California.

Although the user count seemed up this year, everybody knows SNW is a vendor-dominated show where relationships are built and deals are made. So considering all the storage executives forced into meeting rooms by rainy weather this week, the forecast for the coming months calls for even more deals than we've seen lately.

Got any views to air on SNW or any other trade shows? Weigh in on our latest poll.Dave Raffo, Senior Editor, Byte and Switch