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Comdex Canceled For 2004
Stephen Shankland writes "Comdex is canceled -- at least for 2004. The once-imposing tech event lost out to trade shows for specialized niches and consumer electronics, but the Comdex organizers want to bring it back in 2005, according to an executive quoted in our story at CNET News.com."
The article claims that "security jitters" are keeping corporate types from travelling, thus hurting attendance. Is it possible that the TSA's reign of terror against airline passengers is more responsible?
Have you read my blog lately?
I went to Itec not long ago and will never attend again. it was 1/5th the size from 2 years ago and everyone had this desperate "please talk to us" look on their faces at all booths.
shows in general are pretty much useless.. overpriced tickets to see a talk by someone who is going to rehash what they said for free online and you already read, and the schwag has turned into crud.
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
Comdex lost track sometime in the 90's but the real end was in 1995 when it was sold to Softbank.
It went from being a twice yearly Mecca to being a monthly, or bimonthly travelling international 'Disneyland' for marketing.
Prior to the infiltration by 'Windows World' it had been the hard core contact point for developers, implementors, and users, all feeding and grooming the craft (with the spice of some good natured marketing).
There is a real need for what Comdex was just as there is still a need for the every other year show of photographics at Photokina in Koln Germany.
Let Comdex lay in it's grave, quiet in silent repose, and start something unique and alive in the spitit of the original Comdex.
Does the declining attendance reflect the fact that employers are less willing to waste/invest money sending people to "Gee Whiz" conventions?
-PM
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I used to exhibit at Comdex in the late 80s and early 90s and it was fun back then, with the exception of the facist Interface Group organization that used to run the thing and would take advantage of everyone they could. Exhibitors would pay years in advance to get a good space and then other people would show up at the last minute with cash and IG would give them premium exhibit space. It was a huge sham. I stopped attending years ago when it got so big that you needed a passport to get from one side of the convention to the other.
I'm sure locals in Vegas are probably thrilled. Most of them hated Comdex anyway.
Not really.
Actually, Las Vegas resorts dread COMDEX because the attendees tend to be cheapskates that leave very little money at the gambling tables.
The resorts actually make FAR more money from the National Finals Rodeo in December, where people attending this rodeo tend to be big spenders that do like to gamble.
They took a formally outstanding show and turned it into a place for deep pockets only.
m putex/fact_s heet.htm
AND made it pretty well a "Retail" show.
Are big trade shows dead?
Heck no.
Computex (May31 - June 4 in Taipei, Taiwan) this year had over 1,000 vendors showing, took over 4 big conference spaces in downtown Taipei surrounding the new 101 centre ( tallest building in the world) and over 100,000 registered attendees.
http://www.taipeitradeshows.com.tw/co
There are four good reasons COMDEX is dead:
1) Ziff Davis made it too expensive, too difficult for smaller vendors/manufacturers.
You do not go to a show like this to see what HP, Seagate, IBM and Microsoft are doing. They spend vast sums to tell you that in other media.
2) People from outside N. America do not want to travel to the USA.
3) US unions. To be a vendor at COMDEX cost about $5,000 for a booth space. And over $10,000 to get your goods in and out by the "show services" monopoly.
4) It became a "retail" show. You do not spend good money to display at a trade show to meet 10,000 end user "tire kickers".
You are looking for quality commercial leads. Qualified buyers.
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