Computer trade show Comdex, once the biggest event on the tech calendar, has been canceled this year, a victim of the growing interest in shows emphasizing consumer electronics and specialist IT gear.Eric Faurot, vice president of Comdex organizer MediaLive International, revealed the plans in an exclusive interview with CNET News.com, saying the company plans to give Comdex a breather after years of falling attendance, in the number of both attendees and vendors.
"We feel that while we could run Comdex profitably this year, it really wouldn't serve the interests of the broader IT industry," he said. The international versions of the show are expected to continue as planned.
I don't know the economics of Comdex, but is it possible that they priced themselves out of the market? At some point, a trade show can just be too expensive to attend.
Posted by: Brenda Helverson on June 25, 2004 2:31 PMWow. I'm actually surprised it was still around at all.
Last time I went was in 2001 back when I still lived in Chicago and the tech boom was just starting to bust. Even at that time people were talking about how sparsely attended it was.
On one level I thought Comdex was kind of cool, I mean the free tchachki and T-shirts alone were worth the trip. On the other hand it was a waste of time. I never bought or propsed a new product based on something I saw at Comdex.
I think the internet probably killed Comdex as much as anything. There's enough info about technology products out there that you don't have to go to a convention anymore to find out what's new. Now if only they could figure out how let me download a free T-shirt or stress ball.
Posted by: Rob Humenik on June 25, 2004 3:47 PM