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The Last Comdex?
Posted by
CowboyNeal
on Thu Nov 14, 2002 09:28 PM
from the tradeshows-of-doom dept.
from the tradeshows-of-doom dept.
linuxwrangler writes "Key3Media Group Inc. which produces the Comdex trade show may be unable to make it's debt payments and could declare bankruptcy. No decision will be made until after Fall Comdex opening on Monday. More info is available at Google News."
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The Last Comdex?
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Mirrors? (Score:4, Funny)
License to print money (Score:5, Insightful)
Then they turn around and charge the visitors. They win on both sides.
Re:License to print money (Score:4, Interesting)
I just think the show got to big to handle.
Theflatline
Nowhere near what it used to be (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:License to print money (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:License to print money (Score:5, Insightful)
Couple those fixed costs of putting on a show with a decline in display floor companies because a good chunk of former presenters are either bankrupt or cutting back, and less people are being sent by those companies to look and those presenters on the floor.
Higher costs, lower income... uh oh!
Re:License to print money (Score:5, Interesting)
"No problem," the nice lady said, "I'll get you new tickets."
I'll venture a guess and say that tickets weren't how they made money. Once the tech downturn hit I'm sure their booth revenue went way down. This doesn't surprise me one bit.
Re:License to print money (Score:5, Interesting)
Because Key3media is one of the most ANNOYING companies on the planet?
They sent me constant spam for months after the last Comdex I signed up for (free passes, btw) and their remove links never did anything.
Eventually I found the homepage of the comdex project group on they key3 site and sent every member of the group a 700K image with nothing but the word 'remove' in it. (I think I accidentally crashed their mailserver too, it must have been one of those ones that made a copy of the mail for every person as opposed to linking it.)
No more spam after that, but damn, a company does not become liked by harassing people that interface with them! I certainly did not go to comdex after that.
Not the same anymore (Score:4, Interesting)
Anyway - most people who goes there are free-riding; the visitor's pass is "supposed" to be 99 dollars or whatever, but you can get it for free ANYWHERE. in fact you can register for it officially on Comdex website too if you do it early enough. They say it's "limited time only" or some such bs, but that's what it is, bs.
Then again, companies are not showing up to trade shows as much as they used to be, or are renting a smaller booth, becomming a smaller sponsor (i.e. from platinum level down to gold level) or not sponsoring at all. (Sponsoring is when you pay them big bux and they put your logo on the T-shirt / booklets / whatever) - the level of sponsorship determines the size of you logo, where it appears, etc.
An example (not Comdex) on the low-attendence is this year's ITC (International Test Conference), which is one of the most important conference / tradeshow / whatever for the ATE (automated test equipment) manufactures. Teradyne, Credense, NP Test (read: Schlumberger) all decided to not show up at ALL; no booth, no seminar, no salesperson, nothing. These are some of the biggest names in the industry. I think the only two big-names that did show was Advantest and Agilent (I'm not sure about Agilent, actually).
As for real paying visitors, they are dropping even more than the companies - Other conferences actually have REAL SEMINARS where people might pay to see, but Comdex, IIRC, never had anything informational.
Besides, the stupid show went downhill way before the dotcom bubble bursted. Back in 99/00 (i can't remember clearly), they had 1/3 of the floor filled with resellers / distributors that sell cases and powersupplies and such. not even nearly related to "technologically innovative." No new technology, no new information, just a big organized garage sell.
I still got the free passes to go there for a few years even after that, but every year figured that it was not even worth my time since nothing would be interesting there. I do eventually want to go to E3, though - that still have lots of steam and seem to be actually getting bigger.
Re:License to print money (Score:5, Insightful)
Personally I think COMDEX, and trade shows like it, is a relic of the past. The reason is simple: The Internet. In the past it was very difficult for organizations to get the word out about new products, so they actually would pent up all of their launches for the big trade shows when they would unleash their killer video cards (Trident 8990, now with SVGA!), hard drives, software, etc. All of the media was there and they would print it all up, and we'd get the extra-large edition of Computer Shopper or PC Magazine full of COMDEX-released goodies, and it really was an exciting time in the computer world. Nowadays no company actually withholds products until a trade show (well..maybe Apple is the one exception. They still like to do the grand release thing), but instead they let the net do the distribution of information. It really is amazing to think how much this really has changed our industry even though it seems so normal now. Hell, I remember dialing up to the Diamond Multimedia BBS with my 14.4 modem to grab a newer Windows 3.1 driver for my Diamond Speedstar 24x videocard (one of the first supporting a 24-bit colour mode): It was a huge undertaking. Now I'm leaving a message that's readable around the world with ease.
Re:License to print money (Score:5, Insightful)
* The Internet. A decade ago the computer print media (mostly Ziff and IDG) controlled the flow of information to computer users. To a great extent, Comdex was a big schmooze fest between press and vendors to get products covered. Ziff and IDG alone each sent hundreds of people. Today people can go out on the Internet and get their computer info from just about anywhere--even Slashdot. Traditional computer pubs are dying left and right because they aren't the critical resource they used to be. They're not sending armies to cover the show, so the vendors see less reason to go.
* Market consolidation. There used to be lots of big players in the software market: Microsoft, Lotus, Borland, IBM, Computer Associates, etc. All of them would get big booths on the main show floor and compete to see who could grab the most attention. Nowadays it's pretty much Microsoft. The same is happening with hardware, it's down to a handful of major players. A good chunk of the HW market is still locally built white boxes and they don't need to go to Comdex to build brand recognition. The vendors that remain tend to be the Tiawanese motherboard makers who can't afford a big booth.
* Change in focus. COMDEX is an abbreviation for COMputer Dealer EXposition. It was originally set up so computer dealers could hook up with computer and component makers. Over the years that changed since there are just a handful of computer chains and product buyers for those chains. They tried appealing to an IT audience and emphasized the conference program in an effort to keep the size up, but it's only been marginally successful because there are often more cost-effective ways for companies to get this info.
* The consumerization of computers (aka, "Dude, you're getting a Dell"). Another case of eliminating the middleman. Companies like Dell sell directly to consumers, they don't need to go to Comdex and haven't done so the last few years. The major vendors handle corporate accounts via one-on-one visits and don't need the excuse of Comdex for that.
* They DROVE people away. As few as four or five years ago, Comdex was still a must-do for a lot of the PC industry. But you knew you were being screwed. Hotel rooms were $320 in the LV Hilton back then, and the cab line in front of the hotel was an hour long. When it got that bad, people realized it wasn't an effective way to do business. When people and companies started skipping Comdex the last couple of years and the world didn't end, it just proved that Comdex wasn't essential.
JavaOne too? (Score:5, Interesting)
Oh no! (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Oh no! (Score:5, Interesting)
Interesting side note regarding Las Vegas hotels. For years now they've measured the level of business by how many people they have to turn away. In other words, when they have a "bad month" in Vegas, all that means is that (citywide) they turned away only 30,000 people looking for accomodations, rather than the usual average of 45,000 (numbers are for illustration purposes only, but order of magnitude is close).
I reckon if COMDEX goes feet up it'll hardly be noticed.
CeBIT is better anyway (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Imminent death of...um...comdex predicted? (Score:5, Funny)
They have the same accountants as the movie industry.
Wait for another 3Q's before filing! (Score:3, Funny)
growth in another 2-3 Q's ("forecasted" like this for the past 2 years
New COMDEX 5.0 Platinum! With 30 free hours! (Score:5, Interesting)
This is what happens when you throw free passes around like they're AOL CDs. Did anyone, ever actually pay to get into Comdex? Well, I suppose the techies and developers may have had to pay but pointy-haired bosses like me always got inundated with free passes from companies we'd never dream of buying from. No wonder it was never a great show...
Is it a shame? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Is it a shame? (Score:5, Funny)
Key3Media Sta (Score:3, Funny)
Shares of Key3Media fell 41 percent, or 1 cent, to 14 cents in Thursday trading on the over-the-counter bulletin board market.
Now is it just me, or does something about those figures not add up?
What's to see at a PC trade show these days? (Score:5, Interesting)
Between Microsoft's ability to buy, borrow, steal, or kill ideas or product that they haven't considered or cannot integrate into their operating systems, and a general lack of enthusiasm in the PC industry to think of more ideas that could be stolen, it doesn't surprise me that there's little interest.
I really can't contrast COMDEX's imminent demise to successful shows such as Macworld Expo because Apple has a captive audience of vendors that support their products. COMDEX doesn't have such luxury.
COMDEX should rethink its audience. It's pretty obvious that they have just let things ride over the past few years.
This doesn't surprise me... (Score:5, Informative)
During the time I attended it changed from being a show for people in the industry, to a show for anyone off the street. The first year I went there the small company I was with signed up with TechData and nearly did the same with AOpen. The next year, neither were there. The last year I went was positively lame. No one but the big guys, and not even all of them. Heck, Corel wasn't even there.
Good riddance. It was a waste of time that was eventually replaced with product info found on the Internet.
Just as long as... (Score:3, Funny)
Not surprised (Score:4, Funny)
Comdex is Just Finding Their Way (Score:3, Informative)
This year looked extremely promising with more informative panel discussions and break out sessions.
Don't forget this also affects the other Comdex shows that happen each year. I've only been to Fall Comdex, so I can't speak to the rest, but it will be a loss to the industry if it fades away.
Many people have spoken about virtual trade shows, but you don't get to try the products out and meet the folks to help support those products.
Comdex 2001 Overview [compunotes.com]
News source equivalent of Mobius strip (Score:4, Funny)
Well, What do you Expect? (Score:5, Insightful)
Linux folks tried to lighten the place up a few years ago by handing out free CDs in front of the Microsoft booth, but Bill had them escorted off the property. Novell's gone from the show. Sun's gone from the show. Apple's gone from the show. IBM has a token appearance. HP only shows off their new laser printers (woo-hooo....). It's dull and boring.
I remember going back when there were a dozen different computing platforms running a dozen different operating systems. It slowly diminished to the "PowerPC Pavilion" out in the parking lot (bet Bill was happy about that!) against the PC folks in the LVCC+Lower Sands (upper Sands still had some interesting 3rd party stuff). For a couple years after that they had some Linux-specialized groups, but then there was nothing but Windows.
The internet has also made Comdex obosolete. One used to be able to find new products at Comdex, but now everything on display is Old News. We learn about interesting things here on Slashdot WAY before Comdex ever debuts anything. Since there is no new technology there, and pretty much everything is Windows, which we have to use everyday anyway, the only things left are the swag and Bill's keynote.
Personally, I think swag is a better reason to go, but it's really not even worth that anymore. I've been attending Usenix instead for the last couple years, and by contrast it is fun, interesting and refreshing. *shrug*
If I understand this properly... (Score:3, Funny)
(try saying that one quickly!)
Ah, COMDEX. It was Hell, but I'll miss it. (Score:3, Interesting)
http://discuss.extremetech.com/extremetech/message s?msg=22210.3 [extremetech.com]
Changing Times (Score:3, Interesting)
Great... now how will I decide? (Score:3, Funny)
Last year at Comdex netgear gave out t-shirts and a nifty little spoungy dog. Linksys wouldn't even talk to me. Guess what switches are sitting on my desk now!
So I'll be sad. Aparently actual business took place there, or was supposed to take place there, but for the most part, all I saw was people like me scrounging for free stuff.
Yes, like pathetic geeks. But then again, the pathetic geeks scrounging for free stuff usually are the ones making the IT decisions.
*sigh*
Last year the Linux booth was hidden.... (Score:3, Interesting)
Good, focused trade shows, and why they rock (Score:5, Insightful)
I work out of my house or on client locations most of the year, so trade shows are where I can actually get some networking done. With a focused, industry specific show, a significant portion of my collegues, clients, and potential clients are in one place. Business gets done.
For folks who only get the free exhibit pass and do the show floor, you're missing about 90% of the action, and the 10% you've got left has been rendered somewhat irrevelant by the internet. Sure, trolling the show floor is nice, and you can occassionally see some surprises, or see a product close up and grok it in a way written descriptions didn't work. But, in a four day trade show, I might spend four hours looking at the exhibits.
One thing a good trade show will have is good sessions, taught by people who know what they're talking about. In the dot-com era, there were way too many shows where it was the VP's of marketing up on the stage, but the ones that are left focus much more on people with real-world experience telling their stories and, if they're good, answering questions. War stories can teach a LOT, and an expert can often answer a question in 30 seconds that might take a full day on Google to get straight.
Having a conference pass also helps beyond just doing the conferences. It gets you mingling with the other attendees. There is often free snacks and coffee, and sometimes full meals for attendees as well. Wonderful networking at those. The conference pass also gets you a lot more attention at the booths, because the vendors know that someone with a pass paid money for the show, and immediately consider them a more serious prospect. I've worked both sides of the booth, and the sales managners always stress this point in pre-show prep for those working the booths.
These days, I only go to shows that I'm either speaking at (I do lots of sessions about video compression), or that I have press creditials for (I'm a contributing editor of DV Magazine). Either pass is nice, since you can get into the speaker or press room, which is GREAT networking, plus they normally have broadband, drinks, and snacks, and not just at designated snack time. Wearing a press badge on the show floor can be almost dangerous if the marketing guys see you (the sales guys typically couldn't care less).
The big problem with Comdex is that it is so diffuse, it's hard to imagine it having a focused enough audience to have a good chance of bumping into people into the same stuff you are. The computer industry is so broad, it'd be like having a trade show on "transportation." It underlies so many things, it can't be really treated as a unified whole.
But in general, just going to a show for the exhibit floor is only scratching the surface. Try to get a conference pass, or even try to get a speaking gig if possible. But if you can't swing either, at least try to track down the free vendor classes, and any relevant free Birds of a Feather sessions (generally run in the evening). The one thing the internet can't give us is actually talking to 3D people, so focus on that aspect to get value out of a show.
And if you do go to conferene sessions, ask questions! And it's perfectly expected and accepted to go up to the speaker after the session for followups.
Trade shows I love (being a compression nerd) are:
DVExpo. Lots of classes by practicing video people, very enthusaistic audience. Probably the highest consistant quality of sessions of any show I do.
QuickTime Live: Geeky when it needs to be, but man does Apple know how to throw a party! Also excellent session quality. And catered by Odwalla!
NAB: A huge show for video professionals. Amazing exhibits, and enough different conference tracks to keep things interesting for everybody. The geeky stuff used to be done by DVExpo, who alas don't handle that anymore. Still a fun show.
MacWorld: Verging on diffuse, since people use Macs in so many different ways, but the great Esprit de corps. The Stevenotes really are best experienced in person for maximum RDF impact (and you often get gifts under the seats). I was at the infamous Lou Gestner 3 hour marathon one a few years ago, and man is that a telling contrast!
WEMP: This is put on by the MPEG-4 Industry Forum. I've only gone once, but it was the best in codec nerd love. Truly excellent sessions - it's one thing to read a standard, it's another thing to hear the person who wrote it tell you why it's a certain way.
Exibits are Free (Score:4, Informative)
They charge the exhibitors, and they also charge for the tutorials, and conferences. You can buy a flex-pass for about $3000 and the tutorials are about $800 for a 1 day class.
The keynote speeches are all also free, but you have to collect tickets beforehand.
All of this information is available here. [comdex.com]
Re:It's vs. Its (Score:3, Informative)
But don't forget that It's can also mean "it has" . This is a normal contraction and those are the only two things it can mean.
Its, on the other hand, it a possessive pronoun (which is easily confused with possessive nouns, which *do* take an apostrophe, hence the confusion.)