Many of you have followed my yearly reports on COMDEX, the world’s largest computer show. You may remember my enthusiasm in past years about announcements like Bluetooth wireless and the USB interface. Last year I wrote about trying out the new Segway scooter and Microsoft’s just-announced Tablet PC operating system. It seems that every year I left COMDEX with fervor and enthusiasm. That is until now. This year I left Las Vegas with a lump in my throat knowing the COMDEX of old was no more.
More than a just a trade show, for over twenty years COMDEX was an institution. It started in 1979 as the COMputer Dealers Expo and it quickly grew into the only place for high tech followers to be each November. It was the place to announce new products, to show off future tech products, to learn about new technologies, to make contacts, and to talk about ideas and formulate innovations.
In its heyday COMDEX drew in excess of 200,000. It took up the entire Las Vegas convention center and spilled over into several other venues. I usually set aside three full days to roam the exhibits and I never got to see everything.
Over the years COMDEX has had several owners. In 2002, attendance was down and the show’s promoters, Media 3 were in bankruptcy. It was obvious that the show was in trouble. This year MediaLive International took over COMDEX and decided to turn it into a business to business show for IT professionals. This year COMDEX drew less than 50,000. I covered the entire show in two hours. By early afternoon on the first day, planes leaving COMDEX became quickly overbooked. It may not have been a mass exodus, but it certainly was a clear indication of the quality of the show. Even many of the IT professionals who were to be the mainstay of the show were disappointed.
Although COMDEX goes on, for all practical purposes the COMDEX of old is dead. Perhaps MediaLive can still capitalize on the COMDEX name and create a new show, but COMDEX will never be the same. Most of the techies will now be attending the CES (Consumer Electronics Show) which takes place each January in Las Vegas. There will always a trade show to attend, but there will never be another one like good old COMDEX.
