The denouement of Comdex

Comdex was teetering on the brink of disaster this year, with hundreds of past exhibitors following in the footsteps of IBM by bailing out of the costly event.

Comdex 2000, was saved by the sudden rush of MP3, wireless Web access devices and other consumer electronics/computing convergence products. Some

400 companies at this year's show had never exhibited at the event before.

That brought the overall number of exhibitors to a respectable 2,100. Without this new sector, Comdex would have been a dud. But even with the excitement over wireless, Comdex is radiating hype vibe around the world with much less intensity. Signs of the show's decline are everywhere.

Comdex, which used to test the capacity of half a dozen convention facilities in Las Vegas, is down to just two facilities, the main Las Vegas Convention

Center and the Sands Convention Center. And the bottom floor of the Sand has been empty for two years after bulging with hundreds of small exhibitors in past years.

Even so, there were many empty plots on the floor, some very large one at the center of the North Hall, an unheard of sight five years ago. And hotel rooms were still available at the start of the show. Taxi, bus and food lines were shorter as well. And in the pressroom, the number of media kits available to reporters

was not only much smaller than in years past, but few had anything interesting to offer. Most contained financial results, alliances and technology standard support announcements. Not exactly the stuff that fills the appetite of reporters hungry for product news. 

Five years ago, thousands of new products were announced at Comdex, including hundreds with broad interest appeal. Editors were burdened to select the few dozen they had editorial space for. This year they had to look for product announcements that would pass the bar for coverage. Many companies didn't even bother to supply press kits with information about their new products.

And while the number of visitors still hovers around 200,000, the quality of the visitors has plunged. Five years ago, you couldn't buy your way into the Comdex show, which charges a hefty sum just to get access to the convention floor. Nobody cared because Comdex was the focal point of the high-tech industry. Comdex was limited to retailers, distributors, consultants, system integrators, industry executives and technology buyers for thousands of end user companies.

Today, anybody can get into the show at no charge. As a result, at least 40,000 to 70,000 visitors are local students, retirees and others from the Las Vegas and nearby Los Angeles areas that go to Comdex to see what's new.

Many exhibitors complained bitterly about the time and effort they ended up wasting on visitors who want little more than a free T-Shirt or a squeeze

ball. The future will tell whether there will be enough new markets sprouting up to sustain Comdex as the heavyweight of computer trade shows. And the vitality of these new markets also remains questionable. 

The Linux Business Pavilion, which was held in a section of the Sands Convention Center suffered

from a number of anchor exhibitors from last year (VA Linux, Atipa, Mandrake) pulling out for lack of funds as Linux companies are starting to run out of

venture and Wall Street money. By the end of the show, many of this year's exhibitors had failed to resign for next year's show.

(SVNS)