Apparently there is an inverse relationship between the health of a company and the hoopla it demonstrates at its user conference. For example, take B2B companies.
Theyre all suffering right now, some more than others. But youd never be able to figure that out from recent trade shows.
Last month, money-losing rivals Ariba and Commerce One held their annual shindigs a week apart. Ariba Live, apropos to its Las Vegas venue, was all flash, smoke machines and high-powered speakers, including Olympic gold medalist runner Michael Johnson.
Meanwhile, webMethods—which may be faring better than either Ariba or Commerce One—canceled its user conference that was to be held this month in San Diego. Go figure.