As the once-venerable Comdex trade show opens in Las Vegas, itll have something new: competition.
Comdex, which narrowed its focus—and floor space at the Las Vegas Convention Center— to business IT, is being billed as “Year One of the new Comdex.” But across town, Jupitermedia is putting on the CdXpo conference and exhibition at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center, in hopes of capturing vendors and attendees disaffected by Comdex.
“The buyers were telling us that Comdex just got too big and that it was hard to do business there,” said Eric Faurot, vice president and general manager for Comdex, which is expecting 50,000 for the show, down from its peak of 200,000 in 2000.
Jupitermedia Chairman and CEO Alan Meckler said he saw an opportunity. Meckler expects Enterprise IT Week at CdXpo to draw 3,500 to 6,500 attendees and 50-odd exhibitors. “My belief is that the [Comdex] show wont run again,” he said. “I call them a tumbleweed show, and we are going to try to fill the void.”