Is Comdex losing its sheen?

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 vibes

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

Sands has been empty for two years after bulging with hundreds of small

exhibitors in the past years.

Even so, there were many empty plots on the floor, some very large ones 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 remain 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 re-sign for next year's show.