Kent Pribbernow
06-25-2004, 03:00 AM
<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1103-5244406.html' target='_blank'>http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1103-5244406.html</a><br /><br /></div>"Computer trade show Comdex, once the biggest event on the tech calendar, has been canceled this year, a victim of the growing interest in shows emphasizing consumer electronics and specialist IT gear. Eric Faurot, vice president of Comdex organizer MediaLive International, revealed the plans in an exclusive interview with CNET News.com, saying the company plans to give Comdex a breather after years of falling attendance, in the number of both attendees and vendors."<br /><br />Truly sad. :( In its glory days, Comdex was the greatest spectacle in computer trade shows. The very first tech show I ever attended was Comdex 1996. At that time, the Los Vegas convention center was busting out of its seems with dot com vendors and tech giants like Microsoft and HP, and free swag was everywhere. No attendee walked out empty handed. I was like a kid in a candy store, doe-eyed and drooling. My friends and I got in early so we could listen to Bill Gates keynote address. Microsoft had a huge display showcasing its latest product....<b>Windows 95</b>. Ah..the good old days. Today Comdex is a mere shadow of its former self. Attendance has evaporated, and vendor interest has declined dramatically. A combination of the dot com collapse and shift towards consumer oriented expos, particularly CES, have taken a devastating toll. <br /><br />Comdex is dead. But I will always have a soft spot in my heart for the trade show that sparked my love for technology. Thanks for the memories, Comdex.