A Look At Comdex

MediaLive International, the firm attempting to breathe life, and profit, in the IT show, attempted successfully, I believe, to group the show around seven technology themes -- wireless and mobility, the digital enterprise, Web services, open source and Linux, Windows platform, on-demand computing, and security.

"I like the focus of the seven groups. It's easier to navigate," said Jay Ferron, who runs Interactive Security Training in West Haven, Conn.

But just because vendors were divided into specific groups didn't mean you would find the vendor you were looking for at that location. Or anywhere else on the show floor -- a common complaint.

Added Gary Scott, IT manager of Lauderlake Lakes, Fla.-based Catholic Health Services: "I like the way it's set up. The tutorials and conference [sessions] seem more organized. What's bad is that some vendors are not here. But what's good is that there's easy access to those who are."

Show management said they expected 50,000 attendees this November, down from 125,000 the year before. Some sources questioned the quality of those attendees. Accordingly, the size of the show floor was reduced to 150,000 square feet this year, from 325,000 square feet last year. Even Bob Priest, MediaLive International's chief executive who welcomed opening night keynote Bill Gates, acknowledged that "it's not a large trade floor." He did also say, "We're really committed to building Comdex. A total of 500 vendors were scheduled to be on the floor, down from 900."

Show management told VARBusiness that the percentage of channel attendees held steady this year from last -- about 19 percent to 20 percent.

"We did an invite from our reseller database. I was expecting 59, but we got RSVPs from 200," said Rey Roque, vice president of Samsung Electronics, which chose to exhibit off-floor. "I think the target is back to the reseller. In fact, if Comdex is focusing on the reseller, there may be legs to it."

Will Samsung return to the floor next year? "It remains to be seen," Roque said. "The floor is a corporate decision. Even some of the players who have returned have opted for smaller footprints. Comdex needed to reinvent itself. I don't know if, in its current incarnation, it can do it."

Still, the notion that a number of key vendors, including IBM, chose to set up shop in satellite operations surrounding the Las Vegas Convention Center, where Comdex was held, means they must believe there will be enough traffic to warrant showing up. That's a good sign for the show's owners.

"There's vendor activity around the show, even if they're not at the show -- like an HP sales meeting," said Tim Curran, CEO of the Global Technology Distribution Council. "Vendors are supporting the show by holding events in town. That's a good sign."

One piece of good news: Fully 40 percent of attendees, management said, represented enterprises, which it defined as 500 or more employees, vs. 29 percent last year.

Does any of that make vendors want to shell out the bucks to set up on the floor? It certainly appeared to be worth it to a burgeoning number of international vendors.

"It's interesting. It's much more international in terms of the vendors. It appears to be about one-third of the floor," Ferron said. "But they don't seem to be looking for resellers. They appear to be looking for distribution partners.

"What's bad is a lot of players aren't here -- like Xerox. I don't see video-card vendors or printer vendors. It also seems real sparse for security tools."

San Jose, Calif.-based distributor MA Labs has been exhibiting at Comdex for the past seven or eight years. The company's booth size has remained the same, says Allan Schroeder, director of product management and marketing, who told VARBusiness that traffic was up "because we're near Microsoft." Schroeder said Microsoft is a "huge attraction to our type of customers, who are systems builders." He also said he has seen more resellers than he expected to.

"What I've heard from other vendors is that traffic is down," he said. "[And] they're wondering about coming to Comdex next year."