Comdex '02: For Everything There is a Season

摘要

How many of you remember the early NepCon shows? The first one I attended was in Philadelphia in 1966, a modest affair where the founder of the show and publisher of EP&P, Milt Kever, walked the floor and spoke to everyone. Twenty years later, NepCon was the place to be. As the years passed, however, the decline was evident. The show was huge, unbelievably expensive, and far less user-friendly. IPC Expo began as a modest show in the early 1990s, and reached a peak in six years. While still a relevant show, it has levelled at best. In this case, economic conditions have been a major factor. Comdex started in the early 1980s, and rode the personal computer and Internet boom. By the early 1990s, it filled the entire Las Vegas convention center with first tier suppliers and VARs, spilling over to the Sands where the second tier suppliers dwelled on the top floor, and the digital porno industry dwelled in the basement.