Comdex Comes Back—Virtually
COMDEX will make a comeback later this year as a virtual event. UBM, which acquired the brand as part of its acquisition of MediaLive Intl. in 2006, will relaunch COMDEX as a virtual event to be held Nov. 16-17, managed by its Everything Channel business.

At its height, COMDEX was the largest annual show in the industry with 1.2 million net square feet of exhibit space at an unprecedented $60 a square foot. Attendance peaked at 200,000, including exhibitors. For more than 20 years it was as dominant in the trade show industry as it was in the IT industry it served. Its last event was in 2003.

Nancy Hammervik, Senior Vice President, Events, Everything Channel, says that although the physical event became too large and difficult to navigate, it offered a wealth of information and resources. The new virtual format, hosted on the InXpo platform, is expected to help make COMDEX easier to manage as well as expand its reach as a global event. To check out the COMDEX virtual environment, visit www.comdexvirtual.com.

Bridal Show Scams Attendees, Exhibitors
While many show organizers are struggling to sell booth space and attract attendees, one show managed to sign up a combined 6,000 attendees and vendors — all without a product. The catch: It was all a scam.

Thousands of brides-tobe and vendors were duped by the “Boston 411 Home and Bridal Show,” a fake bridal show that was to be held at Boston’s Hynes Convention Center this month, according to Boston police and the FBI Cyber Crime Unit. About 6,000 people and vendors signed up, paid registration fees and purchased floor space through the show’s Web site, which promised to be the “biggest and most extravagant” and offer chances to win “fabulous gifts and prizes.”

Authorities learned about the scam when vendors contacted the convention center to find out when they could go in and work on their exhibits and discovered that no such show had been scheduled at the convention center. As of press time, police had still not located the culprits.

89%
The percentage of respondents surveyed in the 2010 Virtual Market Outlook Report who indicated that “ease of use for attendees” when implementing a virtual meeting or event is critically important.

Source: 2010 Virtual Market Outlook Report, a collaboration among the Virtual Edge Institute, the Lattanze Center at Loyola University Maryland and George P. Johnson Experience