Image © 2009 Nik Fletcher
Despite nearly universal appraisals among the Apple press calling it “underwhelming” and “disappointing” and “lackluster,” Macworld 2009 proved to be a worthwhile and successful venture for many less well-known exhibitors, whose continuing support may determine the expo’s future viability.
I hit the floor for the final day of Macworld 2009 fully expecting to find an arena filled with weary exhibitors staring at empty aisles, counting the hours until they could pack up their booths and say goodbye, perhaps for the final time, to this seminal conference and expo dedicated to all things Mac and more.
Instead, the floors in both halls appeared to me to have as many people walking around, crowding into interesting demos and learning exhibitions as on any other day this week. Such interest is not traditionally shown on the final day at large industry trade shows such as Macworld, and may be even more notable in the case that that other big consumer electronics event got into full swing a day ago, several hundred miles away in Las Vegas.
Official attendance figures were not yet available for this year’s event according to a spokesperson in the Sales office for conference promoter/organizer IDG, but the participation of both attendees and exhibitors has been “in line with expectations” given uncertainties in the larger economy, and factoring in disappointment surrounding Apple’s decision to quit the event after 2009.
Follow me after the jump for the thoughts and impressions of several exhibitors whose enthusiasm may point to a less dire future for Macworld than some seem to expect.
“I’ve been very pleased with the reception we’ve had,” said Ashlihan Sengul, an industrial designer from Turkey who is wading into the crowded iPhone/iPod case accessory market with a line of beautiful, handmade cases. “This is my first year, so I don’t have anything previous to compare,” she told me, but added she would most likely return next year if the world economy doesn’t collapse completely.
Frank Wildenberg is the Managing Director of Linotype GmbH, whose free font managing software Font Explorer X won a Best in Show award last year. He returned with lowered expectations in the wake of Apple’s decision to abandon the show but told me, “I didn’t have enough staff to do all the demos we had requests for. We’re very happy with the crowds and I hope the show survives. It’s a great way to get exposure for our software.”
I got a smile and a roll of the eyes from G-Technology’s Erin Hartin when I asked about her ROI from a Macworld presence that takes a $100K bite out of the company’s marketing budget. “We’re surveying people who come by the booth to try and get a sense of future enthusiasm,” she said, but added, “we market to a real niche and many of the high-end video and multimedia producers we target come to this show, so it makes a lot of sense for us to be here and to keep coming as long as the event continues.”
The guys at Feral Interactive, Macintosh game developers based in Britain, were a bit taken aback by the cost of exhibiting at Macworld. They even considered bringing their own booth carpet across the pond rather than fork over the $2200 IDG charged to “rent” a 10 x 10 square of industrial carpet. In the end, they decided to bite the bullet on the carpet but rented their booth furniture instead from IKEA to avoid what they saw as rapine exhibit fees that drive the cost of even a modest presence north of $15K for four days.
Michael Lowdermilk, purveyor of super cool t-shirts and Mac accessories at fastmac did a steady concession this week in batteries, LCD screens, optical drives, chargers and other accessories, most of which are priced under $80. “This is a great event for us,” he told me. “Everyone needs a power adapter or a new battery and we’re able to offer show pricing with incentives to buy, so we get plenty of traffic and our name is reinforced in a lot of showgoers’ minds.” I asked him if fastmac planned on being here next year and he said, “As long as Apple keeps selling products and as long as there’s an event that gets the Mac community together, it’s only good for our business to have a presence there.”
In the end, whether Apple decides to begin exhibiting at CES or not, it seems the fate of Macworld as a viable conference for the greater Mac community will depend, of course, on larger economic forces that could bring it down, but more crucially on the interest and commitment of the hundreds of smaller vendors who make up the bulk of the show’s attraction for many attendees. Given expectations for further economic contraction on the horizon, it’s not unreasonable to expect that perhaps IDG will decide to relocate Macworld to a smaller venue, but based on the vibe I got today at the end of this year’s show, there’s plenty of kick in this ol’ mule yet.
4 responses to “Macworld Remains a Vital Event for Many Exhibitors”
Its clear that Macworld is for folks who own rumor websites. Nothing of note came from this Macworld. Without an interesting unveiling, the mainstream press was silent on the event. Nobody will notice Macworld’s passing except those who were able to write off attendance as a business expense.
Let’s face it, Apple had nothing to announce so they announced nothing. As a result, Macworld has become a third party accessory convention. Let it continue as such.
1. big issue for Macworld. being too close to other conventions of similar materials. it was was in the fall, across from WWDC for example, Apple might have stuck with it as a place to do their fall, pre holiday announcements.
2. being too focused. I love my Mac as much as anyone that has been using them for 10+ years. but for Apple to stay viable they have to attract folks outside of the MacGeek world. Bring over PC users etc. You are more likely to find them at a general computer/electronics convention than one specific to a platform they don’t use.