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IDG World Expo Cancels Macworld Boston

IDG World Expo Cancels Macworld Boston

by , 2:55 PM EDT, September 16th, 2005

IDG World Expo on Friday announced that next year's Macworld Expo Boston has been cancelled. The company will instead focus on the January Macworld event in San Francisco, an IDG World Expo representative told MacCentral editor Jim Dalrymple.

The East coast Macworld show started in Boston but later shifted to New York City. Two years ago, it moved back to Boston, but Apple declined to follow suit. Macworld forged on without Apple's presence, but IDG World Expo spokesman Mike Sponseller told Mr. Dalrymple: "The marketplace and our own research have made it clear that the industry prefers one main industry event."

Mr. Dalrymple reported that Mr. Sponseller characterized the relationship between Apple and IDG World Expo as a "very good" one, with the two companies continuing to work closely "on every facet of the San Francisco event." MWSF 2006 will be held Jan. 9 to 13 at The Moscone Center.

Mr. Sponseller would not say whether IDG looked at the move to Boston as a mistake, however, commenting that "it was a strategic decision made by prior management."

Observer Comments

Show: Subjects Only | Full Comments
Close Name:NeverFade Posts: 74 Joined: 17 Mar 2002
Subject: Steve was not going to Boston...

Steve flat out told IDG to keep it in NY, but they went ahead and went to Boston despite that.

SJ was not about to have anyone tell Apple where they can and cannot... so he pulled away. This news was inevitible.

NY shows had keynotes and a great presence as well. Now, after moving back to Boston, it's in the shitter.

Don't have to be a rocket scientist to see the flaws here ...

Close Name:Guest
Subject: good point

very good point! nothing really happened (keynote, etc) happened at Boston. KEEP IT IN NY!!!

Close Name:Guest
Subject: Before NY

Before it moved to NY Boston was just as much of an event as SanFran. In Boston they held it in two venues because there wasn't a site big enough for the whole thing. So they moved it to NY WHILE they built the Boston Expo Center. The plan was to always move back to Boston. Steve didn't say anything until after IDG made the move back official. He had a good three years to make his argument to stay in NY, but didn't until the last minute and mostly because of 9/11. Meanwhile Boston was like... "huh, we built this big thing just for you????" In the end, thanks to Steve, Macworld Boston was so small they held it in just one of prior venues, and the new Expo Center wasn't used. Even the Democratic National Convention used the Fleet Center (now the BankNorth Boston Garden) instead.

Close Name:Rainy Day Posts: 607 Joined: 07 Jun 2005
Subject: Smart move

Quote
Before it moved to NY Boston was just as much of an event as SanFran.

Nope. It was always a me-too event. May have been something special for east coast folks, but was never as big as the SF shows (of the same year). MWSF was always the main event. This cancelation simply acknowledges that fact.

Quote
Meanwhile Boston was like... "huh, we built this big thing just for you????"

Boston did not build an Expo center just for MW!

Close Name:Guest
Subject:

I'm gonna disagree and say before Apple pulled out it was just as big of an event as the San Fran show.

Close Name:Biff Posts: 1479 Joined: 08 Apr 2004
Subject:

Yeah this doesn't prove that the SF show was always 1000 times better. Apple doesn't go anymore so the show sucks now. DER! It's not like Apple came to Boston and the show still flopped. Got any more apples and oranges you'd like to compare?

Close Name:Guest
Subject: re: Before NY

Quote
Guest wrote:
Before it moved to NY Boston was just as much of an event as SanFran. In Boston they held it in two venues because there wasn't a site big enough for the whole thing. So they moved it to NY WHILE they built the Boston Expo Center. The plan was to always move back to Boston. Steve didn't say anything until after IDG made the move back official. He had a good three years to make his argument to stay in NY, but didn't until the last minute and mostly because of 9/11. Meanwhile Boston was like... "huh, we built this big thing just for you????" In the end, thanks to Steve, Macworld Boston was so small they held it in just one of prior venues, and the new Expo Center wasn't used. Even the Democratic National Convention used the Fleet Center (now the BankNorth Boston Garden) instead.


You are wrong in your facts:
Apple said, at the time that IDG anounced going back to Boston, that it never intended to move with the show from NY to Boston and that it had told that to IDG previously. IDG went ahead because Mr. Greco stated that IDG could make a go of it anyway without Apple.

Stupid I know, but that is what was stated.

Close Name:Guest
Subject: MacWorld NY was never as big as MacWorld SF!

I had the priveledge to attend MacWorld NY once (I was there when Steve revealed The Cube) The show was so SMALL.... I think it took me longer to get through registration than to walk the floor. I went shopping on 5th Avenue instead.

I will say....comparing 15 years of SF shows to my solo NY show experience might not be fair, but accurate!

Close Name:Bigfat Posts: 36 Joined: 22 Jun 2004
Subject: *sigh*

I miss the NY shows, it was the only place that would financially allow me to visit Macworld. Oh well....

Close Name:jacrav Posts: 268 Joined: 04 Jul 2001
Subject: The only MW I ever attended was in NY…

when iLife was announced at the keynote. Great keynote, great show !
As I live overseas, have family in NY and nothing to do in California–which I couldn't afford to go to, even though I love SF–I'm afraid I won't be able to attend another one, and I'm sorry about that …
Wish it had stayed NY once the move was made …
If I remember well attendance #s in NY pretty well matched, if not surpassed attendance in SF, whereas in Boston, they were consistently lower.
But, if I'm not mistaken, I think the Bill Gates appearance was in Boston (1997 ?). That was quite a show, too … the only one with "Boos !" from the audience …

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