If Belkin’s Not Exhibiting at Macworld, Who Is?
by John Paczkowski
Posted on December 5, 2008 at 10:23 AM PT
Next month’s Macworld Conference & Expo show floor will be quite a bit easier to navigate than in years past. With registration down by 20 percent over last year, there are likely to be far fewer attendees at the annual marquee Apple (AAPL) event, and with a growing list of companies pulling out of the show, there’ll be fewer booths for them to crowd. Earlier this week, Adobe (ADBE) said it had decided against exhibiting on the show floor. And now a coterie of other companies is joining it, top among them, Belkin, long one of Macworld’s largest exhibitors.
Belkin has confirmed that it’s pulling its booth from the show floor as well. The company has opted instead to hold private meetings with its channel partners. It insists that this isn’t so much a financial decision, as a strategic one–”we’re reallocating show floor funds to hold private product meetings,” a spokesperson told me–but it’s hard not to view it that way, given the continued deterioration of the economy. Interesting to note, though, that sources tell AppleInsider that the company had already paid for its 2009 booth space.
Show organizer IDG must be offering Econalypse refunds….
UPDATE: Belkin won’t be exhibiting at the Consumer Electronics Show, either. “No booth at CES–and it’s for the same reasons why we’re not exhibiting at MacWorld,” a spokesperson tells me. “We learned that a smaller group of our channel partners will be attending CES, and those who are attending are focusing on driving incremental value in 2009. We believe that private meetings in hotel suites are more conducive for this type of discussion, as they are more intimate. So, we are redistributing our resources and funds to help support sell-thru for our retail partners and drive traffic into their stores. Examples: more holiday promotions and programs.”
As of this morning, no participants–potential or otherwise–have pulled out of Super Bowl XLIII, but the trend is looking grim for seasonal blockbusters. We’ll keep you posted.
Comments
“It insists that this isn’t so much a financial decision, as a strategic one …” and politicians really decide to “retire” (not run for re-election) so that they can spend more time with their families. Right.
Posted by George Slusher at December 5th, 2008 at 12:39 pmOf course it’s a financial decision. And so what if they have already paid the booth fee. The cost of set up, tear down, manpower, hotels, food etc. is 4 to 5 times the cost of the booth fee. And for Belkin, a booth is just displaying the flag. Private meetings with strategic partners (and prospects) will provide more bang for the buck.
Posted by Wayne Schaffnit at December 5th, 2008 at 5:48 pmCutting back on Macworld exhibits may be a strategic blunder. Advertising during a recession has been shown to be particularly effective at building sales and income. (http://tinyurl.com/6rnhth)
Mac and iPhone are the bright spots in this dismal economy. Come on, you’re in the right place, take advantage of it!
Posted by Paul Collins at December 6th, 2008 at 11:39 am