Steven Desjardins wrote �You know, I hate to start speculation all over again, but the fact that they didn't release anything might indicate that they just chose to skip this show, no matter how big it is.
>From what I could see, a number of companies decided to �skip the show�. I almost >had the feeling that Photokina has outlived its usefulness and may turn into a German >trade show (with some business being conducted from surrounding countries). Although I haven�t seen any figures, it seemed to me that attendance was lower than in the past. Saturdays at Photokina used to be a nightmare: overly crowded hallways and massive queues just to grab a brochure � not to mention the battles to try to get your hands on some hot new item. Photokina 2000 was more �humane� and this year was no problem at all. Sure, some stands were drawing crowds � the Canon digital section was crowded and some other select areas, but in general it seemed like a fairly quite show. In a market that is rapidly turning digital, with digital product releases scheduled in terms of months rather than years, a 2 year duration may not make a lot of sense anymore. The PMA show is an annual event and the CeBit Show in Hannover will now have a hall available for �traditional� camera manufacturers to showcase their digital wares. I expect that Pentax will be there. Keep in mind that these show are HUGELY expensive. I would guess that by the time the floor space is rented, a booth designed and built, transportation costs for the personnel working at the booth, meals, business entertainment and hotel rooms paid (at massively inflated show rates) the minimum that a major company will be looking at will be nearly a million dollars per show. Do the budget math � how many companies can actually afford to support 2 PMA shows, 2 CeBits plus a Photokina in a 24 month period? Pat Temmerman [MZ3_fella] ___________________________________________________ GO.com Mail Get Your Free, Private E-mail at http://mail.go.com
