Ziff-Davis (ZD) has announced that it will bring the Las Vegas IT trade show COMDEX to Australian shores in November. The show will take place alongside ZD's Internet and networking showcase NetWorld+Interop and at the same time as the U.S. show.
After four years in this country the NetWorld+Interop show will be joined by COMDEX at the Darling Harbour Convention Centre from November 16-18. The two shows will share four halls and 10,000 square metres of the convention centre.
The managing director of ZD Australia, Alex Feher, said that he expects the combined show to attract over 250 exhibitors and around 24,000 attendees.
"The model is cost-effective and resource-efficient for both attendees and exhibitors," Feher remarked. "COMDEX and NetWorld+Interop will provide insight into a wider variety of technology than previously seen at one venue."
With the Australian COMDEX commencing at the same time as the Las Vegas show, ZD plans to simulcast live keynote speeches from the U.S.COMDEX often features keynote speeches from some of the biggest names in the IT industry, with previous years featuring speakers such as Microsoft's Bill Gates and Sun Microsystems' Scott McNealy.
"We're looking into being able to provide direct feeds from keynote speakers in Las Vegas - direct to Sydney. This means IT professionals will have direct access to influential people in the IT industry without having to travel to Las Vegas," Feher noted.
The show will take place in Darling Harbour from 16-18th of November concurrently with NetWorld+Interop. Attendance will only be open to qualified IT professionals and will be free to those who pre-register or a cost of $25 to those who register at the event.
(Ziff-Davis is the publisher of ZDNet Australia)
