Supercomm returns later this month with its old name but a new fo...

Maciejewski and Expocomm Events. Organizers expect the show to take a hit on attendance and exhibit space due to the poor economy, but are aiming for quality, not just quantity, Maciejewski said. Supercomm under its various other names has seen declining attendance and shriveling exhibit space rentals for the past several years (CD Sept 29/08 p1). The 2008 show in Las Vegas had 13,000 attendees, less than half the number that came in 2005, and 180,000 square feet of exhibit space, down from 300,000 in 2004. Maciejewski wouldn’t speculate on attendance for 2009, but said “we are tracking ahead of our expectation at this time.” Exhibit space is “clearly going to be smaller than [it was in] the hey-day of Supercomm,” he said. “The trend in the industry due to the economy … has had an impact on expectations, but if we get the people that we've seen have preregistered, then I think we will have met our expectations,” he said. “We're trying to be realistic. We've very specifically targeted and segmented the market into key buyers [and] key industry leaders. … What I would like to see is the exhibitors going home saying, ‘It may have been smaller due to the economy … but the quality of the people I met while I was there was outstanding.'” Maciejewski’s team studied past Supercomm shows, with an eye on “what’s worked well [and] what we can develop,” and collaborated with exhibitors to pick the right location, content and direction for the show, he said. For example, exhibitors almost universally wanted the show in Chicago, and Maciejewski’s team has already targeted the city for next year’s edition, he said. The 2009 program includes an emphasis on broadband stimulus efforts, with keynote speakers including federal Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra, NTIA Administrator Larry Strickling and CEOs of big service providers, he said: “We're trying to steer [the show] … in a way that is relevant to the market, showcases the very latest, next generation of applications and services, and make it very focused on business.” Supercomm was originally scheduled for the summer, but was delayed primarily to better align it with possible dates for stimulus funding announcements, Maciejewski said. The extra time allowed the team to improve educational programming, as well as better target and attract potential attendees, he said.