Trade Shows Shrink a Bit By Mark Fleischmann August 4, 2009 — The two largest trade shows in the audio/video world are shrinking—just a bit. Since they've grown pretty large and unwieldy over the past several years, a little backtracking is not necessarily a sky-is-falling proposition.

The next Consumer Electronics Show, from January 7-10, 2010, will have an estimated 100,000 attendees, or 10,000 fewer than the 2009 edition. The Sands Convention Center will be dropped from the venue list—it was half empty for the January 2009 show—though the adjacent Venetian will still house the high-end audio exhibits (or "audio heaven" as people in the trade call it). The main action will continue to be at the vast Las Vegas Convention Center, and with future construction there postponed, there will be more room for temporary exhibits.

New spotlight sections will include the lifestyle-oriented Living in Digital Times, which will enliven the typically grim car audio exhibits in the North Hall. There will also be three other programs with associated TechZones: Digital Health, HigherEd Tech, and Mommy Tech. Steve Ballmer of Microsoft will be the lead keynote speaker and probably will be photographed several times with his mouth open. Rumors that Apple would make an unusual appearance have not been confirmed. See TWICE.

Meanwhile, estimated attendance of the upcoming CEDIA Expo is running 20 percent below last year. The next Expo will not include D&M Holdings, which owns several major audio brands including Denon, Marantz, McIntosh, and Escient.

It has also been reported that Planar, which markets projectors under the Runco and Planar brands, would not exhibit. However, we're glad to report this rumor is untrue. The company plans to show a dozen new products in multiple venues.

This year's show, from September 9-13, will be the first in Atlanta, following three years (happy ones for us) in Denver. It will mark the 20th anniversary of the Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association. See TWICE.