Trade Show

[Rex Brooks <rexb@starbourne.com>]

Hi Everyone,

I went to Seybold Seminars' trade show today in San Francisco, and I 
thought I would post an observation.

If this trade show, the first first major national trade show since 
Sept. 11, according to the news, is any indication, we're in for a 
full recession. In a convention hall which it has filled to 
overflowing in the recent past, although last year this time saw a 
reduction in exhibitors and attendance, this year filled a little 
more than half the space and the attendance was down to less than 
10,000 where 35-40,000 was the norm in the good old days of dotcom 
abundance, even though this is mostly dedicated to graphics, and 
print at that.

However, I did see a couple of hopeful signs amidst the gloom of a 
largely open floor. Content Management, and XML in that context was a 
larger presence than ever.  This means that media is moving toward 
knowledge base management and repurposing of content, which means a 
more responsive web.

Otherwise it was pretty glum, and the retailers didn't seem to 
understand that now is the time for giveaways to grab market share. 
C'est la vie.

Ciao,
Rex
-- 
Rex Brooks
GeoAddress: 1361-A Addison, Berkeley, CA, 94702 USA, Earth
W3Address: http://www.starbourne.com
Email: rexb@starbourne.com
Tel: 510-849-2309
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