Comdex: pitching a virtual city

Ron Rimer is director of multimedia development at Microforum, Toronto.

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Comdex, considered the largest trade show/convention in the world, premiered in Las Vegas last month with more than 2,200 exhibitors from all over the world, including representation from countries such as Canada, Germany, Singapore, Switzerland and Israel.

Millions of dollars of equipment, exhibitors sharing millions of square feet, and miles and miles of ‘walk till you drop’ experiences, is what Comdex is all about.

Comdex is the world’s number one information technology marketplace, according to the Comdex program guide/bible, which incidentally, is 628 pages. The attendance is reputed to have been in the 200,000 range, an invasion from virtually all points of the globe.

Comdex is a gathering of the world’s foremost experts in computer hardware, software, communication systems, multimedia producers and publishers of cdi, 3DO, cd-rom titles; everything from The Discovery Channel’s Sharks, to Penthouse’s latest version of interactivity software.

Edutainment, the new buzzword for covering a wide range of subject matter, was evident everywhere. Production is exploding in every sector of publishing (title development). By the end of 1995, we’ll be looking at in excess of 10,000 titles being distributed in every language and on every subject imaginable.

We at Microforum, established as one of the leaders in cd-rom multimedia development in Canada, arrived with an energetic team of nine, headed up by Claudio Biaocchi, vice-president of production, and Gideon Vardi, vice-president sales/marketing.

Microforum develops, publishes and distributes over 30 cd-rom entertainment and educational titles through its international network. Comdex was the launch of our most ambitious cd title to date, maabus, a 3D animated action adventure game on three cd-rom discs.

The promo videos’ stunning visuals and driving music created an atmosphere of excitement for the delegates who often crowded around the monitors and sat in Microforum’s screening theater. Based on the attendees enthusiastic response, Microforum is looking forward to maabus’ release towards the end of the year.

Total body language was the only way to communicate with some visitors from as far away as Korea, Japan, China, Italy, Hungary, and the Middle East.

Broadcasters were in evidence everywhere, from exhibitors such as Sony, to visitors such as Disney, cnn and Astral Entertainment.

To visit all the exhibitors on the multimedia floor required the better part of a day. There was a strong Canadian contingent, not only in the Canadian delegation at the main convention center, but on the multimedia floor, which attendees confirmed was the ‘happening area.’

Virtual reality presentations proved to be a draw, as was an exhibit of Stargate The Movie, with actors on hand from the film creating an even greater frenzy of activity.

Who was there presenting? Gurus, the likes of Bill Gates, Microsoft; James Buckley, president of Apple USA; Andrew Grove, president of Intel Corporation, and many more. Conference programs included multimedia production, penetrating the infotainment market, interactive advertising, desktop video and post-production.

Comdex was an amazing yet frantic experience. Having recently visited the Alexander Graham Bell Museum in Cape Breton Island, it’s remarkable to see where we’ve come in such a short period of time.

The world is truly converging. The real question is, will it be live or virtual?