In the aftermath of deadly terrorist attacks in New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington, D.C., last week, at least one major Mac-focused trade show slated for later this month has been canceled. But organizers of another event that caters to the Mac’s design and publishing user base have vowed to open their biannual conference in San Francisco next week as scheduled.
Citing safety concerns in the wake of last week’s attacks, Apple canceled Apple Expo 2001, a trade show set to begin September 26 in Paris. Apple CEO Steve Jobs was slated to give a keynote speech to open the three-day event.
“We’re canceling Apple Expo in the wake of last week’s devastating and tragic events,” Jobs said in a statement at the Apple Expo Web site. “We’re sorry to disappoint our users and developers, but their safety is our primary concern.”
Apple is still slated to have a presence at the biannual Seybold Seminars, which is set to begin on September 24 in San Francisco. Apple Vice President of Worldwide Product Marketing Phil Schiller is among the keynote speakers scheduled to address Seybold attendees. Apple spokeswoman Lynn Fox confirmed to Macworld on Monday that Schiller’s Tuesday, September 25 keynote speech would go on as planned.
Key3Media Group, which organizes the Seybold Seminars, expressed sympathy to anyone affected by last week’s attacks but stressed that it was important for the design and publishing conference to continue as planned.
“We believe that the proper response from the Seybold community is to once again demonstrate the vitality of our industry and the contribution it makes to the global economy,” said Seybold Seminars President Gene Gable in a statement on the Seybold Web site. “We strongly encourage all of you to participate in the discussion, debate, and education of Seybold San Francisco. It is critical, now more than ever, to build a great community.”
Gable confirmed that Seybold organizers haven’t heard anything from Apple that would indicate a change of plans by the company. However, several companies on the East Coast are re-evaluating their Seybold plans due to travel concerns.
“We expect some fall out, but many companies are shifting their focus to try and bring in more local office support,” Gable told Macworld . “Many exhibitors are working with West Coast dealers, partners, and others to find a balance that allows them to show their products but not put more employees than necessary through the challenges of travel right now.”
Gable also released another statement explaining the rationale behind the decision to carry on with Seybold.
There was no definitive word this week on the status of future Mac trade shows. The QuickTime Live conference remains scheduled to begin October 8 in Beverly Hills, California. The next overseas trade event is the MacExpo 2001, slated for November 22 in London. Apple confirmed in August that it would attend the London event. Apple’s Fox told Macworld Monday that the company was still planning to be at the November trade show.
Along with the Macworld Expo events in San Francisco, Tokyo, and New York, the Apple Expo in Paris is one of four major Mac-centric trade shows to take place each year. Last year’s Paris event included such major product announcements as the release of the Mac OS X beta and the unveiling of new iBook models.