IDG World Expo on Thursday officially moved Macworld Conference & Expo back to Boston, leaving New York, where the show spent the last several years. While business leaders in Boston are happy with the change, a statement given to MacCentral today from Apple said the company would not participate in the show.
Apple also said they would re-evaluate their plans for the New York Expo next summer, the last to be held in New York, but reaffirmed their commitment to the San Francisco Expo.
“Today IDG announced plans to move Macworld New York to Boston in July of 2004. Apple disagrees with this decision, and will not be participating in Macworld Boston,” Apple said in a statement to MacCentral. “Since IDG is no longer investing in New York, we now need to re-evaluate our participation in Macworld New York 2003. Apple will continue to participate in Macworld San Francisco in January.”
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An IDG World Expo representative contacted today said they were surprised by Apple’s statement. The two companies have been in contact throughout the process and Apple has been kept up to date on the negotiations, the representative said.
“Apple remains an important partner for Macworld and IDG World Expo has been in discussions with Apple officials for some time about the move back to Boston,” the representative said.
The East Coast Expo will remain in New York for the 2003 summer show moving to Boston for a show scheduled from July 12-15, 2004.
Charlie Greco, IDG World Expo president and CEO told MacCentral in an interview late yesterday that the move to New York was done years ago simply because Boston didn’t have the space to hold such a big show. With increasing costs in New York and at the Javits Convention Center for exhibitors, Greco decided to explore other venues for the show. A natural choice, with its new convention center large enough to house the Expo, was the shows former home in Boston.
“The local business community has gone wild — they remember what Macworld Expo did for Boston years ago,” said Greco. “Macworld Expo brought $42 million to the local economy when it was here.”
After negotiating deals with local business leaders, Greco said costs for exhibitors will be reduced by as much as 35 percent when they move to Boston. This could allow more exhibitors to participate in the East Coast show that found costs prohibitive in New York.
Joining Greco at a press conference this morning at 11:00 am will be Charlie Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino and Pat Moscaritolo, President, Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau.
“I am proud to announce that Macworld is coming back to Boston, where it was born, and where it belongs,” said Mayor Thomas M. Menino. “I look forward with great anticipation to July 12, 2004, when Macworld will christen the new Boston Convention & Exhibition Center. I cannot think of a more appropriate catalyst to propel our convention and hospitality industry into the new millennium.”
Highlights of the deal that will be discussed in Boston this morning are:
“Macworld will return to a dramatically different Boston than it left in 1998,” said Pat Moscaritolo. “With its new state-of-the-art convention center and significantly improved offerings, Boston will easily be able to accommodate a world-class tradeshow such as Macworld.”
IDG World Expo and MacCentral are both owned by IDG.