MacFest, the UK’s first Mac show since Expo 2000, has been hailed a runaway success, according to Macworld UK.
MacFest, a “UK Mac dedicated road show,” was held March 13-14 at the Novotel, Hammersmith, London. A second MacFest will be held on March 16 at Manchester’s Contact Theatre, Oxford Road. It’s free and will feature “Mac-friendly” vendors, and seminars — MacFest runs from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. More info and tickets can be found at the MacFest Web site.
The packed London show was host to a raft of Mac-related product launches, according to Macworld UK. Swann unveiled its FireWire 6 Port Hub and Repeater, and the SwannFire Cardbus — both £89 — as well as the £69 SwannSmart two-port USB PCI card, and the Wireless Micro camera.
“The place was packed and we have had a huge customer response to our products,” said Paresh Patel, Swann’s managing director for Europe. “The atmosphere has been great, very positive.”
Formac representative Caroline Graham said, “There has been a constant stream of visitors and this is the first time we have exhibited our Studio Box in the flesh. People have been very interested. MacFest has been like a mini expo and I think there should be more of them. We had taken £6,000 in orders by midday of the second day.”
Garrett Doyle, managing director of reseller and MacFest co-sponsor, MacLine, told Macworld UK that they had 812 visitors on the first day and expect 2,000 by the end of the second.
The MacFests are sponsored by Apple Online, MacLine, and Macworld UK. MacFest is a roadshow for Mac enthusiasts, featuring Mac-friendly companies and a series of seminars from popular vendors. Participating companies include Adobe, AppleOnline, AViStreaming, C2000, Canon, Copytrax, Computers Unlimited, Epson, Extensis, Farallon, FileMaker, Formac, Heidelberg, Hermstedt, IBM, INTY, LaCie, MacFormat, MacLine, Mac Recovery Club, MacAlly, Macromedia, Macworld, Media 100, Microtek, MINOLTA, QMS, NEC, Mitsubishi, Nova Development, OKI, Softline, Swann, Symantec, Teleadapt, and Wacom.