IDG World Expo on Friday said they have cancelled Macworld Expo Boston and will instead focus their efforts on a single conference and expo in San Francisco. The event, which has been a mainstay of East Coast conferences for almost 20 years, has been axed just two years after returning to Boston from New York City.
“The marketplace and our own research have made it clear that the industry prefers one main industry event,” Mike Sponseller, spokesperson for IDG World Expo, told MacCentral. “Based on the industry’s input, we will be refocusing all of our resources to produce Macworld in San Francisco.”
The relationship between Apple and IDG World Expo is very good according to Sponseller. The two companies continue to work together on strategies and work together “on every facet of the San Francisco event.”
“The decision of how to best serve the Mac community is not one we take lightly,” said Sponseller.
Many considered moving Macworld Expo back to Boston a mistake from the start, but show organizers continued on the path even without support from Apple. IDG would not say whether they now considered the move a mistake.
“At this point, that really isn’t important,” said Sponseller. “It was a strategic decision made by prior management and we really can’t answer for them.”
IDG World Expo said the 2005 Macworld in San Francisco showed growth from the previous year with an 11 percent overall attendance increase. The attendance certification audit performed by Exhibit Surveys, Inc. found that there were nearly 36,000 overall visitors at Macworld San Francisco 2005.
There was also a 13 percent increase in the number of paid conference delegates; a 10 percent increase in the number of exhibitors; and a 31 percent increase in the average number of hours spent on the exhibit hall floor by attendees.
IDG World Expo and Macworld are both owned by IDG.