Futurex tries to get over its past

There is still a future in Futurex, the computer exhibition showcase, and there is industry support for it, says organiser Gary Corrin, COO of Specialised Exhibitions.

Futurex grew out of Computer Faire - an industry show that became an industry icon after its first appearance in 1978. At the height of its popularity, almost every major IT company, from Microsoft to Novell, were anchor exhibitors.

At the peak of its popularity, more than 58 000 people visited the four-day show, which is usually held in May every year, in Johannesburg. For many IT companies, the slogan, “If you weren't at Computer Faire, you are nowhere”, meant it was the show for them to be at.

However, this year, its 30thanniversary, the show proved to be a shadow of its former self, with only 7 000 people attending. The similar poor attendance at its related Cape Town events over the years made industry players question whether it has outlasted its usefulness.

“In many ways, the Internet has almost killed the show,” says Aldean Prior, a former Computer Faire GM. “One of the advantages of the show was that customers would come to it to find specifications on various equipment, but now they can do that using a quick search of the Internet.”

Prior, among others, says the branding of the show became blurred, with the event at one stage becoming a consumer electronics exhibition and then trying to revert back to being a business-to-business event. These changes confused the market and then it lost the support of the anchor exhibitors.

“Shows that cater specifically for the mobile generation, such as the DigitalLife Expo, are more in touch with the current trends,” she says.

Jo Melville counteracts the criticism. Melville is now retired but used to own the show through her former company Exhibitions for Africa, which she sold to Specialised Exhibitions last year. “Anyone who thinks there is not a monster IT market out there that needs the support and can support the show has rocks in their heads.”

Melville, who no longer has any direct relationship with the show, says a survey was commissioned in 2001, which was conducted by Arthur Goldstuck, MD of research firm World Wide Worx, on the future of Computer Faire.

“It was then decided to rebrand it to Futurex,” she says.

This included adding some new elements, such as teaming up with the annual Computer Society of SA conference; including the security exhibition, Securex; and the buying of the rights to the Linux World show. The latter, some believe, has proven to be an expensive mistake.

Organisers returned to the Computer Faire branding this year, but have since returned to the Futurex name.

Melville says other specialised IT shows, such as Govtech, have eaten into the target market, but that only represents a portion of the entire IT sector.

“Government IT spending may account for some 60% of the entire market, but that means there is still a lot out there that needs support and to be exhibited to,” she says.

Corrin says the show happens every year in May and next year will be no exception.

“We will be revamping Futurex and it will operate in a different space altogether.”

He adds that a new international partner has been found, but refuses to reveal more about it for the time being.

“There is most definitely a future in Futurex,” he says.