By initial appearances, it seemed the recent market turmoil had taken immediate effect on attendees at the Comdex Enterprise trade show last week in San Francisco. Strolling round the sparsely-populated aisles was a higher proportion than usual of attendees sporting matted hair, tattered clothing and glazed expressions. But exasperated exhibitors – not including Microsoft Corp, which pulled out of the event at the last minute – eventually realized that the promise of plentiful tee-shirts, encouraged by hastily placed free passes for the show printed in the local press to boost attendance, had led some of the Bay Area’s less famous entrepreneurs to cash in on the chance of free winter clothing. The situation apparently led to some pointed exchanges between exhibitors and show organizers.
Content from our partners
