San Francisco, CA – IDG World Expo is out to capture the hearts and minds of Apple users with the launch of a consumer event celebrating the creative uses of iPhones, Macs and other such gadgets.
Macworld/iWorld will take a page from such cultural happenings as ComicCon and South by Southwest and the IDG-produced E3 Expo and open the doors of the Moscone Center in San Francisco this Winter to members of the public from Silicon Valley and beyond.
While about 500 attendees will be toiling behind closed doors on the third floor of Moscone Center at IDG’s Mac IT b-to-b conference, another 30,000 Macworld/iWorld attendees will fill the first and second floors for a freewheeling look at art, videos, music and even fashion created with, or at least inspired by, Apple’s product line.
“We will be doing all of these festival-like activities that will be of interest to a lot of people,” said Paul Kent, vice president and general manager of Macworld/IWorld. “In addition to the technical training we have done at Macworld for the past 28 years, we have a whole series of activities showing how Apple technology is being used in the arts.”
“There is actually a whole genre of creative professionals who create meaningful works of art and storytelling using the cameras on the iPhone and iPad,” said Kent. “We’ll do showings, art galleries and talks with the artists and directors.”
Macworld/iWorld launches January 26-28. Tickets cost $75 and include access to the exhibit area where developers of Apple-oriented products get a chance to reach out directly to the consumers. Apple itself doesn’t exhibit at trade shows, which means Macworld/iWorld will be flush with products not sold through Apple.
What was the inspiration for the launch? “We looked at the festival market, which is one of the most significant things happening in the event business,” Kent told Trade Show Executive. “These events take place all over the country all Summer long and consumers love them.”
“We are developing this event from the angle of someone who has operated a technology event for a long time and wants to bring in the cultural aspect,” Kent said. “We’ve done little elements of this for years. Now we’re bringing it all together and taking it to a new level.”
Reach Paul Kent at (508) 424-4818 or pkent@idgworldexpo.com
