East Coast Macworld in Jeopardy, Boston All But Out

Friday's Boston Herald brought word that IDG World Expo may not be moving Macworld CreativePro from New York to Boston next summer, as originally planned. In fact, sources close to IDG World Expo inform AppleInsider that cancelling the expo's return to Boston has been "all but a done deal" for more than a month now.

IDG World Expo's announcement last October that the East Coast Macworld show would return to its roots in Boston was quickly re-buffed by Apple, which issued a statement just days after IDG World Expo's announcement saying it would not attend the summer Macworld Expo show in Boston. Apple also greatly scaled back its presence at Macworld CreativePro Expo last month, forgoing any product announcements. Apple CEO Steve Jobs also opted not to deliver the keynote address, as he has in the previous five years, and was replaced by Greg Joswiak, Apple VP of Hardware Product Marketing, who recapped Jobs' recent WWDC announcements.

"Apple made it clear to IDG World Expo last year that it wanted Macworld Expo to remain in New York, and adjusted its presence accordingly when IDG World Expo refused to alter its agenda," one source explained. This begs the question: even if IDG World Expo keeps Macworld Expo in New York, will the show be able to recover from its dismal performance last month?

The New Boston Convention & Exhibition Center

"A lot of exhibitors don't really care anymore whether Apple is going to attend; not in this economy," the source said. Even with the cost savings that moving the show back to Boston would bring for exhibitors, support for next summer's show is already lagging far behind IDG World Expo's expectations.

IDG World Expo, which has undergone many changes since appointing David Korse President in late May, is even keeping in mind that there may not be a summer Macworld Expo next year, a possibility that sources said has "about a 40% chance" of happening right now. The company quietly laid off 13 employees about two weeks ago, sources say, and while the same number of employees are working on organizing Macworld Expo San Francisco in January, IDG World Expo is shifting some of its focus from Macworld Expo to its other shows, including LinuxWorld and Bio-ITWorld, as it prepares for the possibility of life without two Macworld Expos.

In the mean time, Mac fans who were planning on catching a glimpse of the latest technology's in Boston next summer ought to postpone their plans: IDG World Expo has already informed the Mayor's office that the show's return is much less likely than it was a year ago, AppleInsider has learned, putting in motion the wheels to officially cancel what was to usher in the debut of Boston's brand new $800 million convention center.

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