Comments on: Do tech hopefuls still need Demo and its ilk?

With money tight and social media letting start-ups bypass traditional promotional methods, confabs like Demo may have lost their oomph.

[getwired]

DEMO is a great opportunity to get face time with other entrepreneurs, VC's, and the press, at a price that is honestly pretty darn reasonable. The whole question of "DEMO's value" was started by, and is annually promoted by, Arrington. Ask VC's and mainstream press which conference they go to. NOW is DEMO headed for extinction?

[cvaldes1831]

DEMO lost its relevance in the late Nineties, certainly by 2000. DEMO's track record in picking companies is spotty, even more so with software and services. In any case, the era of general-purpose high-tech conference is long gone; Comdex's demise was really the most obvious clue that this genre was finished.

[GraemeThickins]

Excellent article, Daniel, and very fair, I think. But I must take issue with this set up in your lead paragraph: "in perhaps the worst economic environment in modern tech history." Don't tell me you've already forgotten the "nuclear winter" of tech in 2001-03? You sound like Obama, saying this is the worst recession since the Great Depression, which is simply unsupported by the facts.

[GraemeThickins]

By the way, what is cvaldes1831 smoking? Must be the same stuff as Calacanis, when he says what exposure was worth in dollars to each of the companies at his event. Also, I thought "exhibitors" did have to pay at that thing? (Meaning the scores of companies with tables off to the side, some of whom complained loudly afterwards about what they got for their money.) It's the 50 startups selected to present on stage that weren't charged a fee, though they of course had to invest lots of time, travel expenses, etc. There is no free lunch for startups, and certainly social media will not be that, as much as people might like. Promoting a startup is hard work and takes a lot of human capital.

[cvaldes1831]

I will point out that DEMO's loss of relevance (by the late Nineties) precedes Arrington's/Calacanis' criticism of the event. Whether or not VCs or press still attend DEMO in droves is meaningless. There are plenty of worthless VCs and (gasp) even a few idiot technology writers. DEMO's track record is poor, and I did not say that other technology conferences were any better.

[pinoywebstartup]

DEMO's hefty fees aren't exactly "startup" friendly, are they? As much as I'd like to be able to present at DEMO and its notable audience -- that's a lot in terms of cash outlay -- and you've gotta to allow for less likelihood that it'll be worth it during these bearish times.