Traditionally one of the largest exhibitors at PMA each year with a booth right inside the main entrance, Canon U.S.A. Inc. has apparently decided not to attend the show next spring. In an interview with PDN, Canon USA VP and General Manager Eliott Peck stated that the decision wasn't made for economic reasons. In six of the last ten years, the PMA show has taken place in Las Vegas, Nevada, with Orlando playing host to the remainder. In a break from tradition, the venue for PMA Spring 2010 is the Anaheim Convention Center in southern California, and Peck cites the move as having played a part in Canon's decision not to attend. The show's timing in the last week of February is also said to have contributed, with Peck noting the difficulties of matching the company's product life cycles and the timing of its introductions to the fixed dates of a tradeshow.
In addition, Peck contrasts the PMA show's relatively narrow focus on the photo industry to that of the Consumer Electronics Association's 2010 International CES, a show at which Canon will be present as an exhibitor. The Consumer Electronics Show precedes PMA by just six weeks, and by covering a much broader range of products and technologies, its attendance is said to outnumber that for PMA by around five to one. That translates into a greater number of retailers in front of which Canon can demonstrate its latest products, and the company apparently now sees that show as a better fit for its offerings.
Havlik's article goes on to note that Canon Europe has yet to confirm if it will attend the 2010 Photokina tradeshow, a biennial event which has a similar focus to that of the PMA show, although on a significantly larger scale. Where PMA 2009 attendance figures have been variously reported as between 15,000 and 20,000 individuals, Photokina earns its title as the world's largest photography and imaging show with an estimated 170,000 to 175,000 visitors in 2008.
As for PMA 2010, Havlik notes that representatives of Fuji, Kodak, Nikon, Olympus and Panasonic confirmed their respective companies' intended presence at the show. Pentax, Samsung and Sony were said not to have responded to queries as to their plans.
For more details, including the precise quotes from Canon representatives, read the story "Canon USA Confirms It Will Not Attend PMA 2010" at the PDN Gear Guide.
