CTIA, the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association, today announced that they will consolidate down to a single annual trade show next year.
The industry’s largest wireless trade association has historically held two shows, a large trade show in the fall, and a smaller one in the spring. CTIA Wireless and MobileCON were what the two shows were known by, but the fall show has been known by a few names; CTIA Wireless Entertainment & Apps, and CTIA Wireless IT before it.
While the spring show has held its own, actually seeing considerable expansion as mobile technology has gained ground, the fall show has consistently shrunk as the years have gone by. The transition to Entertainment & Apps was meant to fill the shrinking floor space with applications and the app economy providing B2B and networking opportunities for app developers.
That failed, which is unsurprising considering how few app developers actually make money. The entertainment and apps was replaced with purely a B2B focus last year. MobileCON saw little attention, and most of the mobile media opted out of attending, including PhoneNews.com.
It’s unclear what effect the consolidation of CTIA’s new “super show” (their words) will have. But, it’s unlikely the fall show will have any dramatic impact, beyond possibly some additional sessions and tech talks that are enterprise or B2B focused.
One thing will change, the venue. CTIA Wireless 2013 and 2014 will take place and the Sands Convention Center, which some consider a step down from its traditional Las Vegas home at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
The final MobileCON will take place October 9-11 in San Jose, CA… probably, due to the event facilities already being paid for. CTIA Wireless 2013 will occur May 21st through 23rd.
