[macapa]

What I would like would be a conference centered around the classes/presentations/etc that are usually held during MacWorld. Each one could be sponsored by a small developer which would get a 15 or 30 seconds commercial before each session starts.

A much smaller venue could be rented and people could attend in person. But the ideal would be for a lot of bandwith to be bought up so that anyone from around the world can watch. Live.

I can visit a web site anytime for product info. But a well built class is actually worth some $$$.

Also, a February date would be interesting... Or September-ish...

Just some thoughts...

[ps2os2]

Close down and go quietly into the dark.
Apple is on a downhill trend since the switch to INTEL. This is the first stake in the heart. It will only go faster. To Bad.

[jrstirling8]

I think the MacWorld Expo would still be a great place for the smaller companies to get exposure. You always find a diamond in the rough at the expo, and some people like to see products exhibited in person as opposed to exclusively online. I'd much rather get some hands on training with a product, and to have a specialist right there to ask questions would be a very helpful experience. To sum up this suggestion, I would make sure it's affordable for smaller vendors to attend and give then they should give consumers an incentive to show up at their booth.
Secondly, I think the MacWorld Expo is one of the best places to network with other Mac enthusiasts and creative minds. I am looking forward to meeting some people in the Web Design industry when I attend this week, and for a beginner in that field it would be a great place for me to meet some experienced professionals. It's a great place to meet people, and help your followers help each other. Thanks, and keep up the good work!

[whitedog]

There have been some good suggestions so far. The best one is to change the date of the Expo. Too close to Apple's developers conference would put unnecessary stress on vendors and attendees alike. October would be a good time in my opinion - close enough to the end of the year for Christmas shopping, but not conflicting with Thanksgiving travel in November. And it would be late enough to attract seasonally focused product announcements.

The second best idea is going virtual. It's where the trends are heading. But the virtual show would not substitute for or replace the live one. Rather, the two modes need to be integrated in a user and vendor friendly manner. The virtual Expo would amplify the actual show, widening its reach and increasing it's depth.

Making at least some of the conference sessions available in live internet streams (at affordable prices) would be a step in the right direction. They could be made interactive via e-mail and Twitter - though this would require someone to monitor those streams and feed the content selectively to the presenter - much as a radio producer does for the host on a call in talk show. Some television shows now do a form of this in post broadcast online sessions between viewers and on-air personalities. It's the coming thing, as they say.

Likewise, you might provide online access to vendors. They could interact in real time with potential customers through the Macworld web site during show hours. Of course, you would need to set up a special section of the Macworld site (or a standalone site - as the show is produced by an independent division of IDG) just for the show and provide the bandwidth to support it. Imagine users visiting show floor booths remotely, getting a taste of the expo and talking with vendors much as they do when they are there in person. IChat and Skype could provide the audio and video connections until web browsers can do the same, as they now support live text chat with some product tech support staff. Apple does some of this now, in fact. I had a productive session a few weeks ago - with no phone charges.

Every tragedy also provides an opportunity. It takes initiative and imagination to find the open window after a door has closed, to borrow a new-age metaphor. But Macworld Expo does not have to die because Apple is leaving. It will have to find alternative means to prosper. Some changes would have been necessary in any case, eventually, even if Apple had stayed. The market as well as the technology is evolving.

Indeed, if the Expo can weather the current economic downturn and hold on till the economy is healthy again, and make itself a more relevant and attractive venue in the meantime, who's to say Apple won't find it desirable to return a few years down the road? Wouldn't that be a coup?

[Florida35]

Having attended every MW Expo from 1999 through 2007 I can attest that the MW Expo is much more than the keynote speech or Apples presentation! My Son and I used the expo to connect with the various software and hardware vendors. Attending the presentations by the "Mac notables" was always informative and great fun. Without exception we attended the expo each and every day of all the shows! We still had trouble getting around to everything that we had mapped out. If you haven't ever attended one of the expo's you have missed out on part of what being a Mac user is all about!
I would suggest that the MW expo be moved to the Orange County Convention Center (Orlando, Fl.) and held either in April or May. The expense, lodging, food,and transportation costs for those attending, would certainly be considerably less in comparison to SF. The weather in either of the months mentioned, compared to SF in Jan. would be fabulous. Have I mentioned the many, many attractions in Orlando!
No, I don't work for the convention center, the City of Orlando, or the State of Florida. I am retired and I have been using Mac's since 1984! I am a Mac user just like you are.
Whatever the outcome is, we, my Son and I, are looking forward to MW Expo 2010. Long live the Expo!!

[Diccc]

Apple's withdrawal notwithstanding I was figuring that for the future the other big guys need to step up to the plate with more presentations like the one's I always go to first, Adobe and Epson. Viola! They were AWOL. I'm not optimistic.

[premamaja]

I love the expo and Apple's presence doesn't have a lot to do with my enjoyment of it. This year I had limited time and skipped their presentations altogether. I wanted to see the wealth of offerings from the small guys I would not otherwise learn about. I would enjoy a keynote that features the Best of Show awards, perhaps making the expo more of a competition, along with more reward for winning it.

[PXLpainter]

I've been attending Macworld Expo/Conference since the early 90's and have seen a LOT of evolution happen over the years!
There were years that Apple's presence there was ho-hum compared to others (remember Power Computing?) - before the return of Jobs. And quite frankly I usually avoid the Apple booth unless there's something I really have to see in person (like the multi-"flavored" iMacs lined up in a row years back) ;)
As others have stated here, it isn't all about Apple - it's about the people - people gathered in one place tied by a common bond. They love Macs and want everything they can from them.
Perhaps Apple can let a VAR represent their latest hardware/software offerings in future Macworlds, but I really hope that you do keep moving forward - and perhaps concentrate a bit more on the Conference Sessions and make them affordable. Give a little something back to the speakers as well and you'll attract more.

[robertswww]

Macworld will have to adjust their focus. Concentrate on the fans, support groups, and small hardware and software developers.
Maybe a name change is also in order... iWorld. Make a big push to bring in a lot of iPhone/iTouch hardware and software developers, as that is a huge and growing market.