Profitable IT shows down under

Maybe it's something to do with water turning the wrong way as it goes down the sink, but there seem to be contrary trends at work in Australia where IT fairs are concerned. TSMI's Trade Show Marketing Report passes on the news that CeBIT Australia has turned a profit after five years. They laud the patience of owners Hannover Fairs.

The IT section of the Australian quotes Managing Director Jackie Taranto saying "This year was the biggest yet, and, yes, we made a small profit". I had the pleasure of working with Jackie about 10 years ago when we were launching fairs in Australia for Miller Freeman and APN News & Media. Glad to see she's doing well.

TSMI wonders whether this marks the potential for a comeback of Comdex. Given that United Business Media CEO David Levin told SISO members in Miami last month that he may have overpaid for the name when he bought the remnants of MediaLive last year, I doubt it. What value did they give to Comdex? $1.