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Issue link: https://digital.macdirectory.com/i/62609
FEATURE MACWORLD | IWORLD 2012 >CONFERENCE, EXPO, FESTIVAL WORDS BY RIC GETTER AllJack does home theater Polk Audio's earbuds get some air SAN FRANCISCO Conferences and trade shows are generally said to "wind down" when they come to a close. The aisles slowly empty. You'll see exhibitors getting a head start on packing up. The energy levels fall. Not here. It's 3:15 on Saturday, less than an hour before the doors close on Macworld | iWorld 2012. What is unquestionably the largest drum circle ever assembled at a technology show is literally rocking the house (at least the mezzanine floor). Nearly 200 of the shows attendees, equipped with drums of all sizes and lead by the well-known drum circle maestro, Arthur Hull, are pounding and chanting with an enthusiasm that would be the envy of Haight-Ashbury. We had a few minutes to sit down with an ebullient Paul Kent, the show's general manager. "We're 45 minutes from the end of the show and this is such a utopian good time," he beamed. Hot sound for iPhone The Expo was again in Moscone West, a block across from the multi-acre Moscone Center that the show filled in its commercial heyday. This year, however, the event grew vertically, with an expanded MacI Tconference moving up to the third floor and the large, second floor halls filling with events highlighting music, film (including visits from the creators of South Park and actor/directory Jonathan Frakes), visual arts and tech talks. The final head count would reveal that the show's attendance held at 2011's levels. Of the 25,000 who came through the doors, 40 percent were attending the Expo for the first time. The main hall was crowded with over 300 exhibitors thanks, in part, to IDG's decision to provide affordable, kiosk-size display areas for smaller companies. Kent told us that IDG made a "concerted effort to make it easier for software developers to have a presence at the show." It was part of their effort to focus Macworld | iWorld and the lifestyle. Because of the multitude of smaller exhibits, it actually took longer to navigate the show floor compared to the last couple of years. And this represented just the tip of what some analysts have begun to call the "app economy," a rapidly growing micro-business sector that owes its existence to iOS and Android. Though Paul was obviously happy with the direction the Expo had taken, without going into specifics he mentioned that he had discussions with some of the big exhibitors from previous years who were showing an interest in returning to Macworld. Next year's event will open on January 31. As the drum circle continued to thunder in the waning minutes of the show, one of the most astute comments we heard came from Bryan Chaffin, co-founder of the popular website, The Mac Observer who was standing on its periphery: "You won't see anything like this at CES." We whole-heartedly agree. 64 MacDirectory