I saw an announcement this morning by Tim Bourquin that the Podcast and New Media Expo will be moving from quiet Ontario California to very busy Las Vegas in 2008.
At this point I am still comprehending the impact, but the straw poll of people on Twitter and in the Podcaster Mailing list so far has not been entirely positive.
My company invests a lot of money to exhibit, and entertain at the Podcast and New Media Expo the costs are currently manageable for a small startup, as we are able to have a booth, and a hospitality suite. Las Vegas is anything but reasonable when it comes to hospitality suites or having special events. I shudder to think what I am going to have to budget for this.
In Ontario the community is close knit and media creators are able to interact with all of the companies and other podcasters. You add gambling and shows to the mix plus all of the flash of Vegas and what Tim is risking here is losing the community feel.
This is a very very huge gamble and if Tim had decided on any city other than Vegas I don’t think I would be as concerned. Time will tell what the reaction of the community is. It’s to early to tell but I bet it will not be long before we hear about it.