Novell ditches 2009's recession-bitten BrainShare tradeshow

Novell has cancelled its annual BrainShare trade shindig that was supposed to be taking place in Salt Lake City in March 2009.

The tech giant’s decision was announced by the firm yesterday and follows Apple’s declaration that it would permanently withdraw from the annual MacWorld Expo in San Francisco.

Novell, which has held BrainShare for more than 20 years, said that many customers and partners have grumbled that they won’t be able to attend next year’s event because of concerns about spending in the “current economic climate”.

Many have indicated their unwillingness to commit their wallets to the tradeshow by shelling out for flights and other expenses in order to attend BrainShare.

Novell hasn’t said whether it is simply cancelling BrainShare for 2009 when the recession is expected to fully hit, or if it spells the end of an era for the firm.

Instead it was at pains to point out that partners and customers can still get their mitts on training and so-called “enablement offerings” through online classes, virtual conferences and local tours.

“We will be providing all this in a way that allows you to avoid the short-term travel expense of the traditional, in-person BrainShare conference in Salt Lake City,” said senior veep and chief marketing officer John Dragoon. “We will announce the specific schedule of events and any online, ‘on-demand’ activities in January.”

On Tuesday Apple announced that this January's Macworld Expo would be the company's last appearance at the annual gathering of Mac faithful.

All of which leaves us wondering who will step forward to hammer the next nail in the tech tradeshow coffin? ®