Computer Dealers Exposition (COMDEX)

As a technical convention, COMDEX was the home of many product announcements and releases as well as demonstrations of the newest kinds of technology. For example, in 1999, Linus Torvalds attended the exposition to talk about the Linux family of operating systems.

COMDEX was set up by members of the Interface Group, including casino mogul Sheldon Adelson, and was sold by the Interface Group to a Japanese company in 1995.

The event became even more well attended through the 1980s, after being opened to the general public, but experienced a major decline in 2001, when big companies like IBM and Apple pulled out. Prior to that, in 1999, event managers had made the decision to restrict big media at the event. Within a number of years, the COMDEX event was discontinued.