Go to the Big Easy instead

While customers scrambled to make some use of airline tickets and pre-paid San Francisco hotel rooms, Interex brokered a deal with HP to let the vendor make good on the user group's conference promises. A notice posted on the Interex Web site front page offers a free registration to the HP Technical Forum conference for anyone who's left holding the bag on a paid registration to HP World. What's more, HP will offer discounted booth space to the HP World exhibitors who got caught holding worthless receipts for booth space at the now-defunct Interex show. HP World participants can get obtain additional information by calling (877) 216-5400, e-mail toHPWorldInfo@TravelHq.com, or by visiting www.HPWorldParticipants.com. HP's show is scheduled for Sept. 12-14 in New Orleans.

Customers wondered if Interex would even be closing its doors if HP had not scheduled its own new technical show one month after HP World. On the other hand, the vendor had signed up for a $100,000 premium sponsorship for the show, even if it had scaled back its show floor footage purchases.

Not all vendors need apply for those discounted HP Technical Forum spaces. HP competitors will not be admitted to the HP Technical Forum. Interex was not eager to put HP's competitors onto the HP World show floor, but it didn't flatly shut them out, either.

HP is partnering with Encompass, the user group made up of Compaq and Digital users, to mount its New Orleans show. Last summer, when HP announced its own conference, Encompass chose to work with HP, instead of maintain its own conference.