Going to COMDEX? No Laptop for You!

UPDATE: Since this article was published, the COMDEX show organizers have clarified their position on laptops. They are allowed, but you cannot bring a bag into the show. They will provide baggage check at the doors.

This year's COMDEX trade show in Las Vegas will be a relatively subdued affair, given the terrorist attacks earlier this year, but lower attendance won't be the only major change from previous shows. The COMDEX organizers are trying to prepare attendees for the ramped up security they'll see at the show, including the controversial move of banning laptops from the show.

"Please leave bags, briefcases, backpacks, [and] laptops at home or in your hotel room," a message on the COMDEX Web site reads. "People carrying purses and fanny packs must enter through a separate security check." Additionally, showgoers who pick up bags of product literature will not be able to leave the show and return with the bags, which must be checked at the door. No bags, including backpacks, laptop bags, shopping bags, and briefcases will be allowed at the keynote events, which feature such luminaries as Bill Gates, and Larry Ellison. Visitors to the keynotes will also be unable to bring cameras.

COMDEX is the largest computer trade show in North America, with past shows seeing as many as 250,000 visitors. This year's attendance, however, will be down to less than 150,000.