[IMG]http://simplefeed.consumerreports.org/rsrc/i/1/_/pma09_this_camera_show_needs_a_makeover__391681086/4.gif?f=3dcb3160-01dc-11dc-32a2-0019bbc55f7f&s=AewyNia7NTvDvhaDemju5DEsbnVsbCwwLDA *[/IMG] PMA09: This camera show needs a makeover

OK, I'm not saying the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse showed up at the Vegas Convention Center for the PMA show. But I picked up at least four signs that the Photo Marketing Association will need to rethink its approach for future shows.
Sign number 1: Too many concept products. As much as I love looking at products that promise outlandish technologies and visions of the future, that's not what people are buying in the stores and online. I saw "concepts" at Samsung, Fujifilm and Olympus. But I think companies need to present more products, particularly budget cameras under $100. And it was somewhat stunning that there was only one digital SLR announced at the show: the Olympus E-620.
Sign number 2: Competition from other shows. Actually, one reason there was just one SLR introduced at PMA is that there were a number of them announced at another show, last year at Photokina, a biennial camera show that takes place in Germany. But more and more camera vendors are introducing cameras at CES in January too. And quite frankly, that just steals PMA?s thunder.
Sign number 3: Low attendance. Just like at CES, this year's PMA appeared to have far fewer attendees roaming the floor. There were also some vendors that just didn't bother to show up, like Adobe and Epson. At some of the smaller booths, I walked past many vendors where the folks at the booths were just standing around devouring their own candies and snacks, and debating which was the best Cirque du Soleil show to go to in Vegas.
Sign number 4: A snapshot of hard times. At a digital camera market research briefing, held by the company Infotrends, one camera industry analyst pointed out that in terms of sales of digital point-and-shoots, 2008 may be a peak year, meaning that camera manufacturers may not be making as much money in the future as they have in the past. In and of itself, that?s pretty disheartening from an industry perspective. (The one bright spot may still be digital SLRs.) He also mentioned that with such fierce competition and razor-thin profit margins, you might very well see more consolidation among camera manufacturers, similar to Sony buying out Konica-Minolta?s SLR technology in 2006. And less competition is generally is not good news for consumers. And it sure isn't great news for the folks that run PMA.
Hopefully I'm wrong and we?ll see everyone back at PMA10 in Anaheim, California, next year. Everyone except the Four Horsemen.

?Terry Sullivan
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