Event manager says Macworld Expo will carry on

International Data Group, the Boston media company that runs Macworld Conference & Expo, said that Macworld will carry on for many years to come even though Apple Inc. has said that the upcoming Macworld Expo will be its last.

In an announcement yesterday, Apple said that the expo, which is scheduled for January in San Francisco, will not only be its last, but Apple also added that a company senior vice president will deliver Macworld Expo's keynote address, and not chief executive Steve Jobs, as many had expected. (The file photo of Jobs at right is from Bloomberg News.)

That news prompted speculation among bloggers about what a Macworld Conference & Expo without Apple would be like.

Today Paul Kent, who is the general manager of the IDG unit that runs Macworld Conference & Expo, was not available for interviews, an IDG spokeswoman said.

She referred a reporter to a statement that IDG issued yesterday. While expressing disappointment over Apple's decision, the statement said, "We look forward to many more successful years of Macworld to come."

For its part, Apple said in its statement that "trade shows have become a very minor part of how Apple reaches its customers."

In September, meanwhile, IDG said it had eliminated at least two dozen jobs as customers reduced spending. The company said then that it employs 13,640 people worldwide, including 850 in Massachusetts. To read a recent Globe story about IDG, please click here.
(By Chris Reidy, Globe staff)