Adobe will not exhibit at Macworld Expo 2009

Macworld - Adobe Systems Inc., a major player in the Macintosh software market, will not be among the developers exhibiting on the show floor at next month's Macworld Conference & Expo. The company confirmed its Expo plans to Macworld on Tuesday.

While Adobe won't have a booth on the show floor at the annual Mac trade show, a spokesman said the company would still have a presence at the week-long event, which opens on Jan. 5 in San Francisco.

"Adobe has decided to shift its focus at the Macworld trade show this year," the company said in a statement given to Macworld. "Macworld is a valuable industry show, and we will still be an active part of it with members of our product team involved in Macworld tracks, including a full day of CS4 demo sessions with Adobe evangelists on Wednesday, Jan. 7."

IDG World Expo vice president and general manager Paul Kent downplayed Adobe's absence from the show floor, noting the Jan. 7 sessions involving Adobe.

"We look forward to hosting Adobe and hundreds of Adobe customers in our education sessions," Kent said. "And we're pleased to be able to present a full day of CS4 demos."

Adobe has used Macworld Expo as a place to meet with its graphic pro members and to introduce new users to its applications. With its large booth space, the company held sessions all day educating attendees on its products.

Adobe has also used past Expos to roll out new products. It used the 2007 show to reintroduce Premiere Pro to the Mac market. Adobe had dropped support for Premiere four years earlier.

In October, Adobe shipped Creative Suite 4, a massive overhaul of its collection of graphics and media applications. The January 2009 Expo would have provided Adobe a chance to show off its CS4 applications to Mac users attending the show.

"The Mac community is very important to us, and we will continue our strong support for this platform," Adobe said in its statement.