Nvision 2009 may be the latest convention to go the way of the Dodo.
With a recession in full swing and money tight across the board, companies in every sector are looking to cut costs. For the tech industry, this means cutting down on travel and slimming down, or outright eliminating public face time. This newest economic trend started with Apple announcing that Macworld 2009 would be its last, followed by Intel canceling IDF Taiwan. Now, its looks as though Nvidia will delay and heavily restructure Nvision 09.
Nvision 2008 was touted as a zenith for visual computing. From its convention showroom to the ESWC (Electronic Sports World Cup) grand finals to the talks given on GPGPUs and Tesla, Nvidia was trying its hardest to bring the GPU community together. Many, including yours truly, were looking forward to the 2009 event, but it seems as though Nvidia has different plans for 2009.
According to Ars Technica, Nvidia will be delaying any sort of convention it runs in 2009. While many were expecting a Q3 get-together, something later in the year is more likely. Nvision 09, or whatever replaces it, will also be dramatically scaled back compared to the 2008 event. Instead of an all-encompassing large scale event, Nvidia may opt for a small, more intimate gathering with a more specific focal point than visual computing.
Unfortunately, the crystal ball is too cloudy when it comes to the fate of Nvision. If the event is truly "delayed," then one would expect Nvidia to hold some sort of convention sometime in 2009. If Nvision ends up being canceled, perhaps it will live on in 2010. Either way, Nvidia has not given any official statement besides PR Director Derek Perez saying that Nvidia will make announcements on its convention/gathering plans in the near future. Perez pointed to traveling as the primary cause for Nvision delays. Many of the companies that would attend Nvision, from developers to manufacturers to media outlets, are cutting down on travel, which could spell low attendance for an event like Nvision.
Perez also said Nvidia plans on holding a smaller gathering for developers later in 2009, but details on that are still TBA.
