Computing the Cost of a Comdex Trek Can Be a Bit Tricky

Comdex ‘97, the big daddy of all computer trade conferences, is 13 weeks away. And already Orange County technology companies are worried about the show, to be held in Las Vegas on Nov. 17 to 21.

They aren’t fretting about snagging a good spot on the city’s convention center floor. They aren’t sweating over products that might not be ready to launch. Their primary concern is whether they can get on a plane heading to Nevada on Nov. 16.

The convention--which pulled about 250,000 people to the gambling hub last year--packs hotels, fills restaurants and floods the city’s streets with cabs and motor homes. And John Wayne Airport becomes the central gathering spot for most of Orange County’s high-tech workers.

Travel agents say that local demand, coupled with a limited supply of flights between Orange County and Las Vegas, makes planning ahead crucial for the budget-conscious.

Today, Comdex attendees will have to pay $274 each way to fly out of John Wayne Airport on America West. Or they could battle freeway traffic to leave from LAX or Ontario Airport and still catch a coach seat on Southwest Airlines for $79 each way.

One local tech-exec planned well in advance. A month after last year’s conference, 49-year-old Robert Wietbrock of Anaheim Hills had reserved his car, his hotel and his air fare for the 1997 gathering.

Of course, Wietbrock noted, it helps that his wife is a travel agent.

“I’ve had colleagues try to pull together a Comdex trip and spend thousands and thousands of dollars,” said Wietbrock, a director for interactive multimedia at Long Beach-based Killingsworth Presentations. “People don’t realize how expensive Comdex can be until they go back to the office and file their expense reports.”

P.J. Huffstutter covers high technology for The Times. She can be reached at (714) 966-7830 and at [email protected].