REDMOND, Wash., Nov. 6, 2001 — Microsoft Corp. has planned the following press activities for COMDEX Fall 2001, to be held in Las Vegas, Nov. 12–16.
Microsoft Pressroom
Important note: This year, Microsoft’s pressroom is located at the Las Vegas Marriott Suites. The Marriott can be reached by exiting from the west entrance of the Las Vegas Convention Center and heading west (toward the strip) down Convention Center Drive about one block. The Marriott is located at 325 Convention Center Drive, and the pressroom is on the 17th floor in the Ballroom. Additional directions to this facility are available at the information counters at the Microsoft®
main booth (No. L4852) on the show floor of the convention center.
While at the Microsoft pressroom, credentialed press can receive complimentary professional massages after 1 p.m. Monday and Tuesday.
Also, a shuttle service will be available from the Las Vegas Marriott Suites to conferees’ hotels from noon to 5 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, and from noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday.
Pressroom hours are as follows: Monday: 10:30 a.m.–5 p.m.; Tuesday: 10 a.m.–5 p.m.; and Wednesday: 10 a.m.–noon. The pressroom will be closed Thursday and Friday.
Events
Bill Gates’ Keynote Address
Bill Gates, chairman and chief software architect of Microsoft, will present the COMDEX Fall 2001 keynote address at 7 p.m. PST on Sunday, Nov. 11, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Tickets to the keynote address will be distributed to accredited media and analysts at the Media/Analyst Preview in the MGM Grand Conference Center Room 309/310 on the 11th at 4 p.m. An official COMDEX Fall 2001 media or analyst badge and badgeholder along with a photo identification is required to receive a ticket. Badgeholders may pick up only their own tickets, not those of friends or colleagues.
Here are some important notes regarding keynote security:
-
Media and analysts carrying bags into the keynote will be asked to present their media/analyst badge, photo I.D. and ticket for the Bill Gates keynote, and go through a media/analyst-only line for a security check. All bags will be subject to search. The media/analyst security line will be clearly marked at the entrance to the MGM Grand Garden Arena by a sign reading “Media/Analyst Entry.”
-
Still cameras will be allowed for credentialed press, but camera bags are subject to search and will be checked before photographers enter the keynote auditorium; flash photography will be permitted for the first minute only.
-
News crews will not be allowed to set up video cameras at the keynote. News crews planning to take a video/audio feed of the keynote from the multiplex box at the back of the keynote hall must call (781) 433-5045 to make arrangements prior to the event.
-
No live broadcasting or webcasting of the keynote will be allowed; no rebroadcasting of the keynote in its entirety will be permitted.
Videotapes of the keynote address will be available upon request in the Microsoft pressroom on Monday and throughout the show. Transcripts and view-on-demand portions of the keynote address will be posted to the COMDEX Virtual Pressroom on the Microsoft PressPass site following the speech.
Tablet PC Post-Keynote Press Reception
All credentialed media are invited to enjoy food, beverages and music at a Microsoft Tablet PC press reception at the MGM Grand Studio Ballroom A & B immediately following the keynote address. Attendees will have the opportunity to visit with Tablet PC executives and partners, and see firsthand the technology that will help bring Tablet PCs to market next year.
MobileFocus Press Reception
The Microsoft Mobility Group will participate in the MobileFocus press reception Sunday from 7–10:30 p.m. at the Mirage Hotel. At the event, representatives from the group will demonstrate recently announced Pocket PC 2002 devices.
HP Chili for Children ChiliFest 2001
Attendees can enjoy gourmet chili, drinks, live music and prizes Mardi Gras-style Tuesday, Nov. 13, at 6 p.m. in the Cox Pavilion at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. This annual COMDEX Fall event benefits the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Microsoft is one of the sponsors of this year’s event, and attendees are invited to try the Windows®
XP Ranch-Style Chili. Tickets are $50 per person. More information is available at http://www.hpchili.org/ .
Pocket PC FanFest Event
The Mobility Group will host a Pocket PC FanFest Wednesday, Nov. 14, at 7 p.m. at Bally’s. To attend, Pocket PC fans just have to show their Pocket PC device at the door.
Panels and Conferences With Microsoft Participants
Enhanced Networking and Communications With Windows XP
Mark Lee, lead product manager for the Windows XP operating system at Microsoft, will lead the Enhanced Networking and Communications With Windows XP conference Monday, Nov. 12, 1:15–2:30 p.m., at the MGM Conference Center, Room 113.
Networking PDAs
David Field, senior IT manager at Microsoft, will participate in the Networking PDAs conference Tuesday, Nov. 13, 1:15–2:30 p.m., at the MGM Conference Center, Room 113.
Convergence and the Home of 2010: What Will Our Homes and Lives Look Like?
Kumar Mehta, director of MSN®
, will participate in the Convergence and the Home of 2010: What Will Our Homes and Lives Look Like? conference Wednesday, Nov. 14, 10:15–11:30 a.m., at the MGM Conference Center, Room 113.
Wireless and Security — What Are the Issues? What Can Be Done?
Amer Hassan, wireless architect at Microsoft, will participate in the Wireless and Security — What Are the Issues? What Can Be Done? conference Wednesday, Nov. 14, 10:30–11:45 a.m., at the MGM Conference Center, Room 310.
Survivor — Who Will Dominate the Mobile Planet?
An executive from the Microsoft Mobility Group will participate in the Survivor — Who Will Dominate the Mobile Planet? panel Wednesday, Nov. 14, 10:15–11:30 a.m., at the MGM Conference Center, Room 319.
Hot Gadgets
An executive from the Microsoft Mobility Group will participate in the Hot Gadgets panel Thursday, Nov. 15, 9–10:15 a.m., at the MGM Conference Center, Room 310.
Wireless Security Tools and Techniques
Tim Moore, group program manager at Microsoft, will participate in the Wireless Security Tools and Techniques conference Thursday, Nov. 15, 9 a.m.–10:15 a.m., at the MGM Conference Center, Room 319.
Microsoft Booth Activities
A variety of activities will take place at the Microsoft booth, No. L4852, in the Central Hall at the exhibit entrance. There are three information counters in the Microsoft booth: at the main entrance, behind the hands-on labs and in the south corner.
Grand Theater
Attendees can watch a technical product overview in a group setting every 30 minutes. The Grand Theater features seven rotating theater presentations, including those for Office XP, Windows XP, Internet business solutions, Visual Studio®
.NET development system and a .NET overview.
Hands-On Labs
A double-decked classroom environment with hands-on labs will allow attendees to interact with featured products. Product experts will be available for small-group training sessions. The following lab sessions will be offered: Windows XP, Office XP, Visual Studio. NET and Pocket PC technology.
The Microsoft Experience
Three demonstration stations will be featured:
-
Business Productivity where the latest on Windows XP, Office XP, Microsoft Project, Visio®
drawing and diagramming software, Tablet PC and Pocket PC 2002 can be seen -
Servers and Solutions where attendees can find out more about Windows 2000 Server, supplier enablement, mobile communications, corporate intranets, Microsoft Project and collaboration, business intelligence, e-commerce and Microsoft Great Plains®
Business Solutions -
Development and XML Web Services featuring information on Visual Studio .NET, .NET My Services, MSDN®
Resources, the .NET Framework, architect resources and much more
Partner Pavilion
The Microsoft Partner Pavilion is located in the Microsoft booth at No. L4852. More than 170 partners will exhibit, showcasing products and solutions that feature Microsoft platforms and technologies.
Microsoft Xbox Booth
Xbox (TM) , Microsoft’s future-generation video game console that delivers intense gameplay experiences, will exhilarate conferees in Lobby C at the convention center. Xbox launches in North America Nov. 15. Attendees will have the opportunity to play a number of Xbox titles at COMDEX.
For a list of events and activities at COMDEX Fall 2001 related to Microsoft, members of the press are invited to go to the following Web site, which will be live on Wednesday, Nov. 7:
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/events/fallcomdex01/default.asp
.
Microsoft, Windows, MSN, Visual Studio, Visio, MSDN and Xbox are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
Great Plains is a registered trademark of Great Plains Software Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. Great Plains Software Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Microsoft Corp.
The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
Note to editors: If you are interested in viewing additional information on Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft Web page at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/ on Microsoft’s corporate information pages.
