Trade Show to Restrict Laptops

High-tech gadgets may be the focal point at Comdex, the nation’s largest technology trade show, but trusty laptops will not be welcome this year amid tightened security.

On the Comdex Web site, organizers have asked attendees of next week’s event in Las Vegas to “please leave bags, briefcases, backpacks, laptops, etc. at home or in your hotel room.”

No laptops at a computer trade show?

“Yes, it’s going to be a zoo. It will be inconvenient, and it will cause some lines. But we’ve been advised that that’s what we should do for this event,” said Kim Myhre, president of Comdex Worldwide.

Organizers expect up to 150,000 attendees--50,000 fewer than last year.

Citing the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, organizers say security will be tighter than ever with metal detectors and bomb-sniffing dogs.

Attendees will be banned from bringing bags--including laptop cases and briefcases--onto the trade show floor and to keynote speeches. If attendees must bring their laptops, the equipment will be allowed--but not with bags, organizers say. Purses and fanny packs will be allowed but subject to security checks.

Bags that exhibitors distribute to help attendees collect giveaways and handouts will be allowed on the premises, but once they are taken outside the convention center, they cannot be brought back in, organizers say.