Predicting an exhausting experience for the 120,000 delegates that will flock to Las Vegas in January for CES, IDG News compares the event with the now defunct Comdex show.

Comdex of course used to be the show for anything tech during the years of the internet boom. As the bubble deflated, so did Comdex. The 2004 edition of the show was cancelled and the organiser Key3Media filed for bankruptcy protection earlier this year, from which it has since emerged.

Just like Comdex during the internet boom years, CES has outgrown the Las Vegas Convention Centre, although last year's 130,000 CES attendees still are outnumbered by the 200,000 Comdex attracted at its height.

CES however is careful not to repeat Comdex' mistakes. The show is actually qualifying attendees to make sure they have a legitimate attachment to the consumer electronics industry and keep out the tire kickers and crowds that are primarily interested in expanding they collection of free T-Shirts and crappy notepads, pens and yo-yos.