DEMO, TechCrunch50 Highlight New Tech Startups, Industry Schism

This week could aptly be described as "Battle of the Tech Startup Conferences". September 7-9 in San Diego, DEMOfall 08 will feature the launch of 72 tech startups. Later in the week (Sept. 8-10), the other end of California will play host to TechCrunch50, highlighting TechCrunch's pick of the top 50 most promising new tech companies launched in the past year. Another 100 or so honorable mentions will be demonstrating in their DemoPit.

While an ambitious company might like to work both conferences, that's not an option -- DEMOfall requires that exhibitors not participate in any other shows for their launch. In fact, the rivalry between the two events has become representative of a sort of philosophical schism in the tech startup community. DEMO currently charges $18,500 per company to appear at DEMO, which tends to limit participation to well-funded startups, not bootstrappers operating on a shoestring budget. TechCrunch50, on the other hand, is free for presenting companies. On the flip side, attendees at TechCrunch50 have said that it hasn't drawn industry heavyweights, potential investors, media, etc., on a par with DEMO. For more on the rivalry, check out Valleywag's TechCrunch50 vs. Demo -- A Fight Guide.

Either way, launching your product at a popular industry conference is a great way to get additional exposure for your marketing dollar. You have a built-in audience, reporters and bloggers looking for new things to write about, plus the additional brand exposure in the promotion for the show. If you have a new product or service getting ready to launch, look into the upcoming trade shows in your industry and see if one of them might work as your launch event. You can leverage the marketing the event itself is doing rather than having to generate all the interest on your own.

If you do get the opportunity to launch your tech startup at a conference, TechCrunch50 organizer Jason Calacanis has some great advice on how to demo your startup.

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