It is with great pleasure and excitement that the Amiga community in Australasia (Australia and New Zealand) announces that there will be an Amiga stand (Stand K18) at the forthcoming major mainstream ITExpo/COMDEX computer show at the Southbank Melbourne Exhibition Centre in Melbourne, Australia on 5-7 September, 2001.

Thus, while the northern hemisphere will be abuzz with the release of the AmigaOne and other new Amiga product, Amiga enthusiasts "downunder" will also have their share of excitement. They are excited at the prospect of bringing their favourite platform, neglected for so long so as to be near extinction, and despite the fact that much of the Amiga's future product is still under development, back to the attention of the PC-oriented IT community.

Having failed to attract the attention of the general public or the IT industry media with Amiga-only shows over the last three years, the idea of an Amiga presence (no matter how small) at a major mainstream IT event, was originally mooted by Amiga Downunder UG Inc. (ADUG) (http://www.amigadownunder.org), an Internet-based Amiga User Group covering both Australia and New Zealand (Australasia).

This ADUG initiative has received enthusiastic support from the Australian Amiga User Group community, so the Amiga presence at the Melbourne ITExpo/COMDEX Show will be a cooperative effort by all Amiga User Groups, all of whose members, together with a few of the Amiga dealers still remaining, will be manning the Amiga stand.

We may not be unveiling the AmigaOne in Melbourne, but you can be assured that the excitement will be just as great; so, if you can possibly make it to the Show, please do so!
What Will People See at the Amiga Stand? -

First and foremost, they will see that the Amiga is coming back. And we will be showcasing whatever new Amiga products (such as the SDK, Amiga DE and Amithlon and, hopefully, pre-release versions of other Amiga product) that we can get. And even if people can't see all the new goodies at the Show, they can at least be told about them, thus increasing an awareness within the wider IT community of the new Amiga.
We Need Help -

Yes, as a small community, we do need help. We need help in two ways. (a) We need help financially, because we need to defray the cost of our presence at the Show as our financial resources are very limited, and (b) We need help with Amiga product, so that we can have lots of new Amiga product to showcase.

So if anyone can help us FINANCIALLY by sending a donation of any kind, no matter how small (AUD$50 would be great) or if anyone has any Amiga PRODUCT that we can let people know about or, better still, SHOWCASE for them, please send an email asap to: secretary@amigadownunder.org, with "Melbourne Show Assistance" as the subject head, and details of what you are offering in the body of the email.

You will then be advised of the shipping address or the Show's bank account details.
About ITExpo/COMDEX -

ITExpo/COMDEX is a premier Australian IT Show. Attracting thousands of visitors, it is held three times per year; first in Sydney, then in Brisbane, and finally in Melbourne. For further information about the ITExpo/COMDEX Shows, visit their website at: http://www.ITExpo.com.au
About ADUG -

For information about ADUG and other User Groups within Australasia, visit: http://www.amigadownunder.org