Exciting Startups Launch at DEMO08 California

How do you launch a product? Is it enough to send out an email blast and be featured on web 2.0 lists? Or try to make it through the stringent screening for DEMO — Chris Shipley, Executive Producer of DEMO Conferences, firmly believes that product launches are an investment.

I hope I have the energy to stay up late to see what goes on in the revered startup launch event.

• WHAT: DEMO 2008 Conference (DEMO08)
• WHEN: January 28-30, 2008
• WHERE: Palm Springs, CA

DEMO is the premier launch venue for new products, technologies and companies. For more than 16 years, DEMO has established a reputation for identifying and presenting to an elite audience the products most likely to have a significant impact on the marketplace and market trends in the coming year.

At a hefty $18,500 demonstrator’s fee, plus travel and accommodations, the selected startups definitely have to take the event and press coverage seriously. The returns, when you prepare well, can be tremendous, like when Krugle CEO demo’d in DEMO06, his target of 5,000 beta testers within a month was actualized at 35,000 in a week’s time. Then again, who can afford that? GigaOM takes a look at those stupendous fees.

I only wish I could see firsthand the 78 product launches handpicked by Chris. DEMO Alumni’s elite list of alumni include Diigo, Yahoo! Photos, GarageBand, BuzzLogic.

You can follow the Conference on the DEMO website but before you do, catch up with The ReadWriteWeb Toolkit for DEMO08 and update yourself with TechCrunch’s DEMO08 Companies Roundup and Webware’s coverage.

Among the companies launching in this DEMO08 Conference, I’m personally looking out for:

• Blist, Inc.
• Citiport, Inc.
• Notchup, Inc.
• Standout Jobs, Inc.
• TubeMogul