Chris Shipley's DEMO Set for Center Stage

Photo by Brian Solis

This week you will likely be reading a lot about the DEMO conference, taking place in Palm Desert, California. More than 60 high-tech companies will present their latest ideas and innovations before a group of a few hundred entrepreneurs, investors, and media members. The impact will be felt well outside the lush confines of the Desert Springs resort, as both traditional and new media cover what happens there.

The woman behind the show in its current incarnation is Chris Shipley. Many in the high-tech startup scene have heard of her and maybe even met her, but few know much about her background.

Some may believe that Shipley founded DEMO, but in fact she was able to take an existing show and inject new life and spirit into it. In 1996, she became producer of a conference originally initiated by Stewart Alsop, then a leading tech journalist and today a venture capitalist. Alsop told the San Jose Mercury news that "The reputation that the conference had at that time was that it was a lot of fun and a bit crazy ... It needed someone who could also understand how businesses are developed not just have fun."

Shipley has largely delivered on Alsop's objective, with DEMO featuring startups and high-profile companies alike. The conference attracts leading venture capitalists and prominent technology journalists from the likes of the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Forbes.

Born in the small town of Scottdale, Pennsylvania as a minister's daughter, she would go on to earn a degree in Literature and Communication Arts from Allegheny College. After graduating in 1984, Shipley began a decade-long career with Ziff-Davis Publishing in Massachusetts and California, including stints at PC Week, PC/Computing, and Computer Life, as well as serving as editorial director for several ZiffNet online services.

In 2003, Shipley co-founded Guidewire Group, a market intelligence firm based in San Francisco. Their flagship product, the Guidewire Report, features 12 annual electronic issues showcasing startup companies. It costs $1,995 per year. In addition, the group produces other research and produces events.

Some have questioned the demonstrator fee that Shipley requires companies to pay in order to appear on stage at DEMO (currently $18,500). In announcing a similar show, TechCrunch's Michael Arrington was very critical, calling the fee "a serious conflict of interest."  He wrote on his blog: "The economics of the event dictate that a certain number of startups must be accepted for a certain fee. Attendees don't know if they're really seeing the best startups, or just the best startups that are willing to pay the exorbitant participation fee. A few (or a lot of) duds always make their way in." Arrington's partner in the TechCrunch conference, Jason Calacanis, was even more blunt, writing that it was a "rip-off" for even good companies to be forced to pay.

She recently told an interviewer that "no one buys 'the right to demonstrate'" because the company must be selected first. In addition, she defended the practice as a test of seriousness. "The fee, while not insignificant, is a pretty strong indicator that the company is investing in its product launch so that it can be a sustainable, viable competitor in the market," she said.

Prominent tech blogger Robert Scoble also defended the fee in a post on his blog saying "it makes sure that entrepreneurs have some skin in the game. Some even put the fee on their personal credit cards because they know that if they do a killer demo they'll get funded."

Ultimately, the success or failure of Shipley's efforts depend on companies remaining interested in appearing, which means investors and media must continue to see value in attending. And when this week's DEMO is behind her, Shipley may just head off for some scuba diving as she often does after putting a successful conference to bed.