DEMO has long been an awesome conference for launching emerging technology products. The alumni say it all: Adobe Acrobat, Sun’s Java, Netscape’s Navigator, Palm Computing — they’ve all launched at DEMO, and that’s just the start of the list.

The reason these companies keep coming: DEMO’s focus on quality. The producers have consistently picked the best companies, bar none. Another reason is the media: Everyone from the Wall Street Journal’s Walt Mossberg to the top writers at CNET, the Times, and correspondents from global TV stations, comes to report. And finally, there’s the high-end audience: Investors and corporate development officers are all there.

Times are changing, though, and DEMO has to adjust with them. Waves of new Internet companies are launching more quickly, with versions of their products barely tested (many products remain in a beta state for a year or two). And with much smaller budgets, DEMO’s relentless focus on those companies (most ready for a full-market whiz-bang launch) meant it risked missing out on the earliest start-ups. So we’re making some significant changes for the upcoming DEMO, to be held Sept. 21-23. We’re going to start looking at those very early “concept” and “alpha prototype” stage companies too. This is part of a list of things I’ve worked on with Chris Shipley to introduce at DEMO, since I was named in February to join her as co-producer of DEMO (before taking over entirely in October).

I’m really excited to be a part of this change. The press release we just issued is below has all the details of the changes and includes our decision to invite some of the biggest companies to show off the most innovative projects under development in their labs. I’ll be talking about it more over the coming weeks, but basically it hammers on a single theme: DEMO remains all about the launch, from early idea to full market readiness.

Finally, I’m delighted to offer special pricing for the first 100 VentureBeat readers to register. During this month of May, VentureBeat is giving a 50 percent discount off the regular rate ($1,495 vs. $2,995) to DEMOfall 09 for the first 100 people to sign up.

Below is the press release, with more after the jump about the travel plans that Chris and I have in store as we come to several cities to find the best companies out there to present at DEMO. If you’re a company that wants to launch, now’s a great time to get in touch with me.

********

DEMO to Expand the Range of Innovation Debuting at DEMOfall 09

AlphaPitch and other new program features added to showcase technologies from all stages in the product life cycle

FRAMINGHAM, Mass., May 5 /PRNewswire/ — The DEMO conference, the world-renowned launch platform for some of the most notable emerging technologies introduced over the past two decades, today announced a number of significant program enhancements for the DEMOfall 09 conference (being held on September 21-23 in San Diego, CA). In addition to the launch of as many as 70 never-before-seen/ready-for-market products, DEMOfall 09 will be adding several all new content segments including:

‘AlphaPitch’ – Making DEMO Available for Early Stage Entrepreneurs

Consistently, DEMO finds amazing innovations and product concepts that may not be quite ready for commercial launch. For the first time ever, DEMOfall 09 will host up to thirty companies still in this early prototype stage to participate in a unique segments called AlphaPitch. Companies considered for AlphaPitch must be in the prototype or development stage of their product lifecycle, be pre-revenue, and have received no more than a seed round of funding (<$500k). Chris Shipley and Matt Marshall’s VentureBeat will evaluate each applicant in order to find the most compelling new ideas. Companies selected to participate will be given sixty seconds on the DEMO stage, kiosk space in the DEMO pavilion, two passes to attend DEMO and extensive promotional support on site and after the event on demo.com. The fee for companies to participate is $5,000. Companies interested in taking advantage of this new opportunity must apply before July 31st. Learn more and apply at http://www.demo.com/launch/alphapitch.html

“We’re not just picking any company for AlphaPitch,” said Matt Marshall, co-executive producer of DEMO. “We’re selecting the coolest earliest-stage companies around — those forging core, innovative change at the earliest level. You’ll see their ideas here first, before anywhere else. This is also just one more way we’re injecting “themes” into DEMO. These companies we pick will have to be operating in the thick of the hottest trends around — targeting with their early prototypes the biggest opportunities with the boldest of ideas. DEMO gives these companies a chance to get early market feedback from media and executive-level attendees.”

Innovation on the Horizon: A Look into R&D Labs

DEMO is also developing a series of thought-provoking presentations which will take an insiders look into the research facilities and R&D labs of leading universities, incubators, and technology leaders like Facebook, Google, Apple, and Microsoft. DEMO will be inviting the top names in emerging technology to present the newest concepts that they believe hold the greatest promise to transform the future of technology for business and life.

“The DEMO program has always been an early indicator of technology trends and emerging markets,” said Chris Shipley, executive producer of the DEMO Conferences. “These new program elements build on that foundation to give attendees the complete picture of product trends, from earliest ideas to first customer ship.”

DEMO Lifetime Achievement Awards and All-Star Send off for Chris Shipley

Having produced 24 DEMO conferences in 13 years, Chris has helped more than 1,500 companies introduce leading-edge products to the world. To celebrate her incredible leadership of DEMO, the organizers areinviting some of the most memorable innovators back to the DEMO stage to join Chris in a toast to her past and future success. This time Chris will be presenting them with a DEMO Lifetime Achieve Award. Announcements will be made throughout the summer as these exceptional classes of DEMO alumni are selected.

DEMOfall 09 marks the final conference with Chris Shipley at the helm and the first time Matt Marshall is fully engaged in the demonstrator selection and program development process along side Chris. Together, these two industry veterans are collaborating to develop a DEMO program that embraces the complete product life cycle, from concept to prototype to launch-ready. “Matt brings a fresh perspective to DEMO that is instrumental in shaping the future of the brand,” Shipley said.

On the Road Again…

Chris and Matt will be traveling cross-country over the next few months to meet with promising, innovative companies vying for a spot on the DEMOfall 09 stage. Plans are in the works to visit New York, Boston, Seattle, Denver and Los Angeles over the next few weeks. Interested companies can request a meeting or catch up more casually at an end of day Tweetups planned for each city. Additionally, companies interested in requesting a meeting can complete the Demonstrator or AlphaPitch applications based on their stage of development. Once applications have been assessed, meeting times and locations will be sent out to the most compelling startups. For up to the minute information, follow Chris, Matt and DEMO on Twitter at @cshipley, @mmarshall, @demotweets.

Special VentureBeat Attendee Program

During the month of May, VentureBeat is offering half price passes to DEMOfall 09 for the first 100 registrants. Visit www.venturebeat.com for more information or register directly now at www.demo.com/DF09PR5. There has never been a better time to attend DEMO Conferences. This is a special, limited time only price. Be sure to register today!

To learn more about DEMOfall 09 go to: www.demo.com

Product Launch Application: www.demo.com/launch/apply.html

AlphaPitch Application: www.demo.com/launch/alphapitch.html

Register to Attend: www.demo.com/DF09PR5

About the DEMO Conferences

Produced by Network World Events and Executive Forums, the DEMO conferences in the United States, China, and Europe focus on emerging technologies and new products, which are hand – selected from across the spectrum of the technology marketplace. The DEMO conferences have earned their reputation for consistently identifying tomorrow’s cutting – edge technologies, and have served as launch pad events for companies such as Palm, E*Trade, Handspring, and U.S. Robotics, helping them to secure venture funding, establish critical business relationships, and influence early adopters. Each DEMO conference features approximately 70 new companies, products and technologies. For more information on the DEMO conferences, visit http://www.demo.com/.

The DEMO community also benefits from the award winning DEMOletter. A weekly e – newsletter designed to reach the people who are creating companies, building products and launching new ideas, DEMOletter provides smart insight and analysis of entrepreneurial business issues.

Next Story: Microsoft’s Massive in-game ad business takes hits among 3,000 overall layoffs
Previous Story: Electronic Arts reports lower loss than expected, readies huge Sims 3 launch