Upcoming trade shows highlight area tech companies

Three big trade shows with connections to major area tech companies kick off over the next week.
The Cable Show, the most important show in the Cable industry, will highlight many new developments from Comcast and its various entities, and from others such as Motorola's Home unit and QVC. It starts Tuesday in Los Angeles and runs through the 13th.

SAPPHIRE NOW, SAP AG's biggest annual event, will begin next Monday, the 17th, in Orlando and runs concurrently with ASUG's (the Americas' SAP Users' Group) annual conference. This year, SAP is also holding a separate European version of SAPPHIRE NOW in Frankfurt at the same time. This SAPPHIRE will be interesting to watch because it will be the first with new Co-CEOs Bill McDermott and Jim Hagemann Snabe at the helm; also worth following will be Chairman of the Supervisory Board Hasso Plattner's address.

And CAD/CAM software firm Bentley Systems of Exton will hold its "Be Together: The Be Communities ‘Live'" conference at the Pennsylvania Convention Center from May 17-20.