A new event has been announced by Reed Exhibitions targeting the online marketing industry, which has put the company on a collision course with fellow show organiser CMPi.

The decision to launch the E-Commerce and Digital Marketing Expo (ECDM) followed CMPi’s relocation of Internet World to Olympia from next year, which has put an end to a long-standing collocation agreement with Reed’s International Direct Marketing Fair (IDMF) at Earl’s Court. The new event will now collocate with IDMF, as well as Reed’s internet security event Infosecurity Europe, which has traditionally taken place at Olympia a few days before IDMF and Internet World.

CMPi plans to run Internet World at the same time close by at London's Olympia, and speculation is mounting over whether this will now be a viable option, alongside a family of shows at Earls Court that effectively bridges the digital and marketing industries, with ECDM targeting a similar market to IDMF’s former venue partner.

“Since IDMF and Internet World have been collocated, both shows have grown, and we came up with a number of ways that this could be accommodated at Earl’s Court, as we feel they complement each other very well,” explained Chris James, director of ECDM. “However, these were rejected by CMPi, which clearly shows they believed the need for additional space outweighed the need to collocate. But I feel this was the wrong decision and one that CMPi will regret.”

The decision does, indeed, seem strange at a time when the marketing and online sectors are merging, with the two disciplines increasingly integrating, and more and more marketers assuming responsibility over both areas.

“Moving Internet World potentially put both shows in jeopardy, but has given us the chance to develop a show that we’ve been thinking about for some time, which will serve visitors and exhibitors better,” James continued. “ECDM reflects the continuing integration of marketing and digital, which has taken place over the last three to four years, but has really gathered pace in the past six months. Despite this, the exhibition was still divided up into its associated parts and the plan is to pull it together to better reflect the industry.”

James claims that the feedback from potential exhibitors to the new show has, so far, been positive, and it will be interesting to see how CMPi react to Reed’s move over the coming months.

Reed Exhibition’s E-Commerce and Digital Marketing Expo is scheduled to take place at Earl’s Court, London on 28-30 April 2009.