This year's Comdex, the fall computer event that was once the nation's largest trade show, was canceled Wednesday as its owners cited the failure of the industry's largest companies to participate.

Executives at MediaLive International, the company that owns Comdex and other trade shows, said they decided to redefine the event and were hoping that it would re-emerge after a year's hiatus.

Created in 1979 by Sheldon Adelson, a Boston financial consultant, Comdex rapidly gained prominence in the early 1980's with the emergence of the personal computer industry.

The annual show became the place to showcase new computers and software, and a mandatory stopping place for industry luminaries.