81% Space Sold for 2001 Show; ComNet 2000 Weathers Natural Disaster to Attract Over 20,000 Dedicated Attendees.

Business/Technology Editors

ComNet 2000

NORWOOD, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 3, 2000

Despite a record-breaking snowstorm that shut-down most of the East Coast on the opening day of the show, and a &uot;state of emergency&uot; in Virginia and Maryland on the second day of the event, ComNet 2000 attracted more than 20,000 people to the snow-bound Washington DC Convention Center, January 25-27. In spite of the weather problems, ComNet was a very successful show.

&uot;The fact that 20,834 dedicated attendees braved severe hardships to attend ComNet is a tribute to the value of ComNet's renewed energy and focus,&uot; said Don Berey, ComNet Show Director. &uot;Preregistration was up from last year (30,000 plus) and we were expecting a record crowd of over 50,000 attendees, but the exhibitors understood that you have to adjust your expectations when a natural disaster like this strikes,&uot; he emphasized.

These sentiments were echoed by many of the 450 exhibitors that had a good show in spite of the weather. &uot;It's a testament to how important the show is to the industry that, even with DC shut down by the snow, the show was still pretty packed,&uot; said Peter Benedict, Tachion Networks. Tachion Networks was also a winner of the New Product Achievement Awards sponsored by ComNet and InfoWorld magazine.

Reinforcing this sentiment is the fact that this year's exhibitors have already signed up for 81% of available exhibit space at the 2001 exposition. Many of these exhibitors also increased their booth size for next year.

ATTENDEES PLEASED THEY MADE THE EFFORT

The 20,834 dedicated attendees were attracted by the hundreds of new networking and communications products that were introduced, as well as the strong conference program and special show features. Despite the fact that all the airports on the East coast were closed and the Washington DC government offices were shut down for the first two days of the show, most of the conference program went forward as scheduled, including three of the four keynotes presentations.

&uot;I'm so glad the weather broke (second day of the show) so I could get here because if you want to see what is the next thing in this business you have to come to ComNet,&uot; emphasized James Folan of CIS Global.

Other show features attracting large crowds were the New Venture Alley, Voice Over IP Pavilion, Tolly Proving Grounds, The Network World Shootout Labs, the New Product Achievement Awards ceremony (NPAA), The Ovations awards ceremony and ComNet first Annual Investor Breakfast.

&uot;Sometimes it takes extreme adversity to make you appreciate how valuable something is,&uot; Berey declared. &uot;I think the attendees and exhibitors have made a very strong statement about the value of ComNet.&uot;

ComNet 2001 will be held January 30 to February 1, 2001 at the Washington DC Convention Center and the Renaissance Hotel.

For more information on ComNet, visit www.comnetexpo.com.

ComNet

ComNet, produced by IDG Expo Management Company, is the largest technology conference and exposition dedicated to global communications networks. In 2000 more than 450 manufacturers and suppliers of networking and communications hardware, software, services, and solutions participate in ComNet. ComNet attracts the planners, builders and buyers of communications networks, both public and private. Founded in 1977, ComNet/Washington, D.C. has served the IT market for two decades as the premier information source for networking professionals. ComNet/D.C. will be held at the Washington, D.C. Convention Center, January 30-February 1, 2001. For more information on ComNet visit www.comnetexpo.com.

About IDG Expo Management Company

Headquartered in Norwood, Massachusetts, IDG Expo Management Company is a premium producer and manager of exposition and conference events that shape the IT marketplace. IDG Expo Management Company is an affiliate of the International Data Group (IDG) family of companies. IDG Expo-produced events include the MACWORLD Expos in New York and San Francisco; ComNet in Washington, D.C. and E3Expo -the Electronic Entertainment Expo produced for the Interactive Digital Software Association (IDSA). Each year, more than 2,000 exhibiting companies and more than 250,000 IT professionals attend IDG Expo Management Company's events to buy, sell, learn about and influence the IT purchasing agenda. IDG Expo Management Company was founded in 1979 as Mitch Hall Associates. For more information, please call 781-551-9800 or visit the company's Web site at www.idgexpos.com.

About International Data Group (IDG)

IDG, the world's leading IT media, research and exposition company, publishes more than 290 computer magazines and newspapers and 4,000 book titles and offers online users the largest network of technology-specific sites around the world through IDG.net (http://www.idg.net), which comprises more than 250 targeted Web sites in 55 countries. IDG is also a leading producer of 168 computer-related expositions worldwide, and provides IT market analysis through 49 offices in 42 countries worldwide. Company information is available at http://www.idg.com.