Advanstar Technology Group Announces Expanded ICCM Event Schedule; Name Change Also Planned for Call Center Event Series.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

ICCM 2004

ICCM West 2004

ICCM East 2004

ICCM Canada 2004

WELLESLEY HILLS, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 17, 2003

Advanstar Technology Group today announced its upcoming schedule of call center and CRM events that, for the first time, will all be identified under the ICCM brand name. "Over 70,000 professionals have attended one of our call center and CRM events since the series began, making these events the best attended industry education and networking venues for call center and contact center management professionals in the world," said Kerry C. Gumas, vice president and general manager of Advanstar's Technology Group.

As technology continues to be deployed throughout North America's 100,000 formal contact center sites and in thousands of Global 2000 companies and SMEs, executives and managers running these enterprises face a vital need for information about winning management strategies and the application of call center and customer management technology to key business processes. "We have strategically positioned our international, regional and local ICCM event series in key venues throughout North America in order to provide expanded access to the industry's best peer-to-peer networking events, conferences and seminars as well as demonstrations from leading technology providers," said Gumas.

The flagship ICCM event, set to open August 9, 2004 in Chicago, will continue to attract domestic and international attendees from over 50 countries and will feature expanded conference, meetings and awards programs in its new location at Chicago's Navy Pier Convention Center. It will be complemented by ICCM West, November 17-19, 2003 in Los Angeles (formerly Call Center West); ICCM East, February 25-27 in Orlando; and ICCM Canada, April 19-21 in Toronto (formerly Call Center Canada), each serving specific regions of the North American market. In addition, Advanstar's ICCM Forums will serve major U.S. metro regions through a series of events featuring integrated conferences and structured business networking. Advanstar's ICCM event series will offer technology and service providers a range of innovative participation options and services to better enable event sponsors and exhibitors to achieve their business objectives. "We've spent a lot of time listening to customer needs and incorporating this input into planning for the series. We think customers will be very satisfied with the innovations we've made and will find these events of tremendous value," said Ruth Wheeler, Group Sales Director for the ICCM event series.

Advanstar Communications' conferences and expositions have been the premier events for call center and customer management professionals around the world for more than a decade. The events bring together a highly qualified audience of buyers from Global 2000 companies and small to medium businesses to interact in high-energy conference, business networking and expo environments. In addition to producing events for contact center and customer management professionals, Advanstar also serves the North American market with the industry-leading newsletter, iccmweekly.com and Customer Interface Magazine.

For more information on ICCM and the ICCM Call Center Forum Series, visit www.iccm.com or call Paul Panagopoulos at Advanstar Communications, 781/239-7510.

About Advanstar

Advanstar Communications Inc. (www.advanstar.com) is a worldwide business information company serving specialized markets with high quality information resources and integrated marketing solutions. Advanstar has 115 business magazines and directories, 78 tradeshows and conferences, numerous Web sites, and a wide range of print and electronic direct marketing, database and reference products and services. In addition to the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries, Advanstar serves targeted market sectors in the art, automotive, beauty, e-learning, call center, digital media, entertainment/marketing, fashion & apparel, manufacturing and processing, powersports, science, telecommunications, travel/hospitality, healthcare and pharmaceutical industries. The Company now has more than 1,400 employees and currently operates from multiple offices in North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia.

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