CRG Events Perfects 'Speed Dating for Business'; Its Automated, Online Rio Service Brokers Thousands of Individual Meetings at Conferences.

SEATTLE -- Speed dating is no longer reserved for people seeking the ideal mate, but a "deal mate" instead, thanks to a service from CRG Events, a leading national conference and event management company. Called Rio, this automated online service enables conference attendees to seek and secure meetings with others who match their search requirements.

Rio has already been used at several high profile events, including the 2004 Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference. During this four-day conference, 5,165 attendees scheduled and conducted 5,639 meetings. Rio will be used again at the Worldwide Partner Conference in July 2005.

With conference attendees under increasing pressure to maximize their show attendance through meetings with prospects, partners, customers and other industry peers, Rio has become a valuable asset to meeting planners and attendees alike. Now, rather than aimlessly wandering the show floor or enduring cocktail receptions with endless chitchat with strangers, Rio participants can get "face time" with the right people.

"This type of service would not have been practical before the advent of the Internet," said Leasa Mayer, CMP, a 20-year veteran meeting planner and CEO of CRG Events. "But now, structured networking through Rio has the potential to usher in a new era in the way people meet."

The process is simple. Conference attendees register for Rio and answer a brief online profile prior to the event. Attendees can search according to the parameters set by the profile or on a variety of other criteria, and send a meeting request through Rio to people who match. The recipient has the choice to accept, decline or suggest a different time for the meeting. If accepted, Rio automatically schedules a meeting in the designated Rio meeting room at a table that is automatically assigned.

"Worldwide Partner Conference provides an opportunity for Microsoft to share information with its partners," said Andy Vabulas of I.B.I.S., Inc., a Microsoft Certified Gold Partner and one of the members of the WPC Planning Advisory Committee. "Significant value is added from the networking opportunities made possible by all of us being under the same roof and sharing information. Rio makes it easy to connect with the right people. There's simply no other way for thousands of different people to meet each other."

More information on Rio is available at www.crgevents.com.

About CRG Events

CRG Events (www.crgevents.com) is a full-service corporate event planning and management company. Founded in 1980 as Columbia Resource Group, the company specializes in corporate meetings, conferences, road shows, product launches, booth management and incentive/special event corporate theme parties. CRG has managed thousands of conferences and events in every state in the US as well as many foreign countries for some of the most high-profile US businesses and individuals, including Microsoft Corporation, Washington Mutual, F5 Networks and many others.