Conference: friendly, fun, filled with information.

* Helmut Graf's VNR Verlag fur die Deutsche Wirtschaft AG again sent the most delegates to the conference--12 from Bonn and 2 from Warsaw. At last June's conference in Washington, D.C., VNR was represented by no fewer than 37 of its employees.

The Munich-based GWI/WEKA Business Information Group sent 4 delegates.

* Conference delegates also hailed from 28 states, D.C., and Puerto Rico. Eight Canadians attended, from 5 companies. Five Brits attended, from 4 companies--plus 1 Aussie.

* Perhaps it's due to the festive nature (however shallow it may be) of the host city Las Vegas, but the conference was an especially friendly and even fun event.

* That fun included a hilarious spectacle during the cocktail reception featuring a mechanical horse on which riders would try to lasso a mechanical calf. It's amazing how little it takes for grown-ups to willingly make fools of themselves.

* A nice addition to the meeting was a wrap-up session featuring 14 people summarizing 14 presentations--including 1 critical assessment by EPM Communications' Ira Mayer.

* Two quick tips from 2 speakers:

+ Let content drive your free e-zine's frequency. If your e-zines are running long, publish more frequently. If you have trouble coming up with content, publish less frequently. Don't publish just because you think you have to. Content is king.

+ Add international testimonials to your list. We live in a global age.

* On the conference subject of e-commerce, let me pass along a recent catchy headline over a DM News article on search engine optimization: "Not a creature was stirring, not even a customer's mouse."