Cygnus Expositions Acquires the Solid Surface International Trade Show and Expo; Trade Show is the Only One of its Kind to Service the Solid Surface and Engineered Stone Industry.

Business Editors

Solid Surface International Trade Show and Expo

WESTPORT, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 18, 2003

Cygnus Business Media, a leading diversified business-to-business media company, announced today its Cygnus Expositions division has acquired the Solid Surface International Trade Show and Expo from the Nevada-based International Solid Surface Fabricator's Association (ISSFA).

The event is the only one of its kind servicing the $1 billion solid surface and engineered stone industry.

"With Cygnus Publishing's Solid Surface magazine, this acquisition accomplishes a key strategic goal of owning the leading magazine and trade show in a given market," says Cygnus Business Media's President & CEO Paul Mackler. "We can now offer customers a far more compelling and integrated marketing opportunity."

Solid surfaces have become increasingly popular with both consumers and commercial contractors. Defined as molecularly bonded material with invisible seams, they offer limitless design possibilities. Kitchen and bathroom countertops are often the most familiar solid surface use because of its non-porous composition, making it virtually germ-free.

"The Solid Surface Trade Show and Expo is a strong fit demographically with several of our building and industrial publications providing excellent promotional possibilities for advertisers and exhibitors," says Tony Dellamaria, Group Publisher who oversees Solid Surface magazine, Wood Digest and Surfacing Solutions. "In addition, readers of Kitchen & Bath Design News, Wood Digest, Qualified Remodeler and Design Build Business will gain as we offer unique editorial features from an industry that offers key products for designers, contractors and remodelers alike."

Today, solid surface materials are used commercially at food courts, banks, airports and malls as bathroom partitions, wall cladding, moldings and flooring. Other products include sinks seamlessly crafted into countertops, bath and shower walls and pans with a natural resistance to mold and mildew, signage, windowsills, and exterior building cladding. Skilled artisans can even create furniture from solid surfaces such as tabletops and expertly crafted chairs.

"Like all trade show acquisitions, the Solid Surface International Trade Show and Expo accomplishes our goal of growing the trade show division with shows that benefit from our existing media properties," says Cygnus Expositions President Jeff Price. "We look forward to working closely with ISSFA as sponsor of the event going forward. Their continued involvement and Cygnus' trade show management expertise will assure exhibitors and attendees of the finest and most important trade event serving their industry."

This year's Solid Surface International Trade Show and Expo will take place February 17-19 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas and feature 39,000 square feet of exhibitor space. Nearly 150 companies will display equipment, tools and materials used in the fabrication of solid surfaces and engineered stones. The show will include six pavilions - Solid Surface, Engineered Stone, Machinery, Suppliers, Kitchen & Bath and for the first time a Fabricator Pavilion with condensed ITEC (ISSFA Training and Education Center) course offerings, small tool demonstrations and other programs. A full conference series will also be provided for the over 3000 professionals expected to attend.

"Cygnus Expositions will provide the extensive marketing and promotional programs necessary to grow a successful trade show," says ISSFA President Michael Wilson-South. "ISSFA will continue to build on our mission, educating architects, designers, specifiers, builders, remodelers, kitchen & bath dealers, industrial & OEM accounts and consumers, on the many uses & advantages of solid surfaces with the benefit of Cygnus' support."

ISSFA is a not-for-profit trade association representing the interests of 997 member companies worldwide. The 239 Associate Member companies represent solid surface manufacturers, machinery and equipment manufacturers, tooling manufacturers, adhesive and abrasive manufacturers. The association's 734 fabricator member companies are responsible for 85% of the solid surface materials/products fabricated and installed worldwide. The combined purchasing decisions made by ISSFA members total over one billion dollars annually.

This is the second trade show acquisition for Cygnus Expositions this year. The division acquired 25 shows in January from Penton Media.

Cygnus Business Media publishes 80 business-to-business media products including trade magazines, directories and cards, and produces 47 trade shows within 15 major markets. The company is made up of four distinct divisions - Cygnus Publishing, Cygnus Expositions, Cygnus Custom Marketing and Cygnus Interactive - with a portfolio of over 200 separate media products reaching five million professionals annually. Its custom marketing opportunities have been instrumental in building strong brands within competitive marketplaces while its Interactive division's Web sites together attained nearly 100 million page views in 2002 attracting nearly one million unique visitors. For more information about Cygnus Business Media, log onto Cygnusb2b.com.