Billing the event as “Naked Networking,” the organizers of Expo Tech Expo obviously have fun on the job. And why not? This online 3D exposition for exposition technology is a first for the industry and definitely unusual. Virtual attendees with high-speed Internet access and a little time to learn the system will actually be able to walk down the online halls as an avatar. An attendee avatar will be able to talk to an exhibitor avatar. Is that fun, or what?

New York City — based online exhibition industry resource Trade Show News Network is organizing the September 19 to 21 event. At press time, six weeks before the show, organizers had 18 exhibitors booked, with hopes for as many as 30 by the time attendees log on, says Lori Sachs, vice president of sales and marketing for London-based Expocentric, whose technology will power the show.

Among the exhibitors are b-there.com, an online event management solutions company; C-events, a trade show portal for Latin America; Freeman Cos., full-service contractors; RMR plc, online communities and conferences; ShowBuilder, an application service provider for show organizers; and Streetbeam, wireless lead retrieval. For a full list of exhibitors, or to register, visit www.tsnn.com and click on the Expo Tech Expo link. Preregistration is nearing 500 people, according to Sachs.

Attendees can expect a keynote address and roundtable discussions, but educational content had not been finalized in early August.