It's often hard to grasp how new technologies work until you take them out for a test drive. IT event marketing professionals will have a chance to get behind the wheel of some cutting-edge products at CEMA Summit 2000. Several Industry Associate members are donating services and products that will make our July 16 to 19 event at the La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, Calif., a showcase to remember:

Virtual Office. Applying technologies that have been used to bring a network portal to shows like Comdex, ePortals will provide Summit attendees with a virtual office. The system offers a show e-mail account, word processing, Web browsing, and the ability to check personal e-mail accounts.

Support for the ePortals system will be provided by Curtech Inc., Bluffdale, Utah, a company that manages network, Internet, and technical services for companies in the trade show and corporate events arena; Rentsys, Houston, Texas, a computer and equipment rental company; and bCard.net, a Bethesda, Md.-based company that provides innovative conference badge technology.

Online Registration. Thanks to the Internet attendee management engine b-there.com, CEMA members who log on to www.cemaonline.com can access online registration forms and other meeting information. Combining cutting-edge Internet technology and a customer-oriented approach, the Westport, Conn.-based b-there.com makes it easier than ever for attendees to register and access Summit information.

Audience Polling. Get Feedback, a wireless audience polling and response system provided by Bill Goldsmith Productions Inc., Denver, Colo., will allow speakers to interact with the Summit audience. Among other sessions, attendees will get to use the system to vote for the CEMA Board of Directors during the Tuesday General Session.

Smile for the Camera. What would CEMA Summit be without the traditional wrap-up video? This year it will take on a daily broadcast format titled "CEMA TV." Produced by Las Vegas-based WMS Productions, which also creates N+I TV, Comdex TV, and Novell's Brainshare, the video will recap sessions and activities in addition to interviewing CEMA Board members and staff.

Many thanks to our partners whose innovative products and services promise to make this annual Summit an educational glimpse into the future of the IT event industry!

October 25 * Internet World Fall, New York

"Improving the NETWorth of Your Event, Part 1"

November 15 * Comdex Fall, Las Vegas

"Improving the NETWorth of Your Event, Part 2"