I am looking for list of the top trade shows for solution providers in
the IT industry. Even if you can't give me a complete list, I am looking for
the names of some of the top five trade shows or conferences.  Thanks
for your help!

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Request for Question Clarification by omnivorous-ga on 06 Oct 2003 19:27 PDT

Rarebooklover --

We can provide the names of the top computer trade shows but the real question is:
-- do you mean worldwide?
-- U.S. only?
-- or another country's top trade shows?

Best regards,

Omnivorous-GA

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Clarification of Question by rarebooklover-ga on 06 Oct 2003 21:00 PDT

thanks for your question - I am looking for US trade shows mainly but
would also be interested if there is a top international show as well.
Many thanks!!

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Clarification of Question by rarebooklover-ga on 06 Oct 2003 21:01 PDT

I should have added - please remember the focus is on shows or
conferences for solution providers - not just computer shows - again
thanks so much for your help!!

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Request for Question Clarification by easterangel-ga on 07 Oct 2003 00:13 PDT

Hi! 

When you say "Best" what would be the criteria to determine if it is the best?

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Clarification of Question by rarebooklover-ga on 07 Oct 2003 04:48 PDT

another very good question - best for me means a well-attended, high
visibility show that hopefully gets good media attention and draws
some top name companies as well. I am doing some work for a company
that produces smart cards and need to help them determine where they
can make an impact on solution providers.  Hope this helps!!

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Request for Question Clarification by omnivorous-ga on 07 Oct 2003 12:33 PDT

Rarebooklover --

Researchers are having difficulty here because they're uncertain what
constitutes a "solutions" show.  I might suggest that you take a look
at this Google Answer for information (and possibly to help you refine
what you're seeking):
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=98561

Best regards,

Omnivorous-GA

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Clarification of Question by rarebooklover-ga on 07 Oct 2003 20:50 PDT

Thanks for the info - it does help me to clarify this -- I am going to
refocus the question a bit if I might. Let's forget the solutions
provider component and focus instead on vertical markets.  Can you
identify the best trade shows for healthcare, telecommunications and
the government??  Those are the target audiences my client wants to
reach.

Rarebooklover --

We'll list the largest trade shows for the three industry segments,
though you may want to use other screens to qualify these shows (cost
per attendee, cost per lead).

An excellent resource in screening shows is the Gale Group book,
"Trade Shows Worldwide," by Tyra Phillips.  I consulted the 18th
edition (2002) for background information.

GOVERNMENT
------------

The largest government shows are:
Federal Office Systems Exhibition (FOSE)
http://www.fose.com
TOT attendance: 36,900
IT attendance: 17,0000

The Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association (AFCEA)
runs a whole series of conferences, the largest being the Technet
Convention in Washington, DC each May.  Unfortunately neither Gale
Group nor the AFCEA sites have precise attendance on Technet:
AFCEA
http://www.afcea.org/intro.html


HEALTH CARE
-------------

The Gale Group pages list more than two pages (probably about 400)
with health, health care administration and health care products trade
shows.  The largest in attendance and square footage are:

MEDICA -- International Trade Fair & Congress for Physician's
Practices & Hospitals
TOT attendance: 126,000
Size: 1.1 million square feet
http://www5.medica.de/cipp/md_medica/custom/pub/content,lang,2/ticket,g_a_s_t/oid,155

Radiological Society of North American Scientific Assembly & Annual
Meeting
TOT attendance: 60,000
Size: 445,000 square feet
www.rsna.org


TELECOMMUNICATIONS
-------------------

The telecommunications trade shows are fragmented along industry
lines, with networking companies, cable TV companies, broadcasters and
wireless providers having separate shows.

The single largest show is CeBIT:
World Business Center for Office, Information & Telecommunications
Technology
TOT attendance: 679,000
Size: 373,000 square meters
http://www.cebit.de/homepage_e?x=1

The National Cable & Telecommunications Association hosts "The
National Show" each year:
The National Show
TOT attendance: 27,000
www.thenationalshow.com

The National Association of Broadcasters April convention draws about
90,000 to Las Vegas each spring:
NAB 2004
TOT attendance: 90,000
http://www.nab.org/conventions/nab2004/

And the major show for the computer networking business has emerged as
Networld + Interop, with a pair of shows held but the larger in Las
Vegas:
Networld + Interop
TOT attendance: 55,000
http://www.interop.com/ 


BANKING
--------

A fourth industry that you might consider for Smart Card marketing
would be banking.  In Europe, in particular, banks use of Smart Cards
in much higher percentages than in the U.S., where the magnetic stripe
cards are more popular.

The American Bankers Association (ABA) annual convention has just
finished, but they do have a schedule of other events:
American Bankers Association
ABA 2004 Show Schedule
http://www.aba.com/Products/ce_2004_Show_Guide.htm

Part of this answer comes from professional marketing experience,
particularly in government and telecommunications sectors.  But the
Google search strategy used was:
telecommunications + conventions + "trade association"
"health care" + "largest trade show"
banking + conventions

Best regards,

Omnivorous-GA

omnivorous - all I can say is WOW !!!  You really went above and
beyond the call of duty here - epecially in helping to guide me in
framing the question better and helping me to think this through --
very comprehensive answer and liked seeing your thought process
throughout.  This was my first experience with Google answers and it
will not be my last !  Many, many thanks !!!!