Montvale, NJ, October 30, 2001 - SYS-CON Events, Inc. (www.sys-con.com) today issued the following statement regarding a press release dated Thursday October 25, 2:36 p.m. Eastern Time and signed by Interdoc, Fawcette, and SIGS/101. The release targeted SYS-CON Events, Inc. (http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/011025/250475_1.html).

PARAGRAPH 1:

"Four international IT training event organizations are pleased to announce that, despite misinformation in the marketplace, a number of industry conferences in the XML software development sector continue as planned for the balance of the year."

OUR RESPONSE:

We question the accuracy of the above statement made by Interdoc, Fawcette and SIGS/101.

1) Two of the four event organizers mentioned above, SIGS/101 Conferences and SIGS/101 UK, are the same company. There are three conference organizers who seem to have a problem with the SYS-CON Events, Inc.'s growing success in the marketplace, not four.

2) Interdoc does "NOT" have an industry conference in the XML software development sector that continues "as planned for the balance of the year."

3) Interdoc's event was planned for September 17-20, at the San Francisco Marriott; this event was postponed/rescheduled for a later date at a different location.

4) Fawcette does "NOT" have an industry conference in the XML software development sector that continues "as planned for the balance of the year."

5) Fawcette's "XML Tech Summit," most recently promoted in their September print publications, did "NOT" take place on October 22-24 in Washington DC. As of today, no further information was available from Fawcette announcing a new date for their "XML Tech Summit" conference that continues "as planned for the balance of the year" or a date different from the plan but still on "for the balance of the year" or anytime in the future beyond "the balance of the year."

PARAGRAPH 2:

"Executives from Interdoc Corp., Fawcette Technical Publications, SIGS/101 Conferences, and SIGS/101 UK expressed concern and dismay at an Oct. 1, 2001 e-mailed press release sent by SYS-CON Media that reported that all remaining 2001 XML training events but theirs were canceled after Sept. 11."

OUR RESPONSE:

We question the accuracy of this second paragraph by Interdoc, Fawcette, and SIGS/101.

1) SYS-CON Events, Inc. did NOT publish a press release on October 1, 2001 or on any other date before or after, which stated "all remaining 2001 XML training events but theirs were canceled after Sept. 11."

2) All SYS-CON Events, Inc. press releases are public information, published both at SYS-CON's and their wire agency's Web sites and remain as permanent public documents that can't be altered, replaced, and/or removed from public domain. Such a "press release" does not exist.

PARAGRAPH 3:

"The release promoting their upcoming conference was highly misleading and inaccurate," according to a joint statement from Rainer Wellige (Interdoc Corp.), Tena Carter (Fawcette Technical Publications), Marty Lieberman (SIGS/101 Conferences), and Jane Major (SIGS/101 UK). "Entitled `XMLEdge 2001 - The Only International XML Conference NOT Canceled This Year!" the Sys-Con Media release positioned their event as the only XML event this year which was not canceled or postponed among the more than 250 conferences and trade shows to take place between now and the end of the year which were affected from the events of September 11."

OUR RESPONSE:

We question the accuracy of this third paragraph by Interdoc, Fawcette, and SIGS/101.

1) SYS-CON never published a press release with the statements quoted above.

2) SYS-CON Events, Inc. (a U.S. corporation) and its executive management team contacted Interdoc (a foreign corporation) immediately in the aftermath of the despicable events of September, and offered Mr. Wellige personally, any assistance they needed to help successfully perform their conference.

3) Mr. Carter's (Fawcette) XML conference never took place on October 22-24 in Washington DC. Its new dates and location were never announced, nor to this date is there any indication that they will ever be announced "as planned for the balance of the year."

4) Mr. Lieberman (SIGS/101) took the time to contact SYS-CON and question us regarding our decision to move forward with all SYS-CON conferences as scheduled, and said, referring to Mayor Guiliani, "Please do me a favor and inform us which government and city officials were consulted in your decision to move forward with the Sept. 23-26 Web Services Edge 2001 East and JDJEdge 2001 events. I do hope that these individuals were not too distracted from their work during this time of mourning, healing and rebuilding."

PARAGRAPH 4:

"In reality, there are many international XML training events that either have been or are scheduled to be produced between Sept. 11 and Dec. 31, 2001. Some were postponed, yet most are being staged on their original dates (list provided below)."

OUR RESPONSE:

We question the accuracy of this fourth paragraph by Interdoc, Fawcette, and SIGS/101.

The widely accepted definition of an "international" event does not include a local non-profit organization's user group meeting in a small town in Finland or a local gathering of a half-dozen enthusiasts in Washington DC. The list provided in this press release contained one "international XML event" in the United States, which, according to our knowledge at the time, was the only event for the balance of the year that was not postponed or canceled. That event is "XMLEdge 2001 - International XML Conference & Expo" colocated with "Web Services Edge 2001 West - International Web Services Conference & Expo." This international XML event was successfully produced and presented by SYS-CON Events, Inc. on October 22-25, 2001 as an industry conference in the XML software development sector that continued "as planned for the balance of the year." SYS-CON's two East Coast conferences were also the first international i-technology events to return to New York City, and successfully took place on September 23-26, at the Hilton New York, with an attendance of close to 3,000 participants, as industry conferences in the software development sector that continued "as planned for the balance of the year."

PARAGRAPH 5:

"The IT conference and trade show business is a highly competitive, self-regulated industry," said the executives. "As such, we, as legitimate practitioners, have an ethical and professional obligation to present fair, accurate information to the audiences we serve and let them make their buying decisions accordingly. Blatant abuses of this obligation must be reported, and we stand united in our efforts to continue to do so."

OUR RESPONSE:

We question the statements made in this fifth paragraph by Interdoc, Fawcette, and SIGS/101.

SYS-CON has ample respect for the executives, as well as the products and services of these fine companies as industry participants. One of the founders of these companies has been a mentor for SYS-CON's young and energetic management team for several years.

However, with all due respect, SYS-CON Events, Inc. does not agree with the idea of "self-regulation" in the trade show business. Although the youngest, SYS-CON is the fastest growing and the hands-down market leader, and is determined to change the concept of "self-regulation" by inviting all industry participants to open their records for an independent audit, similar to many other media sectors adopted years ago.

SYS-CON believes that, in any industry, it is easy to hide behind the concept of "self-regulation" while making generic claims of "legitimate practitioners," "ethical and professional obligations," "fair and accurate information," and other round words.

Therefore, SYS-CON will shortly assume the responsibilities naturally expected from an industry leader, as the "IT conference and trade show business" leaves the stone-age "self-regulation" concept behind and starts adopting the "independent audit" practices, with SYS-CON Events, Inc. leading the industry. Only then, will there be a permanent solution to these, not-so-professional public debates.

SYS-CON is 100% focused on delivering the best to their customers and does not have time or interest in monitoring or policing its competitors. SYS-CON will be the first media company in history to deliver an independent and integrated audit statement of their media and trade show businesses. This way, none of our competitors will need to "stand united in their efforts" to monitor our success.

PARAGRAPH 6:

"It is also worth noting that the aforementioned release included faculty, sponsors and exhibitors as collaborators in this communication. These participating organizations and individuals were not consulted in advance of this communication."

OUR RESPONSE:

We question the accuracy of this sixth paragraph by Interdoc, Fawcette, and SIGS/101. There was no press release published by SYS-CON that contained any of these references. Although it is still unknown to us, if these event organizers are referring to an e-mail we sent to our West Coast conference attendees, this e-mail was a private confirmation notice, announcing that our West Coast conference would take place as planned at its original dates and its original location and our sponsors, exhibitors, and faculty members would all be present at this event.

Yes, our "participating organizations and individuals were indeed consulted in advance of this communication." Otherwise, we couldn't have confirmed that our conference was taking place as planned. Furthermore, the date this press release was issued by these companies was the final day of our four-day conference, and these three companies already had first-hand knowledge, through their representatives at our show, that our faculty members, sponsors, exhibitors, organizations, and individuals had already participated at our international conference & expo, which was one of the most significant industry events of the year ( http://www.sys-con.com/xmledge).

FINAL PARAGRAPH:

"This misinformation appalls us in the training conference business," continued the event executives. "Sensationalized and inaccurate statements like these are misleading to the industry that we serve and shed a very negative light on the conference business as a whole. It is especially troubling that some organizations continue to link the tragedies of September 11 to blatant commercial messages on their upcoming events."

OUR RESPONSE:

We question the accuracy and true motives raised in this final paragraph by Interdoc, Fawcette, and SIGS/101. We answered all the points brought up by these three event organizers. If we had issued a press release that contained all this information they allege, every word we had said would have been accurate. We were put in a position to publicly discuss the details of a topic that we had already privately spoken about to Mrs. Lieberman and others. The following was our reply to him then, and now that this topic was made a public discussion by these companies, it is still our answer now.

"Date: Thu, 20 Sep 2001 19:21:07 -0400

Marty:

Our sincere compassion and condolences go to you if you had any losses from the NYC and Washington, DC tragedies. If, however, you decided to lash out at us and New York carelessly with your reckless comment about our mayor's, governor's and president's request to stand tall at this time of crisis, please reconsider your comments and offer something along the lines of support at this difficult time.

And to answer your distraction query, the answer is No! Our leaders were not distracted. As a matter of fact, you probably did not receive the invitation we did to attend the Mayor's Business Development & CVB Meeting on either Monday or Tuesday in New York City. As you may know, we are moving into the Hilton New York on Friday for setup and, as of today, have 51 out of 55 exhibitor booths coming in. We will deliver the expo and conference with great success. Our attendance may not be what our pre-registered counts projected, but we will produce what our supporters and city want: "Good Business" in New York.

We are grieving more than you can possibly imagine, and it is for that very reason, Marty, that we, with the resolve of our exhibitors, attendees, and speakers will "move forward" and "stand tall." Enjoy the San Diego weather and naval base alert, and see what's happening by staying tuned to our Web site for updates.

At these challenging times, say something positive; stand behind our president, the nation, and American ideals. Be supportive, like many of the tradeshow industry leaders such as Penton, Advanstar, and CMP. You can meet with us at the show September 23-26 if you like. We can talk further. Until then, we look forward to your positive and encouraging support. Otherwise, save your comments until you review your pre-registered staff's post-show report on Web Services Edge 2001 East and JDJEdge 2001 New York. (http://www.sys-con.com/webeast).

Cordially"

About SYS-CON Events, Inc.:
SYS-CON Events, Inc. is the world's leading producer of i-technology developer conferences and expositions. SYS-CON Events' upcoming developer conference calendar includes: "Web Services Edge 2002 East - International Web Services Conference & Expo," colocated with "JDJEdge 2002 East- International Java Developer Conference & Expo," and "XMLEdge 2002 East- International XML Conference & Expo" to take place June 24-27 at Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York City; and "Web Services Edge 2002 West - International Web Services Conference & Expo," colocated with "Wireless Edge 2002 - International Wireless Business & Technology Conference & Expo," and "JDJEdge 2002 West- International Java Developer Conference & Expo," and "XMLEdge 2002 West- International XML Conference & Expo," to take place October 1-3, San Jose Convention Center, San Jose, California.

Each month SYS-CON Media reaches over half a million i-technology professionals through its specialty journals, magazines, books, conferences, and the SYS-CON Interactive portal with its 87 Web sites at www.sys-con.com.

CONTACT:
Grisha Davida,
SYS-CON Media
grisha@sys-con.com
or 201 802-3004

Cathy Walters,
SYS-CON Media
cathyw@sys-con.com
or 201-802-3069

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