Ron Evans, Executive Director of Interex, has asked me to post the following
letter that was emailed earlier today to Interex members.

Jim

Dear Interex member,

Each year, Interex volunteers, members and staff work hard to make our flagship
event, HP World Conference and Expo, an even better event than the preceding
year. I'm pleased to report that the HP World 2002 conference, which took place
in Los Angeles last week, was no exception. By all accounts it was a well-
attended, highly successful event. Members, exhibitors and others have made a
point to tell me how impressed they were with just about every aspect of the
show.

Each event, however, is always a learning process. One thing we learned this
year was the importance to members of press access to sessions and meetings.
Interex has always granted unusually wide access to credentialed press at our
events compared to other shows. This year, however, the press was regrettably
excluded from three roundtable meetings out of 250 sessions at the request of
HP's PR organization. Interex honored that request to reserve these meetings
exclusively for an HP dialog with its customers, partners and Interex members.


That decision was just one of literally hundreds made by Interex staff in the
final weeks leading up to the event. Because Interex's advocacy organization
records, transcribes and communicates verbatim proceedings from all such
roundtables to all Interex members as a matter of course, Interex felt that
agreeing to HP's request would not keep members from learning what took place.
At the same time, HP agreed to schedule unlimited one-on-one meetings between
any interested press and any of their staff or the panelists participating at
the roundtable meetings.

Our Interex members have made it clear, however, that they want the press to be
granted full access to cover all roundtables and sessions at future Interex
events. In response, Bob Combs, Chairman of the Board, said that, "I am now
working with the directors on a resolution that will allow the press to attend
all HP World meetings open to members at all future HP World conferences. Of
course we will also address those other instances wherein an NDA may be
required of attendees and press to participate in confidential sessions hosted
by HP and/or other speakers. Once passed, that resolution will become official
Interex policy."

On behalf of the Interex staff, I would like to thank the members who made
their views known on this issue, and welcome all members to send your ideas and
suggestions on how HP World conferences can better service the Interex members.


Best regards,

Ron Evans, Executive Director
Interex



James P. Keller     Ph: 408.743.4610         Interex
Director, Tech Svcs Fx: 408.747.0947         1192 Borregas Ave.
[log in to unmask]  http://www.interex.org/  Sunnyvale, CA 94089

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