Abcomm - Exhibit and Event Management - Competitive Intelligence

Huge growth earns business owner attention and finalist status in coveted ‘Exporter of the Year’ Award. Ottawa, ON, November 6, 2002 - Anne Barron, President and Owner of ABComm Ltd, a specialized exhibit management consultancy, is one of five finalists vying for the 2002 Exporter of the Year Award. Export is one of several categories in the prestigious Business Achievement Awards, an annual event organized by the Greater Ottawa Chamber of Commerce.

This year’s Business Achievement Awards attracted close to one hundred nominations from all industry sectors across the national capital region. An independent judging panel Chaired by David Mason, a Partner with Deloitte & Touche, reviewed nominations. Winners will be announced at the Gala Dinner being held at the Ottawa Congress Centre on Thursday, November 28th, 2002.

To be eligible for the Exporter of the Year award, nominees had to meet specific, demanding criteria. Most notable, a minimum of fifty percent of gross revenue was required to come from sources outside of Canada.

ABComm coaches organizations in all industry sectors on how to leverage business development opportunities and maximize their presence in special events and tradeshows. The firm went from generating 26% of its revenue from international sources in 2001 to over 60% in 2002. The impressive revenue gains came largely from a new focus on competitive intelligence, a highly strategic niche service.

Achieving finalist status alone is a significant victory for Ms. Barron. ABComm had seen revenues drop precipitously following the recent collapse of the local high-tech sector.

The drop in business from this once reliable source forced a major - and quick - change in ABComm’s marketing strategy to ensure the firm’s survival.

"Our success is a tribute to what marketing, patience, and determination can do," says Ms. Barron. "Business circumstances forced us to refocus our efforts. We decided to aggressively promote competitive intelligence at trade shows, a service we’ve always provided but one that has come into high demand from international markets in the past 18 months".

The marketing investment propelled ABComm’s export sales to record levels in less than a year and qualified Ms. Barron for the distinguished ‘Exporter of the Year’ award - all on the strength of a little known strategic service that is now most sought after by organizations outside of Canada.

Competitive intelligence provides tradeshow exhibitors with invaluable insight to their market, the industry, how they stack up against competitors, and specifically what they need to do to be more effective on the exhibit floor itself. The service provides an impartial assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of a firm relative to key competitors. It also equips an organization with the tools and templates to gather and analyze information on their own in the future.

"For many clients" reports Ms. Barron, "we’re like an insurance policy - we analyze what’s going on in the industry and come back with objective information that can be extremely powerful. An organization can spend thousands of dollars participating in a major event. It’s a big investment. We significantly reduce or eliminate the risk of a client having a poor show. In many cases, we are the best insurance policy they’ll ever take out".

Competitive intelligence is one of several strategic Exhibit/Event Marketing services offered by ABComm. Founded in 1995, the firm has developed, implemented, and managed award winning exhibit and marketing programs for leading organizations in the medical, education, and telecommunications industries. ABComm is a member of a number of leading industry organizations including OCRI, the Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals, and the Healthcare Convention Exhibitors Association.

Anne Barron, President, ABComm is the only active Certified Manager of Exhibits (CME) in Canada and is an internationally respected authority on exhibit management and marketing. Ms. Barron is a sought after speaker and has published numerous articles for tradeshow publications/newsletters around the world. She is the co-author of the Exhibit/Event Marketing tips book "Still More Secrets of Successful Exhibiting".

For additional information on ABComm please contact Ms. Anne Barron at 1069 Arnot Road, Ottawa ON K2C 0H5. Phone: 613-224-0447. Fax 613-224-3826. E-mail: annebarron@ab-comm.com. Visit: www.AB-Comm.com