I thought the Plaza idea was a good one. It gives people the chance to show off to the various important people at the conference what they have been doing.

And such spaces also tend to be a gathering and mixing point for lots of people where you can suddenly find yourself talking to someone you'd never normally speak to.

Plus, as a journalist, these stalls always yield a wealth of little stories and I always make a point of touring them at any conference.

Is it definitely cancelled - the whole thing?


Kieren

Yes, so the organisers have said. I know this because I had expressed interest in exhibiting, until I was put off by the high cost.

But although there is no longer a formal exhibition, hopefully there will still be some space (in fact, there will be even more space now) in which people can network informally. Perhaps we can get the hotel to roll out some pin-up boards for posters, and I'm sure we can purloin a few tables and chairs from the conference rooms for fliers, business cards and sign-up sheets.

Which is really what the Plaza should have been all along.