Demo Appoints Top Industry Pros From Windows Magazine and Upside to Key Staff Positions; James Forbes and Jill Pendergast Will Help Drive Demo's Expansion into New Markets

Business Wire, Jan 19, 1999

SAN MATEO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 19, 1999--IDG Conference Management Company, which produces the highly acclaimed Demo(R) conferences and newsletters, today announced the addition of Jim Forbes and Jill Pendergast to the Demo team.

Forbes, 50, a journalist with more than 20 years of technology reporting experience, joins Demo from Windows Magazine. He will work with Demo Executive Producer Chris Shipley to drive content for Demo conferences and newsletters. Pendergast, 32, was most recently general manager of Upside Events where she managed high-profile events such as Showcase and Digital Living Room. At Demo, she will produce current Demo-branded conferences and develop new ones.

"Demo has big plans for 1999 and beyond, including the addition of a new conference for mobile products and technologies, DemoMobile(R), and expansion into new geographic markets beginning with Europe," said Chris Shipley, executive producer of Demo. "As Demo grows in reach and influence, people such as Jim and Jill will ensure that we continue to offer the industry informed insights into emerging technology products and trends as well as the most professionally managed conferences and events in the industry."

Forbes has reported on computing for nearly 20 years. As a reporter, editor or bureau chief for such publications as BusinessWeek, Forbes ASAP, InfoWorld, PCWeek, MacWeek, Upside, Windows and Windows Magazine, Forbes brings to Demo a unique perspective on the high-tech industry of the last two decades. In recent years, Forbes has focused on identifying and tracking emerging technologies and has helped to redefine and launch two award-winning, leading industry monthly newsletters, PCLetter and DemoLetter(TM). Forbes holds an Associate of Arts in Journalism from Citrus College and a Bachelor of Science degree from California State Polytechnic University.

At Upside Events, Pendergast was responsible for the day-to-day management of the events group and conference products. With experience in tradeshow, conference and meeting management, Pendergast has been a pivotal member in the creation and launch of several corporate and computer user group events, including Upside's Showcase and Digital Living Room conferences. In addition, she has managed domestic and international conferences ranging from 50 to 2,000 people for companies such as Intel, Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard, Remedy and Compaq. Pendergast holds a Bachelor of Science degree in marketing from San Diego State University.

All of IDG's conferences and events offer executives opportunities to learn about leading-edge technologies, participate in hands-on sessions, discuss future strategies, negotiate alliances and to connect with some of the most prominent leaders in the computer industry.

About the Demo Conferences

Emerging technologies and new products are selectively showcased from across the spectrum of the personal technology marketplace at Demo conferences. Top executives from the leading hardware and software technology companies, venture capitalists, journalists from key industry publications and industry analysts attend Demo conferences to preview the most promising products and technologies for the coming year. Demo 99 will be held at the Renaissance Esmeralda Resort in Indian Wells, California from February 7-10, 1999. DemoMobile '99, a new conference dedicated to the rapidly growing mobile computing marketplace, will be held at the Loews Coronado Resort in Coronado, California from April 11-13, 1999. DemoEurope will be held at the Hotel Arts in Barcelona, Spain from October 6-8, 1999.

Sponsors of Demo 99 are Hewlett-Packard Company (NYSE: HWP), Lernout & Hauspie, Lotus Development Corporation, Attachmate Corporation, ActiveTouch Inc., American Computer Experience, Blanc & Otus Public Relations, Callidus Software Inc., Cross Pen Computing Group, Day-Timer Digital, eNutrition, InterActive Public Relations, InterTrust Technologies Corporation, Micron Electronics (Nasdaq: MUEI), Microsoft Corporation, NEC Computer Systems Division (Nasdaq: NIPNY), PR Newswire, The Industry Standard, InfoWorld, InfoRay Inc., Preview Systems Inc., Sprint Corporation (Nasdaq: FON), Visto Corporation and Bowne Global Solutions. Additional information on the conferences can be found at http://www.demo.com.

About IDG Conference Management Company

IDG Conference Management Company produces the broadest portfolio of executive conferences and events in the technology industry, including the Agenda(R), DEMO, DemoMobile(R), DemoEurope(R), Vortex (TM), Spotlight(TM) and EnterTech (TM) conferences, and the Webby Award(R), the Internet's preeminent awards show. The IDG Conference Management Company also publishes DemoLetter, and DemoLetter Weekly Edition(TM). IDG Conference Management Company is a business unit of IDG, and can be found on-line at www.idgconferences.com.

About IDG

Headquartered in Boston, International Data Group (IDG) informs more people worldwide about information technology than any other company in the world. With annual revenues of $2.05 billion, IDG is the leading global provider of IT media, research, conferences and expositions. IDG publishes more than 290 computer newspapers and magazines and 700 book titles in 75 countries, led by the Computerworld/InfoWorld, Macworld, Network World, PC World, Channel World, and ...For Dummies global product lines. IDG offers on-line users the largest network of technology-specific sites around the world through IDG.net (www.idg.net), which comprises more than 240 targeted Web sites in 55 countries. IDG is also a leading producer of 168 computer-related expositions in 35 countries, and research arm International Data Corporation (IDC) provides computer industry research and analysis through 49 offices in 41 countries worldwide. Company information is available at www.idg.com.