META Group and Key3Media Events Form Strategic Partnership for Next-Generation Customer Relationship Management -CRM- Conference

Business Wire, April 24, 2001

Business Editors

Customer 360 Conference & Expo

STAMFORD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 24, 2001

"Customer 360(Degree) Conference & Expo" Will Focus on Creating

the Ultimate Customer Experience

META Group (Nasdaq: METG) and Key3Media Group Inc. (NYSE: KME) today announced a strategic partnership between META Group and Key3Media Events Inc. to produce the "Customer 360(Degree) Conference & Expo" -- an event designed to help sales, marketing, and customer service executives fulfill on the promise of reaching, winning, and retaining customers via breakthrough strategies in customer relationship management (CRM).

The partnership will combine the industry's top CRM thought-leaders with one of the largest and most successful commercial conference and tradeshow organizations in the world. The partnership will commence on August 21 at San Francisco's Moscone Center for Key3Media's second CRM event of the year. Key3Media will be hosting the first "Customer 360(Degree) Conference & Expo" May 6-10 in Washington, D.C.

According to Aaron Zornes, executive vice president with META Group and a pioneer in CRM strategy research, the current economic climate is having a dramatic effect on the CRM industry -- making the need for sound CRM strategies even more critical.

"As IT budgets continue to shift toward mission-critical projects, business executives and CRM project leaders are deliberating on the proper CRM approach -- especially cost justification," said Zornes. "Many are deferring CRM spending, while others are taking advantage of the widespread CRM technology discounts being offered by leading vendors. The constant amid all this change is that companies must continue to delight their customers during this transition through a collaborative CRM strategy -- IT executives and managers must continue to perform while they transform."

The "Customer 360(Degree) Conference & Expo" will bring together more than 6,000 attendees, and will offer four "Quick-Start" tutorials on getting CRM right. Attendees will benefit from a keynote presentation by META Group's Aaron Zornes, among others, and can choose from 24 "Power-Session" presentations and a series of vendor and user panels that will focus on CRM best (and worst) practices.

"The combination of Key3Media's conference expertise and META Group's seminal work in CRM strategy makes this event a `no-brainer' for anyone involved in CRM deployment," said Kim Myhre, executive vice president with Key3Media Events Inc.

For detailed information or to register for the "Customer 360(Degree) Conference and Expo," visit http://www.customer360expo.com. For media registration information, contact Carolon Gentile at (650) 372-6765 or carolon.gentile@key3media.com.

About Key3Media

Customer 360(Degree) is a Key3Media Group event. Key3Media Group Inc. is the world's leading producer of information technology tradeshows and conferences, serving more than 6,000 exhibiting companies and two million attendees through 60 events in 19 countries. Key3Media's products range from the IT industry's largest exhibitions such as COMDEX and NetWorld Interop to highly focused events featuring renowned educational programs, custom seminars, and specialized vendor marketing programs. For more information about Key3Media, visit www.key3media.com.

About META Group

META Group is a leading research and consulting firm, focusing on information technology and business transformation strategies. Delivering objective, consistent, and actionable guidance, META Group enables organizations to innovate more rapidly and effectively. Our unique collaborative models help clients succeed by building speed, agility, and value into their IT and business systems and processes. Connect with www.metagroup.com for more details.

Key3Media, Customer 360(Degree), COMDEX, NetWorld Interop, Interop and associated design marks and logos are trademarks owned or used under license by Key3Media Events Inc., and may be registered in the United States and other countries. NetWorld is a service mark of Novell Inc., and is registered in certain jurisdictions.