Penton Acquires HVAC-Talk.com; Web's Largest HVAC Professional Forum Joins Contracting Business

Business Wire, April 17, 2006

CLEVELAND -- Penton Media, Inc. (OTCBB:PTON) announced Apr 14 that it acquired HVAC-Talk.com, an online community and discussion forum operated by BuildCentral, Inc., of Chicago. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

Joe Fristik, group publisher of Penton's Mechanical Systems / Construction Group, said that HVAC-Talk.com is being integrated with Penton's Contracting Business web site and adds a key interactive component to the Group, which includes Contracting Business, Contractor, HPAC Engineering, and HVACR Distribution Business magazines as well as the HVAC Comfortech and Commercial Contractors Roundtable Cooperative events.

HVAC-Talk.com has more than 43,000 registered members and generates over 104,000 unique visitors and 2.7 million page views per month.

"HVAC-Talk.com is vibrant, active online community that complements our other products," Fristik said. "We want to connect HVAC professionals together in any way that the contractor wants. Penton has strong magazines and events that serve this community and the addition of HVAC-Talk and the thousands of professionals who use it daily makes Contracting Business the place for technical information and market interaction online as well. Suppliers now have access to the strongest online audience in our market and new avenues to connect with qualified, engaged professionals looking for their products and services."

HVAC-Talk was originally launched by the owner of an HVAC software company. "Since its inception, and through its transition as a commercial site under BuildCentral, the site has continued to grow both in numbers and sophistication. We feel fortunate to have found an ideal home for HVAC-Talk and its members while allowing us to focus on our core products," said Rick Kang, President of BuildCentral, Inc. "Penton has the domain expertise, assets and resources to significantly enhance the value the site offers to its users and advertisers. This really is a win-win situation for everyone involved."

David Nussbaum, CEO of Penton, said, "Penton is committed to serving our customers whether in print, online, or in person, and providing them all the information and tools necessary to compete and succeed within their markets. We also want to continue aggressive expansion of our eMedia portfolio. HVAC-Talk.com is an excellent fit both for the needs of our customers and for the strategic goals of Penton Media."

About Penton Media

Penton Media (www.penton.com) is a diversified business-to-business media company that provides high-quality content and integrated marketing solutions to the following industries: aviation; design/engineering; electronics; food/retail; government/compliance; business technology/enterprise IT; leisure/hospitality; manufacturing; mechanical systems/construction; health/nutrition and natural and organic products; and supply chain. Founded in 1892, Penton produces market-focused magazines, trade shows, conferences and online media, and provides a broad range of custom media and direct marketing solutions for business-to-business customers worldwide.