With businesses still reluctant to invest new capital and the war with Iraq in full swing, attendance at this year’s Interactive Media Conference and Trade Show is an open question.

Still, the event, sponsored by Editor & Publisher and Mediaweek, will showcase technologies that should woo newspapers interested in boosting their online services. The show will be held May 7-9 in San Diego.

EDITOR & PUBLISHER AND MEDIAWEEK PRESENT THE INTERACTIVE MEDIA CONFERENCE & TRADE SHOW MAY 7-9, 2003 PARADISE POINT RESORT, SAN DIEGO, CA click for details

“We’re planning on showing off all of our products, but with an emphasis on real estate, classified and archive (solutions),” said Bill Ferguson, business development manager at Morris Digital Works. “It’s my understanding that the E&P conference is being merged into the AdWeek conference, so there will be other media at the show besides newspapers. That’s most attractive to us.”

Morris has in the past sold real estate products to a number of television stations, its classifieds to a magazine group, and Ferguson said Morris’ archive system is generating a lot of interest as well.

“While the Connections (conference) numbers were down from last year, we actually had a lot of ‘quality’ traffic stop by our booth. Lots of publishers and ad directors — all interested in revenue generating ideas, or technology for defensive purposes.”

Live weather displays will be the draw for Weather Forecast LLC, said President and Chief Executive Officer Ken Brechtel.

“Though the attendance is down overall at the shows we’ve attended, the quantity of actual decision makers is higher,” he said. “Media clients who (used to) send three or four staff plus the director of the program are now sending just the director.”

The company will be showing products and services that revolve around the live Robotic WeatherCam program called WeatherView, and the launch of the Weather Desktop Media Player called MyWeatherView. The products can be co-branded and skinned using the look and feel of the media partner as a Web offer.

“We’re looking to raise awareness of our products and services as well as solicit media partners to provide our services to,” said Brechtel.

The Media Audit, meanwhile, will be exhibiting its multimedia audience and consumer information service. The firm conducts telephone surveys in 85 local markets across the country, finding out what local media the respondents are using: daily, weekly and alternative newspapers as well as city and regional publications, radio, television and cable networks and Web sites. In addition to media audience information, the firm also collects shopping information from each respondent as well as an extensive amount of demographic and socioeconomic data.

“Our interest in going to the show is to meet with newspaper and other media people to show them how The Media Audit can help increase the productivity of their Web site sales and marketing program,” said Bob Jordan, co-founder and co-chairman of the company. “Traditional media that aggressively manage and market their Web sites have something that most of the leading national Web sites don’t have: a traditional media counterpart that can be used for marketing and promotion.”

Legacy.com will be showing its products that are designed to allow consumers, working through a newspaper or other media portal, to create online guestbooks and memorials of the recently deceased. Various packages are available that can create a temporary or permanent memorial, depending on how much the family or friends wish to spend. The company boasts a long list of newspaper Web site customers including the Chicago Sun Times, the Denver Post and the Star Tribune in Minneapolis.

Yaga Inc., another online supplier, will showcase its electronic payment services that allow Web sites to accept micropayments and aggregate billing. The firm’s management and reporting software is designed to help users keep reports and reduce fraud.

Several research services will also be attending. Informa Research Services has been traditionally tilted towards the financial services side, but also does research on markets for a variety of products and services. Scarborough Research provides syndicated studies to print and electronic media, new media companies, outdoor media, sports teams and leagues, agencies, advertisers, and yellow pages on local, regional and national levels. Categories include local market consumer shopping patterns, demographics, media usage and lifestyle activities.