I am writing from the floor of our Search Engine Strategies show at McCormick Place in Chicago.

Many of you know that I was the creator of Internet World (1993) and later sold that series of shows (1998).

The Search Engine Strategies show is run three times per year in the United States and four additional times in other countries. The US shows remind me of the early days of the Internet and the growth of Internet World.

The Chicago show has about 6,000 square feet of exhibit space (most companies take space of 100 square feet). What is dynamic and spectacular is the number of paid attendees craving information about "using search" as well as products and services dealing with search and paid search.

Once again an event like SES proves the point that a focused show on the right topic can produce a winning combo for both the attendee and the exhibitor.

The excitement at SES is intoxicating! Certainly this is refreshing. And 180 degrees from the experience I had with cdXpo and Comdex in Las Vegas three weeks ago.

SES also proves the power of having a focused Web site such as our SearchEngineWatch.Com. This site attracts nearly 100,000 page views per day. It provides terrific editorial material daily and also is a great vehicle in which to promote upcoming SES events and our related Jupiter Research services that concentrate on paid search.

A focused event on the correct topic along with integrated Web site marketing is the wave of the future for trade show marketing. If a company lacks this combo, it is sure to fail at the trade show game.