CHICAGO, May 11, 1998 - Corcoran Expositions Inc. (CEI) and Conferon's Marketing Resource Associates division (MRA) have joined together in a joint venture to market trade shows. The new company is called Corcoran/Conferon LLC.

Conferon is the nation's oldest and largest meeting planning company. It specializes in meeting logistics, site selection, housing, registration and marketing communications. Headquartered in Twinsburg, Ohio, Conferon has offices in Washington, D.C., Chicago, St. Louis, Denver and San Diego.

CEI, based in Chicago, is one of the fastest growing trade show management and marketing companies in the United States. The company manages or co-produces more than 20 shows annually. These include: Upper Midwest Hospitality Exposition, National Beer Wholesalers Association Convention and Tradeshow, The Public Library Association National Conference, Chicago Golf Show and The Chicagoland Small Business Expo.

As part of the joint venture, CEI will provide exhibit sales and management services to MRA's existing client base. Some of these include: Association for Local Telecommunications Services, The Council of Recognized National Accrediting Agencies, Insurance Accounting Systems Association, Inc. and The North American Menopause Society.

MRA will continue to provide its clients with marketing communication and graphic design assistance for the associations' annual events from their Twinsburg, Ohio headquarters.

"This joint venture allows both Conferon and CEI to focus on continued growth and delivery of exceptional service to our core businesses," said David Lutz, CMP, Conferon's Executive Vice President. "In searching for a partner for this venture, we conducted a nationwide search and Corcoran was our first choice. CEI will enable us to help our clients grow the exhibits revenue portion of their annual meetings and allow us to be a bigger and better player in the exhibit sales and management area.

"With this new relationship, we can offer the 'best of breed' services to our more than 300 association clients," Lutz continued. "Corcoran/Conferon LLC will give us a competitive advantage when trying to land new accounts."

Corcoran/Conferon LLC is the latest in a series of marketing partnerships by CEI to take advantage of its strengths in exhibit sales and tradeshow management. The company was started in 1990 by company president, Tom Corcoran, former convention director for the National Restaurant Show. Today, Corcoran Expositions Inc., 33 N. Dearborn Ave., Chicago, has more than $10 million in annual sales. His success and entrepreneurial spirit was recognized by the University of Illinois Chicago's College of Business, which has inducted Corcoran into its Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame.