I'm thinking about going down to either Charlotte, NC for the "South Pack"
packaging event held in March or maybe up to Eastec (MA) in May. Neither
will be full fledged business trips for me but I would certainly check them
out if I'm near there to see if anything met my business needs.

I noticed a few months ago while in Atlanta at a similar show that some
attendees get in free with passes from exhibitors... As much as I generally
dislike these huge events, there are times when I find myself located near
one and will fill a day browsing for the heck of it. I simply don't want to
have to pay for a ticket I may or may not use and because it's not a
business "need" I don't want to pay for it out of my business funds. In
Atlanta, I made some good business contacts and felt no remorse about paying
for the event but at some, it's simply a waste of funds...

Other than me being a cheap-arse, are there any ideas or thoughts out there
for me on this? I'm wondering if any of you ever received these free passes
and how did you get them or get on the list to receive them?

I know there is no legitimate metalworking content here, but the trade shows
are something that a lot of us attend, etc. There, of course is no
"rec.crafts.metalworking.tradeshows" newsgroup either so this is the most
legitimate group I could think of to post to other than maybe harassing the
folks over at alt.machines.cnc. grin

Regards,
Joe Agro, Jr.
(800) 871-5022
01.908.542.0244
Automatic / Pneumatic Drills: http://www.AutoDrill.com
Multiple Spindle Drills: http://www.Multi-Drill.com
Flagship Site: http://www.Drill-N-Tap.com

V8013-R