BI > JUNE 2003

BI National Convention -- What's New in 2003?

Oct. 31-Nov. 2, 2003, in Norfolk, Va.

There were enough changes to NAIC's annual convention this year that we changed its name. What formerly was known as the National Congress & Expo is now the Better Investing National Convention. So what's new for 2003?

Handouts on CD: One big change is that there will be no heavy notebook to lug around this year. Many have asked that we find a way to relieve them of the burden of carrying around a 7-pound notebook at the convention and finding space to take it home in their luggage. So we're following the lead of many professional conventions around the country and replacing this with a compact disc. For details on this change, see our new Web site at www.better-investing.org/biconvention.

Lots of New Seminars: This year more than 25 percent of our seminars are new. Given how many people come to the convention more than once just to see the seminars we already offer (eight parallel tracks this year), you're sure to find many interesting and educational choices.

In fact, one "complaint" we sometimes get is that there are too many choices. Sorry -- that's one problem we don't want to fix. To help you decide, you can look over the full seminar handouts in advance when your CD arrives (we hope a few weeks before the event). After the convention, consider purchasing audiotapes of some of the seminars that you missed. Or you can always come again next year.

Schedule Shift: The BI Convention now starts on Friday and ends on Sunday, rather than the Thursday-Saturday schedule of the past. For people on a tight schedule, this means one less weekday taken up by the event.

Kickoff Party: We'll open this year's convention with a Thursday evening Kickoff Party, including hardy hors d'oeuvres and a cash bar. This will allow you to meet and start mingling informally with the whole NAIC family, right at the start. So after you settle into your hotel room, come on down and get acquainted.

Better "Leverage" of Our Expo Partners: Something that sets the BI Convention apart is the large number of investor relations representatives that are available to you. We're putting additional emphasis on this strength with a number of expanded corporate minipresentations.

In each of these you'll get a short yet complete summary of the company's business essentials. Industry roundtables will allow you to better tap into the incredible depth of knowledge that our Expo partners offer us. Last year's Expo "Treasure Hunt" was such a hit that we'll definitely offer that again, too.

Networking Opportunities Abound. The Better Investing National Convention in Norfolk, Va., offers a great chance to catch up with old friends and make new connections; shown are attendees at last year's annual convention in Portland, Ore.

The Expo has always been an outstanding resource -- that hasn't changed. We're just trying to better emphasize and focus on how you can get the most out of it.

Walk-in SSG Clinic: On Saturday, Nov. 1, we'll offer a walk-in SSG clinic. Bring in your SSG challenges or problems; we'll have NIA directors and seminar instructors standing by to help. We won't give specific stock advice or recommendations, of course, but we think you'll find it valuable to have experienced NAIC investors available to help you with problems that you might not be able to sort out from seminars alone.

Software Central: Technically, this is new from last year. Software Central is a new concept, bringing together NAIC's top software developers -- and you. It worked very well when introduced last year, and we think we've got it even better tuned for this year. We're excited by what this can offer investors and think you'll find it quite helpful.

So come see for yourself how much the convention has changed while preserving the best things from past events. This year the BI National Convention is in Norfolk, Va., from Oct. 31 to Nov. 2. The most up-to-date information on the convention can be found on our Web site: www.better-investing.org/biconvention.