ISH North America, debuting in Toronto Oct. 31, is now approaching its target of 400 exhibitors. In addition, Messe Frankfurt has co-located another related show, LonWorld, with the inaugural ISH North America. LonWorld, an annual event focusing on technology and building automation, attracts an audience of architects and building automation engineers, as well as residential and commercial real estate developers. Attendees holding an ISH North America Expo Pass will have free admittance to the LonWorld Expo by showing that pass.

A total of 55 seminars are being offered during the course of the show, featuring hot topics of the various industries ranging from business management skills to trends in protecting against Legionnaire's Disease. Speakers include PM Editorial Director Jim Olsztynski, as well as PM columnists Dan Holohan, Frank Blau, Ellen Rohr, Paul Ridilla, Maurice Maio and John Siegenthaler.

Other notable speakers include Richard Trethewey, radiant guru on PBS' "This Old House"; Don Arnold, author of Supply House Times' College of Product Knowledge; and Paul Pollets, founder of Advanced Radiant Technology.

For information on advertising in the ISH NA Show Directory or Show Dailies, contact Christin Schrei at 630/694-4388, schreic@bnp.com. For information on exhibiting, contact Neil Stalker at 770/984-8016, ext. 14, neil.stalker@usa.messefrankfurt.com. To register for seminars and the Expo Hall, visit www.ish-na.com.

Canada's Weak Dollar Means Good Deals On Travel

Attendees from the United States traveling to Toronto for ISH North America will profit from two trends that make Canada an attractive destination.

For one thing, a weak Canadian dollar makes it an affordable destination. As we wrote this story in early-July, the Canadian dollar was valued at 66 U.S. cents. While hotels in such a large city as Toronto usually compensate for the currency difference, other travel amenities should be that much cheaper for Americans.

For another, Canada is purposely rolling out the red carpet for American tourists. According to The Wall Street Journal, the Canada Tourism Commission boosted its U.S. marketing budget for 2002 by more than 50 percent to about $30 million Canadian dollars. In short, Canada is trying to lure Americans next door for their next "foreign vacation" destination without the hassles of flying overseas.

According to the Statistics Canada, tourism officials expect an increase in Americans' trips of one or more nights to increase 3-4 percent this year compared to 2001. In recent months, an increase in automobile travel to Canada has outweighed any decline in air travel. (By comparison, American travel to Europe has dropped by double digits this year compared to last year, according to the European Travel Commission.)