Snow delays, straitened travel budgets, arbitrary security crackdowns and the knowledge that they will never match George Clooney's air miles in Up in the Air have left more than a few business travellers wondering whether their next trade show trip looks quite so appealing.
The exhibitions business has been one of the corners of the traditional media sector least damaged by digital technology. Even as social networks from LinkedIn to Facebook consume ever more time at their desks, people have not lost sight of the value of pressing the flesh.
Events attendance has always been susceptible to travel interruptions from Sars to terrorist attacks, however, and the downturn has created a new focus on whether costs and travel requirements can be taken out of the equation while preserving the experience of doing business face to face.