Falling on the heels of a

recent article in the Boston Globe and MACOC ads run in Rolling Stone

magazine, the COMDEX trip should attract even more media attention,

says Chris Clark, president of the Fayette County Chamber of Commerce.

Having worked the exhibit booth, Clark maintains a positive attitude

about the hard work involved with the trip and its logistic challenges.

Touted as regional cooperation

at its highest level, the Joint Development Authority of Metropolitan

Atlanta, which represents Clayton, DeKalb, Douglas, Fulton and Rockdale

counties, along with Metro South (composed of Fayette, Clayton, Coweta,

Henry, south Fulton and Spalding counties) pooled resources for the

second year to attend an event that most of the counties would be unable

to attend on their own.

National media attention

has focused on the marketing efforts of the Metropolitan Atlanta Chamber

of Commerce and other regional economic developers, particularly after

the launch of a $2 million "Industries of the Mind" campaign

recently that included ads in the Boston Globe and Rolling Stone magazine.

Last night, a VIP reception

was attended by more than 50 prospects the group invited to the event;

some were visitors to the booth and others were targeted exhibitors

invited electronically prior to the trip. While they enjoyed a buffet,

guests networked with the Atlanta economic developers, giving them a

chance to ask questions and learn more about why their businesses should

locate in the city.

Premium gifts calculators

with rotating covers and imprinted with the group's logo and URL were

a big hit with attendees, who received them as they left the gathering.

One lucky guest left with a deluxe wireless telephone donated by Siemens,

who also sent a representative along on the trip; the company has offices

in Atlanta.

"We're extremely pleased

with the success of our mission so far," said Maria Mullins, vice

president of economic development for the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce.

"Our booth immediately tells people where we're from and why we're

here, and the level of interest is encouraging. My prediction is that

we'll meet our goal of bringing back 500 good leads."

According to Mullins, it

became obvious Monday that the popular letter openers would need to

be replenished, although booth visitors also were offered a luggage

tag laminated with their own business cards.

"As guests waited for

their promotional items, we had ample opportunity to chat with them,

as well as to swipe their floor pass," explained David Luckie,

former Metro South chairman and the executive director of the Griffin-Spalding

County Development Authority.

Going on to say that each

card swiped left the group with full contact information for the guest's

business, he reiterated that each participating county would receive

the information for future recruitment efforts. As chairman of the Georgia

Economic Developers Association this year, Luckie emphasized the importance

of the COMDEX exhibit as both a recruitment tool and an example of regional

cooperation.

Dr. Clayton C. Powell, who

chairs the Fulton County Development Authority and attended the event,

noted that the entire business community had supported the effort and

that several Atlanta firms including Turner Properties, Coca Cola, Delta

Airlines and Ernst & Young had contributed.

"We especially would

like to thank Alec Fraser, president of Turner Properties, who flew

out specifically for our reception and greeted our guests," he

added.

A Cox Communications technology

reporter interviewed several members of JDAMA and Metro South Tuesday;

describing Atlanta as "an attractive alternative to California,"

Steve Rieck(president & CEO of the Clayton County Chamber of Commerce

and a member of both organizations) explained that Atlanta's economic

development program is among the nation's longest running.

Mullins added that the city

is "redefining what we thought of as industry and how we label

or target companies," in reference to technology firms. She mentioned

several that had moved into non-traditional spaces in DeKalb County,

and that recruitment efforts were utilizing new ways of thinking.

Pointing out that his own

county has been thought of primarily as a supplier of textile goods

("The sheets you slept on here in Las Vegas may have a tag that

says, 'made in Griffin, Ga.'"), Luckie told the reporter that the

reasons his authority became involved with the larger groups are subtle.

"There are no chip factories

in Georgia, and we asked ourselves why; we know they're looking. Chip

factories utilize a great deal of water as a 'clean' industry, and they're

always looking for incentives.

"Sometimes they're looking

for commuter rail, and Spalding is on the schedule for that. What we

need is exposure."

His organization hopes COMDEX

and other cooperative projects will supply it.

Scheduled to close Friday,

COMDEX was projected to attract more than 200,000 visitors to meander

around its one million-plus square feet of high-tech exhibits this week.

In the company of such technology

giants as Microsoft, Palm, IBM and others, Atlanta participants say

that if all goes as planned, at least a small percentage of those visitors

will know about Atlanta.

Some of them may even wind

up there.