Yes, the WPPI Convention and Trade Show has the Champagne Shootout, but what is it about WPPI that makes it the caviar of trade shows, the Rolls-Royce of expos, the gold standard in trade shows? What makes WPPI the greatest trade show? Everything! Just ask the attendees or the exhibitors. The staff takes great pride in staging every show, and most are even willing to bend your ear on why they love it so much.

Moments before the convention doors open, witness the massive crowds eagerly awaiting entry. Experience a buzz and excitement you won't find at any other convention. Photographers know that at WPPI, someone is waiting down every aisle to enlighten, to demonstrate and most importantly, to form lasting partnerships.

But in a world full of photography trade shows and conventions, what makes WPPI unique? Location is certainly a factor. While other trade shows are held in convention centers, WPPI resists that avenue, even though it could easily move into and fill one. By opening day, the waiting list for booths is in the double digits and most of the vendors have, regrettably, been turned down in their requests for more booth space. This approach may seem crazy to anyone who thinks selling booth space is the only criterion for a show. So instead of going the traditional convention center route, WPPI launched the Venue Booth area.

The 2007 convention and trade show was a real test for the new format. True, there were some bumps and miscalculations, but those issues have been addressed and corrected, and the result is the return of the Venue Booth area in 2008, only double in size.

The venue booths take over a section of Bally's ballroom area. Operating during alternating hours from the Paris trade show, the venue booths allow exhibitors to set up adjacent to speaker programs to present their products. It's an innovative idea that in just one year has been wildly successful.

But back to the issue of location, location, location. So why else is WPPI wary of the convention center? Ambiance plays a large role. Entering a convention center can feel like being herded into a barn, an impersonal shell of a building. Yards and yards of unattractive, poorly rolled, bumpy aisle carpet awaits to trip the unsuspecting attendee. After a day or so of walking on thin carpet laid over industrial concrete flooring, an evening without an ice pack is out of the question.

Now, enter the inviting hotel atmosphere at WPPI: wall-to-wall carpeting throughout the two hotels, chandeliers in a few of the smaller trade show rooms, beautiful wallpaper and lighting sconces, Paris' fabulous hall of mirrors between the rooms--everything is more appealing to the eye. And as photographers, isn't that essential?

Granted, someday WPPI may have to succumb to a convention center. We may not have a choice; the show has doubled in attendance over the previous five years and shows no signs of slowing down. But until WPPI can find a way to bring its style and ambiance to a convention center, you can expect us to stay put, opting instead for the more intimate hotel showrooms and the one-of-a-kind Venue Booth area.

So what else makes the WPPI show attractive? Without a doubt, it's the attendees. WPPI has a younger, more focused crowd than you see at similar shows. The source of much of WPPI's fun is the energy level that this lively group brings. They are fearless and never too embarrassed to ask questions. The younger they are, the more they ask: How does this work? How can I adapt this to my equipment? What are the options in my area? What are the options in my price range? Who else uses this and what do they use it for?

Another special quality of WPPI attendees is that they love to network and share information. The trade show floor is part circus; unpredictable and fast-paced, it changes every hour. Top-name photographers show up at booths where they are scheduled to talk, while just a few minutes later they might be at another booth, playing with the newest gadgets like any other customer. Someone listening to one of the many floorshow speakers is always willing to share his or her knowledge that a vendor is giving away products or that a well known speaker will be dropping by another booth later in the day. There seems to be no greediness or selfishness with our attendees. They are happy to divulge whatever news they gather. Long-lasting friendships and professional relationships have been forged here. It's a bit like Mensa. If you are attending WPPI, you are expected to be smarter than photographers who do not attend.

Don't forget that the exhibitors also contribute to making WPPI what it is. These exhibitors are interested in a long-term client base. Although every year new technologies make way for first-time vendors to take a space on the floor, WPPI has grown to its current status by creating lasting relationships with many exhibitors since its first show in 1981.

Since the inception of the show, WPPI has tried to cultivate a family atmosphere among attendees. No matter how big the show gets, you find that births, deaths, marriages, divorces, taxes, weather--all the topics discussed at a family reunion--find a place in conversation. Although an intimate atmosphere still lingers, with 350 vendors (and counting), gone are the days when everyone knew everyone else. Still, exhibitors and attendees treat each other like family, even if they have never met. Seasoned WPPI exhibitors help novices with trade show logistic questions, while newer vendors open doors to veterans for collaborative ventures, new technologies or introductions to up-and-coming photographers.

Much of the excitement surrounding WPPI is derived from the seemingly endless list of well known photographers presenting speaker programs. More exciting still, when photography's finest aren't teaching, they're ambling around the trade show floor not only as customers, but as vendors as well. Surprisingly, you might attend Yervant Zanizanian's program one morning and find out that in the afternoon, he is Page Gallery in the list of exhibitors. The same goes for Martin and Ryan Schembri and the You Select It booth. Dozens of WPPI speakers, both past and present, know the value of having their own booths and appearing on a one-to-one level with the public. Vicki and Jed Taufer (V Gallery Haven), Kevin Kubota (Kubota Image Tools), Jerry Ghionis (Xsight), Beth Forester (photoDUDS) and the Sallees are just a few of the speakers who can be discovered in their own booths. Visit the WPPI website, www.wppionline.com, and pull up the trade show map to find out which speakers have an exhibitor booth.

Another important thing to know about exhibitors is that WPPI will not compromise the integrity of the show in order to fill booths. Booth spaces sell out the very first day they go on sale. New business is always welcome, but not at the expense of WPPI's reputation or attendees. There is an unwritten honor code between the exhibitor and WPPI, a sort of partnership to police the less than reputable. WPPI listens to all complaints and gives the vendor the chance to respond to or correct the situation. Multiple complaints lodged against an individual booth or group and not resolved are seriously taken into consideration when determining who will exhibit the following year. No one can afford to be associated with a show that harbors scam artists.

The final element that reflects the quality of this show is the WPPI staff. This is not an indoor swap meet to them. This is a chance to show off how a trade show can operate with class. People are not allowed to hand out flyers in the show aisles and doorways, and certainly not in the hotels. Take that, convention center! Although it would be easy to sell booth space to credit card, rental car and other mass audience merchandisers, WPPI works hard to maintain a professional venue for appropriate exhibitors.

So if you are not in the mood to meet new people, be introduced to new technologies, laugh, discover how to use older equipment in new ways, be entertained, laugh, hobnob with celebrity photographers and laugh some more while learning your craft, you may want to stay at home and wait for the phone to ring. Good luck with that one!