he Electronic Transactions Association (ETA) announced that the 2003 Midyear Meeting will take place this fall, but without a trade show. ETA's Board of Directors voted to hold only one trade show per year, effective in the 2003-04 ETA fiscal year, which begins July 1, 2003.

The ETA attributes its change in plans to feedback from members and attendees of the 2002 Midyear Meeting in Seattle. Attendance at the Seattle show was less than expected: 1,512 attendees and an estimated exhibitor-to-attendee ratio of 3 to 1. Opinions on the low turnout ranged from the poor economy and time constraints to the show's location.

The 2003 Midyear Meeting will be a forum with panel presentations, roundtable discussions and still plenty of networking opportunities. Without vendors attending, the size of the show is expected to be significantly smaller.

The ETA said its 2003 Annual Meeting and Expo, scheduled for April 8-10, will be "business as usual" with exhibitors, meetings and training classes coming together in Las Vegas.

The theme of this year's show, scheduled to be at the MGM Grand, is "Beat the Odds." The event opens on Tuesday, April 8 with an all-day golf tournament and evening welcoming party with exhibitors. General and educational sessions and numerous networking opportunities with exhibitors will follow on April 9-10.

A preliminary schedule of the meeting and registration information is available on the ETA's Web site, www.electran.org.