And then there's the cost. Airfare, hotel accommodations, meals, ground transportation, registration fees and other logistics tend to add up—not to mention the costs that can't be measured so easily in dollars, such as the work that stacks up while you're away from the office.

On Nov. 14, Government Product News/Government Procurement and our sister publication, American City & County, will host an event that will feature the benefits of an in-person conference and expo without the logistical hassles—and without the cost.

Our inaugural Public Services WebExpo and Conference is a virtual trade show that will feature interactive product exhibits. From the comfort of your own office, you can visit trade show booths and interact with suppliers of products and services tailored to government buyers.

Just as you would find at an in-person trade show, education will be a big part of the Public Services WebExpo. Attend one or both of these Webcasts:

• 11 a.m. EST—CONTECH Construction Products Inc. presents “Create Value Through Increased Competition on Construction Projects.”
• 2 p.m. EST—Microsoft presents “Is Software @ Your Service? Software Development Challenges and Solutions for City and County Governments and Departments.”

And it’s all free.

What will it be like?

To give you a taste of what the WebExpo will be like, advertisers will "build" their own booths in virtual reality, adding architectural features, colors, logos, etc., so every booth looks different, just like at a "real" trade show.

Those of us attending the WebExpo can move in and out at will, stopping in at booths, leaving to work for several hours, coming back to either of the Webcasts.

We can visit the Resource Center of the trade show, where we can download white papers, jump to other Web sites and visit archived Webcasts that already have run on GovPro.com.

Finally, we can visit the 10 or so virtual trade show booths, where booth sponsors can interact with us during “live chat” sessions. The booths include document downloads with product and services information.

Attendance is free, but registration is required. To register, visit our registration and information page.

See you on Nov. 14!

Josh Cable is the editor of Government Product News and Government Procurement magazines.