FOR A LONG TIME NOW, we've had some very talented people working on behalf of Special Events Magazine who have not been listed on our masthead. It's time for us to fix that.

These talented people are special event professionals who serve on our Advisory Board. They represent all aspects of the event industry: corporate event planning, event design and decor, independent event coordination, party rental, catering, production. They represent cities from New York to Los Angeles, from Toronto to San Diego, from London to Johannesburg.

Each member has a very important job: to work for you, our readers.

Our editors are bombarded with solicitations for articles - some good ideas, some bad. We are in constant touch with our Advisory Board members to give us their perspective on issues, events and people in the industry. We use their guidance to make sure we are creating a magazine that serves the industry. We often call and e-mail them to ask, Is this event important to our business? Is that statement a fair assessment? What articles do you want to read?

Our goal is to produce a publication that enlightens you, keeps you abreast of important developments, and makes you more productive and effective in your work.

This month, a team from our Advisory Board will visit the Special Events Magazine offices in Malibu, Calif., for three days to pick the 2000 Gala Award finalists from the pool of entrants. The entire Advisory Board will be on hand in January at The Special Event in New Orleans to pick the Gala Award winners, who will be named Jan. 13.

To our new Advisory Board members and our alumni, thank you.