Every year, we take the pulse of our reader base to see where you are in your professional life and how we can better serve you. Here is what our most recent survey tells us about you:

Our latest reader survey shows that the Special Events Magazine reader is a decision-maker, not an order-taker. One in two of our readers is in upper level management, with the title of owner, president, vice president or general manager.

You also decide where your company's money goes. Nearly all respondents — a whopping 92 percent — are involved to some degree in the selection of products and services for your company. Fully a fourth are the sole decision-makers.

And you have healthy budgets to make decisions with: One in four spends $250,000 or more a year on event-related products and services. Some 8 percent spend $1 million or more every year.

The force behind these super-size spending plans is the sheer volume of work that our readers do. A third of our readers are involved in planning and organizing 100 or more events a year, including 14 percent who plan a whopping 500 a year or more.

You also have the experience to back up your actions. While we welcome newcomers to the industry, it's revealing to see that the average reader of Special Events has a track record going back more than 14 years in special events.

These facts and figures are impressive, but what is truly exciting to me is seeing how the powerhouse event pros who read Special Events Magazine use their talent and clout to create spectacular events. Our profiles of this year's Gala Award nominees, appearing on pages 22-63 of this issue, show the outstanding work that our talented readers create year after year.

Our research also tells us that the New Year will bring you even better opportunities to create memorable events. Once again, we have surveyed our readers for their predictions for business in the coming year, and our annual industry forecast, which begins on page 65, shows widespread optimism on the outlook for 2004.

I also want to thank you for letting us know how much you value Special Events Magazine itself. An impressive 82 percent read three out of four issues. Almost three-fourths of our readers say they never miss an issue.

Our goal will be to bring you an-other year of can't-miss magazine issues. I wish you a busy and bountiful 2004.