A showcasing spectacle from The Special Event. Photo by Catch the Moment.

Event industry pros from throughout the world are converging on Atlanta next week for The Special Event 2008, which takes over the Georgia World Congress Center on Jan. 15.

The show will offer three powerful draws for the industry: more than 150 hours of top-flight educational programming, its famed showcasing events--including the Wedding Luncheon, NACE Welcome Party and Gala Awards--and an exhibit hall packed with products and services vital to successful events.

A highlight of this year's show will be the Leadership Brunch, Jan. 17 at the historic Fox Theater. Former professional football player Reginald Jones will serve as keynote speaker. Jones is founder and president of Fit 2 Win Corp., a corporate fitness-consulting firm headquartered in Chicago that stresses fitness as a means of reducing health-care expenditures and lowering absenteeism. The event will also see the presentation of the Steve Kemble Leadership Foundation Award.

Educational coursework at this conference can be submitted for ISES CSEP certification credit.

For more information on The Special Event, call 708/486-0731 or 866/486-0731, or visit The Special Event.