Event professionals from throughout the industry are packing their bags to head to San Diego for The Special Event 2009, which runs Jan. 28-30 at the San Diego Convention Center.

Just added: Industry leader Andrea Michaels, head of Sherman Oaks, Calif.-based Extraordinary Events, is partnering with Michael Menezes, managing director of New Delhi-based Showtime Events and president of the Event & Entertainment Management Association, a registered nonprofit body of companies, organizations and institutions operating in the event and entertainment management industry across India.

The pair will host the seminar "The Tiger and The American Eagle: Two Worlds, One Challenge" on Thursday, Jan. 29, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in room 14AB at the San Diego Convention Center. The session will examine the exploding event marketplace in India. "With unique designs based on a combination of technology and tradition--if you’ve ever attended an Indian wedding, you’ll know what this means--and the longevity of the special events industry, opportunities abound for inbound and outbound business," Michaels says. "But, what do we need to know about this exotic, exciting and enlightening culture? And what are the similarities to the rest of the world’s way of doing business?" Michaels and Menezes will discuss what India and the Western event business have in common, what is different and where opportunities lie.

(For more on Michaels' visit to India last year, click here. )

You won't wear out your Welcome Party: If you're having just too much fun at the Welcome Event, co-sponsored by NACE and slated for Wednesday, Jan. 28, from 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. at San Diego's On Broadway, don't worry. After 10:30, the bars will turn into cash bars; the last bus back to host hotels the Omni and the Marriott Marina will depart from On Broadway at 11 p.m.

Get your Pre-game Party on: Join everyone on the exhibit floor, Exhibit Halls A/B at the San Diego Convention Center, on Thursday, Jan. 29, from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. for our special "Pre-game Party." What's better than food, fun and great exhibits?

For more information about education sessions, showcasing events and exhibits at The Special Event 2009, visit thespecialeventshow.com.

Photo courtesy the San Diego Convention Center