Many people - show organizers, exhibitors and attendees - wondered what impact last fall's terrorist attacks would have on the annual event. Cancellations were few, according to organizers, though the final numbers were mixed. Attendance, as reported by show organizers, was up significantly -by about 5,000 - from last year's 30,750 in Orlando, but still down from its peak of 41,000 in 1997, the last time NACE was held in Las Vegas. Attendance from outside the U.S. dropped from about 14 percent of total attendees to about 9 percent.

Jay Leno performing live at NACE

The trade show itself also was about 25,000-square-feet smaller than last year with 560 exhibiting companies, forty fewer than last year. Show organizers cited the departure of many 'dot-com' companies that helped make last year's exhibition the largest ever in terms of square feet, though the last time fewer than 600 companies had booths at NACE was in 1994.

Still, exhibitors seemed pleased with the turn-out, with a number commenting that perhaps more than most years, those who attended were there to buy, not just to party.

They came for education as well, if attendance at the event's dozens of training sessions was any indication; a number of sessions had well over 500 attendees.

He criticized Nationwide's deal with NAPA, saying that by requiring its direct repair shops to purchase hard parts through NAPA at an agreed-upon mark-up is another example of insurers meddling in the business relationships of a shop and its vendors. He criticized Progressive's "Concierge" program, saying it's another attempt to "micro-manage" shops, and that the insurer will make the shop the "scapegoat" when something goes wrong. And he criticized Allstate's purchase of Sterling, calling it a conflict of interest and saying repairers don't sell insurance and insurers shouldn't repair cars.

Poss