Montvale, NJ, October 9, 2002 - SYS-CON Media, headquartered in Montvale, New Jersey, has been named as an entrepreneurial growth leader by Inc magazine, which today released its 2002 Inc 500 ranking of the nation's fastest-growing private companies. The ranking will appear in the magazine's special Inc 500 issue, which hits newsstands October 15.

SYS-CON Media achieved a record 752% growth in the past five years. Founded in 1994 by Fuat Kircaali with an initial loan of just $1,200 borrowed on his personal credit cards, SYS-CON is today the world's leading magazine publisher serving niche i-technology developer markets. The company's conference and trade-show division produces annual technology events with attendance of more than 10,000 delegates, in large convention centers in major metropolitan areas. SYS-CON's seasoned management team has built the company on a well-executed strategy of anticipating new developments in i-technology and being first-to-market with an all-encompassing package of integrated products and services.

October 15, 2002 Special Inc 500 Issue Cover

Fuat Kircaali, SYS-CON Founder and CEO accepting the Inc 500 Award on behalf of SYS-CON Media from Gary Mirkin, publisher of Inc Magazine.

"It is exciting and gratifying to be included in Inc magazine's extremely prestigious ranking for the third year," said Fuat Kircaali, SYS-CON's founder and CEO. "This shows the spectacular results that may be achieved in today's economy, even in the technology media space, through passion, focus, and teamwork." Started in 1982, the Inc 500 ranks the nation's leading entrepreneurial firms according to sales growth over the previous five years. Former Inc 500 companies that have gone on to become household names include Microsoft, Oracle, CompUSA, Gateway, Timberland, Domino's Pizza, and Patagonia.

 The 2002 Inc 500 reveals a surprising resiliency within the entrepreneurial sector, where leading companies are continuing to show dramatic rates of growth despite the recession. "This is the first Inc 500 ranking to reflect the full impact of the recession," said Inc editor John Koten. "Yet these entrepreneurs are managing to confound the naysayers and move ahead despite obstacles. They are showing that smart strategies can succeed even in the toughest of times."

SYS-CON's revenue and earnings have grown dramatically since its inception in 1994. From 1998 to 2001, revenue grew at a compound annual growth rate of 72.9%. For the same period, gross margin increased at a CAGR of 75.7%. This year, as of October 2002, adjusted annual EBITDA will increase 57.7% to new record earnings. In 2003, the company projects its gross margin to increase 51.9% and the contribution is projected to increase 70.4%, which will keep SYS-CON in an impressive growth pattern for 2002, 2003 and beyond.

Photo: (Eli Horowitz, Jim Morgan, Fuat Kircaali, Carmen Gonzalez)

As a result of this impressive growth, SYS-CON Media has been recognized three times by Inc 500, twice named by Deloitte & Touche to its "Technology Fast 50" award and is expected to be named this year to Deloitte & Touche's "Technology Fast 500" award, which honors the 500 fastest growing technology companies in the United States and Canada, both among public and privately held corporations.

About SYS-CON Media

SYS-CON Media, listed in Inc 500 three years in a row as the fastest growing, privately held publishing company in America, is the world's leading publisher exclusively serving i-technology markets. SYS-CON publications include: Wireless Business & Technology (www.WBT2.com), Java Developer's Journal (www.JavaDevelopersJournal.com), XML-Journal (www.XML-Journal.com), Web Services Journal (www.WSJ2.com), ColdFusion Developer's Journal (www.ColdFusionJournal.com), PowerBuilder Developer's Journal (www.PowerBuilderJournal.com), WebSphere Developer's Journal (www.WebSphereDevelopersJournal.com), BEA WebLogic Developer's Journal (www.WeblogicDevelopersJournal.com), and .NET Developer's Journal (www.DotNETDevelopersJournal.com).

About SYS-CON Events, Inc.

SYS-CON Events, Inc. is the world's leading producer of i-technology developer conferences and expositions. SYS-CON Events' 2002 developer conference calendar includes: Web Services Edge 2002 East - International Web Services Conference & Expo, colocated with JDJEdge 2002 East - International Java Developer Conference & Expo and XMLEdge 2002 East - International XML Conference & Expo, which took place June 24-27 at Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York City; and Web Services Edge 2002 West - International Web Services Conference & Expo, colocated with JDJEdge 2002 West - International Java Developer Conference & Expo, XMLEdge 2002 West - International XML Conference & Expo, and Wireless Edge 2002 - International Wireless Business & Technology Conference & Expo, which took place October 1-3 at San Jose Convention Center in California.

Contact: Grisha Davida
Company: SYS-CON Media
Voice: 201 802-3004
Email: grisha@sys-con.com

Contact: Mark Harabedian
Company: SYS-CON Media
Voice: 201 802-3066
Email: mark@sys-con.com