"I believe there are better ways to connect with our key customers in a way that is more meaningful to them and to us," Thomas Nelson CEO Michael Hyatt said on his blog. "Trade shows made sense when the industry was more fragmented. It was one of the few ways to connect face-to-face with retailers. But things have changed. The industry is largely consolidated."

Just like last year, Nelson will again skip ICRS, to be held July 12-15 in Denver. "We will continue to send a handful of our staff members to ICRS," said Hyatt, who included a link to the event's Web site. "There is still value in networking on foreign rights, international and remainders accounts. We just won't exhibit. I am not suggesting that this strategy is right for every publisher. For some, it may make great sense. It just doesn't work for us."

In a posting titled "Why Thomas Nelson Doesn't Attend Trade Shows," Hyatt added that Nelson meets face-to-face with its top 600 or so customers in the Christian retail channel at least four times a year.

More than 250 suppliers are due to exhibit at ICRS in Denver when it opens at the weekend.

In a cost-cutting move, Nelson did not participate in ICRS and Book Expo America in 2008. Instead, the company held an "Open House" for its top retail accounts, with hopes to make it an annual event. Nelson scrapped plans in December to hold its second Open House, scheduled for April 13-15. The three-day event has been pushed back to 2010, when it will become a biennial happening.

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