Norwalk, CT, December 18, 2005: Reed Exhibitions has announced that Gen Con will be an official show sponsor of its brand new event, New York Comic-Con, which will take place February 24th - 26th in New York City. Gen Con is an industry leading event for the gaming, fantasy and science fiction communities and attracts a large and devoted following. It currently organizes two conventions, one in the fall in Los Angeles and the other in the summer in Indianapolis. New York Comic-Con will be a major convention for comics, games, anime, and other related industries based on the East Coast and has already attracted compelling guests, celebrities, and innovators. The show has also attracted numerous co-sponsors.

"I am delighted that Gen Con will be joining us as a co-sponsor," notes Greg Topalian, Group Vice President in charge of Launch Pad for Reed Exhibitions. "Gen Con runs terrific shows and their expertise in the gaming sector is without comparison. They are providing us with a great stamp of approval by participating in our event and, more importantly, they will bring a wealth of knowledge to our gaming tournaments and events. I am pleased by this latest development as it not only underscores the value of our show to gaming enthusiasts, but it's a further indication of how strong we are to so many different constituents."

Peter Adkison, CEO of Gen Con, comments: "Gen Con is a popular and proven event and we certainly know the gaming business. We are eager to support New York Comic-Con as a way of supporting the gaming industry in the Northeast. Clearly, Reed Exhibitions is ambitious and wants to be more than just a comics convention by also welcoming games. Gen Con is happy to help them achieve that goal. If it is good for gaming, then it is certainly good for Gen Con."

New York Comic-Con organizers note that Gen Con will not only be a co-sponsor of the convention, but they will be an exclusive sponsor of the Gaming Hall, and they will also be producing all of New York Comic-Con's gaming tournaments and events. "We are confident that the gaming expert will feel at home at our show," concludes Topalian. "Gen Con will help us stage a lively event."

New York Comic-Con is managed by Reed Exhibitions (RX), a division of Reed Elsevier plc. Reed Exhibitions, the world's largest organizer of business-to-business events. Each year Reed events assemble over 90,000 suppliers and over 5 million buyers from around the world. Today, Reed events are held in over 30 countries throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia/Pacific, and are organized by 26 fully staffed offices. Reed's portfolio of events serves 49 industries in 12 key sectors.

BEA is one many Reed Elsevier properties within the Reed Global Book Publishing Network, whose trade events include the Asia International Book Fair, London International Book Fair, Salon du Livre: Paris Book Fair, Tokyo International Book Fair and BookExpo Canada, and whose Reed Business Information (RBI) properties include Publishers Weekly, Variety Magazine, Playthings, Video Business, Library Journal, and School Library Journal. As a member of the Reed Elsevier plc group, a world-leading business and information provider, Reed offers integrated market access programs covering exhibitions, trade publications, direct marketing and the Internet over a database of more than 9 million.
(NYSE: RUK/ENL).

Gen Con, LLC produces the largest consumer fantasy, sci-fi and adventure game convention in North America. Its operations include Gen Con Indy, Gen Con So Cal and Star Wars Celebration III, and licensees for European Gen Con shows. It was founded in May of 2002 by former CEO and founder of Wizards of the Coast Peter Adkison, who solely owns the company headquartered in Seattle, Washington. The company's mission is to create The Best Four Days in Gaming! every year for its customers. For more information visit the website at www.gencon.com.