September 17, 2003, the second day of the Motivation Show in Chicago, was officially named Meeting Professionals International (MPI) Day, the first time the 70-year-old show spotlighted that organization and its 9,000 meeting planner members in such a high-profile manner. MPI leaders were pleased with the incentive event's recognition of the important roles planners play in the incentive industry. "The Motivation Show is an extremely important industry event, and MPI has wanted to be more involved with the show for some time," says MPI spokeswoman Kelly Schulz. "We are extremely happy with the results of the day and already have plans in the works for next year." This year's Motivation Show drew 15,527 paid attendees, a number nearly identical to last year's. This year there were fewer premium and travel exhibitors, down five and eight percent, respectively, but remaining exhibitors took bigger booths, resulting in almost the same total square footage used as in 2002.Many exhibitors were cautiously optimistic about 2004. Gerald Lee, chief business officer of the Singapore Tourism Board, says things are beginning to look up for his island nation, which took a hit from SARS earlier this year. Signs of a turnaround include promising tourism statistics and groups that had postponed travel to Singapore because of SARS "starting to rebook."