The NAB convention is a huge event, and the common mistake made by attendees is to not plan ahead. The convention floor is huge. The sessions run non-stop. There are even more exhibitors in hotel suites. Where do you begin? Right here with the March issue of Radio magazine.

The NAB convention has been held in Las Vegas for the past 17 years. Las Vegas has the deserved reputation of being an adult playground, but the city is a good place to hold a convention because it can accommodate the flood of visitors. Still, once you're in the Convention Center, you're on your own.

Our convention preview has several parts to help you plan your time. The most visible part of the convention is the exhibit hall. In this case, there are four of them plus an outdoor exhibits area. This massive exhibit area itself can't be completely covered in four days. It's ⅓ mile from the north end to the south end alone. The NAB Extra! is a collection of products that will be unveiled, so you can get a head start on what to see. We'll also have some stragglers to include the April issue, so don't forget to look there as well.

Navigating the show floor can be a challenge, so we have two tools to help you. The major portion of radio exhibitors are in the North Hall, so we have highlighted this section with a pull-out map. Additional copies of this map will also be distributed in our booth in the North Hall (N6128).

Because you're probably going to the convention with some specific equipment quests, we have also organized the exhibitors into categorized listings in the FASTtrack. In addition, the exhibitors in these categories are arranged in booth order so you can quickly move from booth to booth with the most direct path. Don't waste time backtracking, use the FASTtrack to plot the most direct course.

What's a convention without sessions? Again, time is short, so you have to pick and choose which sessions you want to attend. We have outlined the radio-relevant sessions in the Insight to Sessions section so you can decide which sessions are right for you. We have also included some sessions outside the Broadcast Engineering Conference that may be of interest. All of this is then displayed in a timetable grid so you can plan your day.

Your time in Las Vegas doesn't need to be all business. Get some extra tips from the Radio magazine staff. Turn to page 84 and get some inside tips.

Now you're ready for NAB2007. See you in Las Vegas.