Diversified Business Communications President and CEO Nancy Hasselback assumed the overall CEO role of Portland, ME-based parent company Diversified Communications, effective Jan. 1. Hasselback succeeds David Lowell, who retired as CEO on December 31, 2008, after serving 30 years with the company.

IT software and services company Novell announced it won't be holding its annual BrainShare conference in Salt Lake City scheduled for March 2009. After holding the event for more than 20 years, the company cited the current economic climate and the increasing pressure attendees are under to reduce travel costs, which has made them hesitant to commit to attending the 2009 conference, as the cause for the move.

The International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE) and National Trade Productions (NTP), owner and producer of the TS2 conference and expo, have formed a co-location partnership at the 2009 TS2 show, which will be held July 20-23 at McCormick Place in Chicago.

Trade show organizer Reed Exhibitions has canceled Apple Expo Paris 2009, according to Macworld. Apple announced earlier this year that it wouldn't participate in the Apple Expo Paris show as part of its overall strategy of scaling back its trade show participation.

Apple has announced that it will no longer exhibit at the Macworld Conference & Expo following the 2009 event, which will be held Jan. 5-7 in San Francisco. According to Apple, trade shows are now a minor part of the corporation's strategy due to its success in reaching more people via its retails stores and Web site. Apple isn't alone, but part of a growing list of major exhibitors that have recently opted to pull out of trade shows, such as Yahoo, Cisco and DirecTV at CES, and Nissan at the Detroit Auto Show.