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Marketing used to be viewed as the business process most resistant to new technology. While sales, accounts and HR adopted it to boost productivity and efficiency, marketing was deemed more of an art than a science and held out. However, direct marketing and data mining have made such attitudes redundant, and the growth of new media in the past 10 years has finally cured marketing of its Luddite attitude. Technology is now at the heart of campaigns, be it data-driven email shoots, automated customer services or online affiliate networks.

David Eldridge, chief executive of Alterian, which provides marketing and customer-insight technology for clients such as BSkyB and Bristol & West, points out: "The data revolution is well and truly established.

Marketers have demanded it, many agencies have tried to avoid it, and many IT departments have struggled with it. Now, the data and analytics industry has rocketed to the top of the agenda, not only for direct marketers but also for traditional marketers."

Alterian, sponsor of this year's Technology for Marketing exhibition, is one of many companies thriving due to the rise in technology directed at marketing. Further growth is predicted at a time when other software is riding a slump. This is due to the move of budgets to new media and the growing integration of online methods into broader campaigns. The adoption and development of CRM has also made marketing reliant on technology.

A report in December 2003, from technology analysts the Meta Group, expected companies to focus more on the marketing component of CRM programmes.

Elizabeth Roche, vice-president of Meta Group's technology research services, sees two reasons for this new focus. "ROI in marketing has been hard to discern and if CRM can help to better target and drive down the costs of direct-marketing campaigns, it's a huge win. Marketing firms usually have more discretionary resources - if CRM tools can help prove the value of marketing efforts, that's a high value to the company too."

The growth in available technology has been such that there is a danger of marketers being blinded by science. Technology for Marketing, currently in its fourth year, adopts a jargon-free approach to proceedings, with plenty of advice on hand. And it seems to be paying off. At a time when similar exhibitions have lost some business, the show continues to go from strength to strength. Attendance in the first year was 3,500; 3,800 in 2002, and showed another 20 per cent increase last year.

Exhibitor numbers have climbed, from 98 companies in the first year to 141 last year. This year, around 200 exhibitors are expected. And the show's efforts helped it win the best exhibition marketing campaign at Haymarket's Event awards.

Show director Philip Hunter reckons this success is based on an increasing realisation of what marketing technologies can offer businesses. "The show is aimed at any company looking to get closer to its customers, whether through improving customer service, interaction or communications with them."

In controlling customer data and business intelligence, marketing departments are at the heart of a company and exerting greater influence, says Hunter.

"The core of the show has always been CRM, but it has become apparent that visitors are not just from marketing but from associated departments as well. A lot of CRM packages are encompassing marketing, sales and customer service, and they are interlinked."

Experian will be looking at how CRM can work harder for marketers with its new Intelligent Messaging service, which helps companies personalise communications strategies. Stephen Spillett, marketing manager at Experian Marketing Services, says: "The focus for Experian this year will be to showcase our range of multi-channel campaign tools, including telemarketing and email marketing. We will also be demonstrating the scalable model of Experian's database solutions."

Exhibitors at the show range from IT giants like Microsoft to new-media specialists such as affiliate-marketing company TradeDoubler and SEO firm Weboptimisation.com. "Our visitors range from those who are in companies already using technology in their marketing efforts, and want to do better, to those who are complete novices and have yet to use these techniques," says Hunter. "It's not just about providing solutions, but about providing information through our free seminars that help people understand how much more they could be doing."

Email specialist Optecon will deliver a seminar considering how marketing is using new techniques to great effect. Its new critical-mail system helps firms personalise items such as bills, statements and appointment confirmations. According to Optecon, these emails could provide a way of cutting through consumer apathy with the medium as they grab attention.

Personalised marketing messages attached to critical emails have pulled a 10 per cent response in trials with Avis.

"Convergence between the marketing operation and critical mail is expected to gather pace as companies strive to squeeze more out of marketing budgets," says Steve Gass, IT director at Optecon. "It's also a viable alternative to email marketing, which is now reaching saturation in some sectors and is becoming mired in legislation."

As well as there being more than 30 seminars, keynote sessions will discuss the hot topics of the day. TFM has partnered the Chartered Institute of Marketing, the Institute of Customer Service and the Institute of Sales & Marketing Management, and it will be possible to book free 30-minute consultancy sessions with customer-management firm Dunnhumby at the show.

An internet cafe will keep visitors in touch with the office.

Ultimately, though, the real reason to attend the show is to discover new ways of improving your marketing performance, E according to Hunter.

"It is becoming more difficult to get a return on investment through electronic marketing. You have to be more intelligent about it and more thorough in the way you use it. And, with the new electronic regulations that are coming into force, it is getting more difficult."

What's on show?

Affiliate marketing - TradeDoubler (D82) will show off its new functionality and explain how its business solutions for tracking affiliate activity can be used in other areas.

Agencies - The Hub (A20) and EHS Brann Discovery (C60) are on hand to discuss your digital dilemmas.

Analysis - New-generation predictive-analysis tools are helping companies to second-guess their customers. SPSS (C78) will be demonstrating its range of predictive products. Issel (E86) has the latest versions of Pilot BusinessMonitor and its web performance-management system, Pilot HitList.

CRM - Caspian (C95) will exhibit web solutions for its CRM product, enabling the synchronisation of marketing databases, sites and other channels. Experian (B90) claims its new Intelligent Messaging product helps firms personalise their communications by targeting customer groups with the most appropriate message. Maximizer Software (B60), Wizard Systems (E104) and Microsoft Business Solutions (B40) are targeting small to medium-sized firms with their offerings. Visitors to Never-fail Group (B41) can crash a server and see how Neverfail for Microsoft CRM can ensure their CRM applications stay up.

Email marketing - Legislative change has not dampened marketers' enthusiasm for email marketing. CheetahMail (B70) will showcase its web-based email-marketing technology and in-house strategic consultancy. Email Reaction (C101) is launching 360 Degree Publishing, enabling marketers to create microsites with dynamic content that matches their email campaigns and track clickthrough. Emailcenter UK (D80) will demonstrate its inbound corporate email-management system, Akio Mail Center. Envisage IT (B104) will offer an extended 60-day free trial of its Emito system. And IPT Services (C96) launches its own ASP email-marketing service.

Mobile - Wireless Information Network Limited (C90) will have live demos of its mobile services, enabling picture-messaging ads. It will showcase a range of services for public sector customers, which will be available from January 2004, as part of its Community Text portfolio.

Search engine optimisation - Ever wondered why your internet traffic is so poor? Well, visitors to Position Focus (E92) will have the opportunity to win a day's free SEO consultation, worth £300, to help their web site take a leap up the rankings.

HIGHLIGHTS OF A PACKED TWO-DAY SEMINAR SCHEDULE

Technology for Marketing is more than just meeting digital service providers and seeing what they offer - it's also about benefiting from the accumulated experience of the exhibiting companies.

Over the two days, 32 exhibitors will hold seminars in two dedicated theatres, with topics ranging from simple introductions to digital techniques to analysis of the changing legislative and technical environment. Highlights include:

Email marketing - CheetahMail will present various case studies that exemplify best practice in email marketing and show the ROI available from the technique (Tuesday 10, 10.30-11.00, Theatre 1). Meanwhile, Phillip Singh, head of e-commerce at Experian, will outline the changing requirements of email marketing in the permission-based environment (Wednesday 11, 14.00-14.30, Theatre 1).

E-sales - Tony Gasson, VP and managing director EMEA of WebEx Communications, will help delegates understand virtual sales infrastructures, exploring the hurdles and cultural issues of selling online, with customer case studies (Tuesday 10, 11.50-12.20, Theatre 2).

E-CRM - Maximizer Software's Tricia Gregory explains how to pick the right system for your business and integrate it with your traditional business (Tuesday 10, 14.00-14.30, Theatre 2). And Stephen Yeo, director of marketing at Wyse Technology, explains how it more than doubled its sales volume over 12 months using e-CRM (Wednesday 11, 15.20-15.50, Theatre 2).

Web optimisation - Many sites are let down by poor search-engine visibility, yet 85 per cent of traffic comes from search engines. Howard Furr-Barton, sales director of Weboptimisation.com, tells how reassessing your site can deliver a quick and cost-effective return on marketing spend (Wednesday 11, 11.10-11.40, Theatre 2).

Mobile marketing - Damian Hanson, sales manager at 2 ergo, points out how companies can benefit from the implementation of mobile internet, SMS, MMS, and both web and voice communication solutions and services (Wednesday 11, 12.30-13.00, Theatre 2).

FACT BOX

What: Technology For Marketing is the only UK event dedicated to helping marketing professionals implement technology services to make the most of their marketing strategies and campaigns

When: Tuesday 10 & Wednesday 11 February, 10.00-17.00

Where: The National Hall, Olympia, London. Kensington Olympia is the nearest station - District Line; trains from Clapham Junction, Gatwick Airport, Milton Keynes, Rugby, Northampton, Watford Junction and Willesden Junction

Why: It offers digital marketers an overview of the latest developments in technology and techniques. Organisers claim everything is jargon-free, so visitors can compare products, speak to specialists and get free advice

How: The show is free to registered business visitors. Tickets can be obtained by pre-registering on the web site (www.t-f-m.co.uk) or by registering at the show.