Rumor on the street is that a few bloggers were denied press credentials and entry at the GSM show.
Certainly, it is something that tradeshow organizers continue to struggle with. PAN represents a number of tradeshow companies as clients. We counsel clients to deal with it by examining the blog the blogger represents, and check for relevant postings. If the postings are "journalistic" in nature, we usually credential the blogger. We have considered using Technorati to rank journalists, but have decided that it is not fair to bloggers with smaller audiences.
One of our account managers who has run countless press rooms at various trade shows notes that we have denied bloggers press credentials in certain cases. Recently, a company that was not exhibiting at a show sent a corporate representative as a blogger. The corporate blogger wanted to get press credentialed. He was denied credentialing because of the obvious self-serving nature of the corporate blog he represented.
Any other strategies out there for press credentialing bloggers, while protecting the sanctity of the press room and the privileges that come with press credentials? Or is press credentialing bloggers oxymoronic in a democracy?