As the registration figures show, if you build an event like Colophon 2007 for magazine lovers, they will come.

The idea, a three-day event within the framework of European Capital of Culture 2007, was pitched in 2005, and is the brainchild of Mike Koedinger, himself a passionate independent magazine publisher. His idea was to bring together, "the most intriguing personalities in the worldwide magazine culture, to interact with audiences and players from a multitude of fields and to exchange ideas, experiences, and view examples of some of the best offerings."

Reaction has been very positive with over 500 people from around the world - magazine makers, art directors, photographers, illustrators, journalists, brand managers and students - already registered for the event. "Colophon is the most promoted event of 2007 in terms of articles, in terms of web blogs and in terms of advertising," says Koedinger, and this is an essential, if costly, element for its success. Colophon has had 150 full page and double page advertisements in international magazines to the tune of more than 300,000 euros.

The symposium, to be held from 9 to 11 March, involves conferences, panel discussions and "Portfolio Shows": a series of live presentations in the fields of photography, illustration and graphic design. There will also be "Room with a View", a temporary magazine store and library set up in the "aquarium" of the Casino Luxembourg - forum d'art contemporain. Around 200 magazines will participate in this initiative where magazines can be bought, borrowed or browsed. The Casino, which is the main venue for the symposium, will also host an exhibition presenting artwork from ten selected worldwide magazines plus two more exhibitions displaying a selection of significant magazines that no longer exist, and a special room dedicated to underground magazines. We Love Magazines, a book created for the symposium designed by Jeremy Leslie and edited by Andrew Losowsky, is currently in the works and will include features on all aspects of magazine creation, a worldwide magazine directory and an international guide to distribution. There is also pure entertainment in the form of the "Eclectic Electro Pop Party" at Rotunda 2.

The Symposium represents the culmination of three years' hard work. Colophon 2007 began as an ongoing project to build a database of magazines and a network of organisations and people from all over the world. To date it is the world's leading online directory of pop culture magazines, listing over 1,300 magazines with factsheets, covers and exclusive interviews, sorted by country and by language.

It is important to recognise that the true value at the core of Colophon is networking. "It is a great opportunity offering a showcase for professional students for example. This is a big collaboration with people across the Greater Region and designers and illustrators in art schools," says Ariane Petit, coordinator and press officer.

"This is a good working example of what can be achieved within the Greater Region and in this case with Luxembourg as the focal point," says Koedinger. Leveraging the cultural potential of the Greater Region is (supposed to be) the driving force behind all of the 2007 events, that and developing projects that are not necessarily a "one-off" but have potential to be continued into the future. This is another criteria prerequisite that Colophon 2007 meets since there are tentative plans to repeat the event, possibly as early as 2009. "Finally, the dream of collaboration throughout the Greater Region is working. In this case it is offering students a chance to show their work."

"Take the Portfolio Shows, for example," says Petit. "Each session will focus on a different discipline, either by professionals or by students. This gives everyone a chance to mix. The audience will be given an index with the contacts of the artists in that show. This is an excellent networking forum because it will draw a targeted and interested audience who can view people's artwork in an entertaining format."

The exchange is a win-win situation not just for Colophon 2007 participants but also for the public image of Luxembourg. Already, if you look at some of the participants' testimonials on the website, you can see that there is a sense of excitement about the event. If it comes off in a professional manner, it will add credibility to Luxembourg's international status.

With 500 professionals coming from Europe and some from further afield, there will be a ripple effect for other businesses in Luxembourg, especially in the Horeca sector, and the tourism industry has been closely involved. Visitors are coming by train or plane, they are staying in hotels and they will be eating in restaurants. Some of the hotels proposed by the Colophon 2007 organisers are already fully booked.

Visitors are spending a lot of money to travel here, which means they have some motivation to come. "You have certain extremes, such as people in the industry coming all the way from Argentina and New Zealand, but you also have people coming from Trier," says Koedinger. "It is a chance for people in the Greater Region to gain exposure but also a chance for people who might never have come to Luxembourg otherwise to realise what it has on offer."