Keeping Up;

If you're looking for a particular seminar, you should know about a new company called The 1st Seminar Service, in Lowell, Mass., which serves as a kind of travel agency for seminar-seekers. It works like this: you call a toll-free number (800-321-1990) and tell the agent what you want. He, or she, then scans 1st Seminar's database, looking for a seminar that meets your needs. If there aren't any currently being offered, the agent puts you on a "seminar watch," and notifies you when one becomes available. Once you've settled on a seminar, you sign up for it through the agency, which does not charge for the service: like a travel agency, 1st Seminar gets a percentage of the fee paid to the seminar provider.

At this writing, the company has more than 60,000 seminars in its database, ranging from "How to Climb a Utility Pole" to "Accounting for the Non-Financial Executive," offered by more than 1,000 different seminar companies, including most of the major names in the business. In addition, 1st Seminar will set up in-house seminars for customers.

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