BOSTON / Aug. 14, 2001--Boston Ventures, a leading private equity firm focusing on the media, entertainment and communication industries, announced today that it signed an agreement to purchase the Cahners Travel Group from Cahners Business Information, a member of the Reed Elsevier plc group RUK.

The Cahners Travel Group ("CTG") is composed of worldwide directories, periodicals, and destination information guides which serve the travel and hospitality industry. CTG's seven directories provide details on hotels, cruise lines and ships, meeting and convention properties, and business travel in the United States and internationally. The directories include Hotel Travel Index, Official Hotel Guide, Official Meetings Guide, Official Meetings Facilities Guide, Official Meetings Facilities Guide - International, Official Cruise Guide, and Business Travel Planner. CTG's three periodicals provide editorial coverage of the travel industry in general through Travel Weekly, the travel industry in the Western United States specifically through TravelAge West, and the meetings industry through Meetings and Conventions. In addition to its directories and editorial periodicals, CTG produces two information services called STAR Service and Weissman Travel Reports that provide information on numerous travel destinations, including countries, cities, and ports-of-call.

It is expected that this deal will close in September.

About Boston Ventures

Boston Ventures (www.bostonventures.com) is a leading private equity firm that has been an active investor and financial partner to management teams since 1983. The firm's longstanding commitment to the media, entertainment, and communications sectors of the economy has earned Boston Ventures a "franchise" position in the private equity community and an outstanding reputation as knowledgeable and value added investors in these industries. Since its inception the firm has invested approximately $2.0 billion.

About Cahners

Cahners Business Information () is a leading provider of critical information and marketing solutions to business professionals in the media, manufacturing, electronics, construction and retail industries. Its market-leading properties include more than 135 business-to-business publications, over 125 Webzines and Web portals, as well as online services, custom publishing, directories, research and direct-marketing lists. Cahners is a member of the Reed Elsevier plc group RUK - a world-leading publisher and information provider operating in the science and medical, legal, education and business-to-business industry sectors.

Lou Bertocci
617-350-1500