About 4,800 attendees are expected at this year's conference, an increase of about 15 percent over last year's event, according to IBM.

About 135 vendors are expected to show off Lotus-related products at the event. They include:

- Collaboration software vendor Trilog Group Inc., which will launch its new Darwino visual data conversion tool. The tool is designed to help move Lotus Notes and Domino documents into IBM's Workplace Designer XML document repository. Darwino will convert Lotus Domino forms and data into XML documents that will be stored in the repository and can help developers move from Domino Designer to Workplace Designer, according to Woburn, Mass.-based Trilog.

- Messaging administration software vendor DYS Analytics, which will unveil its new DYS Control Guardian application. That software gives e-mail administrators automated controls for enforcing e-mail and IM compliance, security, data protection and enterprise reputation management by stopping non-compliant messages from being sent. DYS Control Guardian will be available in March, with versions for Domino, Sametime and Microsoft Exchange, according to the Wellesley, Mass.-based vendor.

- Derby, England-based CommonTime Ltd., a mobility-application vendor, which will announce a new mSuite application that provides integrated mobility for Lotus Notes and Domino. The application can help deliver secure wireless Lotus Notes e-mail and applications to new platforms, including Windows Mobile 5.0 devices, according to the company.