Paul Kent, vice president and general manager of Macworld Expo 2011, previews the big show, tells us what's new, what's cool and what we absolutely must not miss.

Tell us about one thing that has you excited about Macworld this year.

Music. There's music woven into several aspects of the show. Feature presentations by Jordan Rudess (Dream Theater/MorphWiz) and Zoe Keating, The Berklee College of Music stage with all the free music content creation seminars, and lots of cool music apps and tools to check out from exhibitors like Sonoma Wireworks and IK Multimedia.

Recession recovery gauge question: are ticket sales and booth buys up, down or holding steady?

Slightly up for booths and exhibits, steady for conference attendance.

Is there a particular focus or theme emerging regarding what exhibitors will be showing?

70% of our exhibitors self-identify as providing "mobile" products -- apps, utilities, peripherals or accessories. Mobile is the ubiquitous technical concept shaping the year and everything from productivity apps, to games to creativity software, to printers, accessories, cases and stands are adopting a "mobile" strategy.

What surprised you this year as you and your team were pulling the show together?

That 37% of the companies exhibiting at Macworld this year are first-time exhibitors. We think this is fantastic -- new blood is essential to our market, and this ensures that there will be many brand new products for attendees to discover.

If you were going to the show as private citizen Paul Kent, where would you spend most of your time? What would be your perfect day at Macworld?

My perfect day as an attendee would involve getting to the show floor right when it opens to be part of that excitement of the grand opening. You can actually feel the buzz of all the attendees bustling with anticipation to see the cool new stuff. I'd probably then go right to the Mobile App Showcase, first, to check out the latest apps for my iPad and iPhone.

If I wanted to take a break from walking the show, I'd go over to the Macworld Live! stage to see some of the podcasters that I listen to doing a live show, then I'd go back on the show floor to look for cool Mac OS X software like Smile's PDFPen or BusyCal.

Next I'd head over to the Sinbad Feature Presentation and enjoy having a few laughs and hearing how my favorite comedian uses Apple technology in his various creative projects. Then, I'd head back to the exhibit hall for lunch and hopefully meet some of the writers that I regularly read from the Apple industry. I'd take a few classes in the Macworld Users conference to learn how some tips and tricks for using my Mac or iPad, and improve my Photoshop and iMovie skills.

A little more time on the show floor to close the day looking for the perfect accessories and cases for my iPad, and then I'd end the day going to the Cirque du Mac party to rock out with my friends. Then a foot bath and good night's sleep to get ready to do it all over again the next day!

Okay, one last question: What hidden gem in this year's show might attendees miss if they were not looking for it?

Nathan Shedroff's Feature Presentation, "Learning from Science Fiction Interfaces" is going to be a lot of fun. Most Mac users are Science Fiction fans as well, and this fascinating talk traces the history of the user interface design in film -- from video conferencing in the early Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon films, through the amazing touch interface in Minority Report and the automation control in Jurassic Park. Film Buffs, technology buffs, web designers, and interface designers will all find something fun to learn. It's a don't miss for all attendees.