Officials from Panini, the NBA’s new trading card licensee, have told organizers of the Hawaii Trade Conference/Mainland Edition they will have a presence at this year’s event.

“We’re very happy that the management at Panini wants to introduce themselves to the industry at the conference,” said Dean Listle, sports group publisher for F+W Media. “The presence of the trading card manufacturers is what makes the conference so valuable each year to our attendees, and this year is no different.”

Listle said Panini officials have not finalized how many representatives will be attending.

Topps, Upper Deck, Donruss, Press Pass and Razor Entertainment are the other manufacturers who are taking part in the conference, along with licensors from the NHL, NFL, MLB Players Association and Players Inc. Ultro Pro, Excell Marketing, Beckett Media and BCW are among the other companies who have signed up so far, and Listle said several others expect to register in the next week.

“Obviously, everyone in the industry is cutting back on travel and other expenses, but we’ve seen a nice increase in registrations the last 10 days, especially from retailers,” Listle said.

This year’s event will take place April 20-22 at the Innisbrook Resort in Palm Harbor, Fla. For registration and lodging information, visit www.hawaiitradeconference.com.