TORONTO – CUNA Mutual Group's Discovery Conference is a relatively young conference, this year being only the sixth edition. "Attendance for this conference doubled in 1999 and then doubled again this year," said Wayne Benson, chief officer of sales and marketing for CUNA Mutual Group. This year's Discovery attracted about 900 attendees. That's a high number given that there's not the typical exhibitor program that some of the larger conferences have. The conference is designed as a professional development conference, with most sessions in workshop format where attendees break up into groups and work on various projects. Benson said CUNA Mutual has high hopes for this conference, even predicting it may hit the 2,000-attendee mark in a few years. "This conference has been very well-received by the industry. It's really hands-on to get attendees closer to issues," said Benson. The conference is also a place where CUNA Mutual's clients can learn about all of CUNA Mutual's various products and services. Next year's Discovery will be in New Orleans.