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                                                                   Exhibit 10.6


                               PENTON MEDIA, INC.
                         1998 DIRECTOR STOCK OPTION PLAN

         1. PURPOSE. The purpose of the Penton Media, Inc. 1998 Director Stock
Option Plan (the "Plan") is to promote the long-term financial interests of
Penton Media, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the "Company"), and its subsidiaries
by:

         (a) providing an incentive for all non-employee members of the Board of
Directors (the "Non-Employee Directors") to maximize the long-term value of the
Company's Common Stock and otherwise act in the best interest of the Company's
stockholders;

         (b) providing Non-Employee Directors with the opportunity to acquire a
greater stake in the future of the Company and its subsidiaries through stock
ownership; and

         (c) attracting and retaining highly qualified Non-Employee Directors.

         2. DEFINITIONS. The following words and phrases have the respective
meanings indicated below unless a different meaning is plainly implied by the
context.

         (a) "Board of Directors" means the Board of Directors of the Company.

         (b) "Code" means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.

         (c) "Common Stock" means Common Stock, par value $.01 per share, of the
Company.

         (d) "Eligible Director" means any present or future member of the Board
of Directors who, on the date of an award pursuant to the Plan, (1) is a member
of the Board of Directors, and (2) is not an employee of the Company or any of
its subsidiaries.

         (e) "Market Value" of Common Stock on any date means, for Options
granted during the first twenty days on which the Common Stock is traded on the
New York Stock Exchange, the fair market value of the shares of Common Stock as
determined by the Board of Directors, and, for any subsequent grant of Options,
on any date, means the most recently reported closing price of such Common Stock
on that date on the New York Stock Exchange Composite Transactions list, as
subsequently reported in THE WALL STREET JOURNAL.

         (f) "Option" means a right awarded to a Participant pursuant to the
Plan to purchase a designated number of shares of Common Stock at a stated price
for a stated period of time.

         (g) "Participant" means an Eligible Director who has been awarded an
Option.

         3. LIMITATION OF AGGREGATE SHARES. Subject to adjustment as provided in
paragraph 5(d), the number of shares of Common Stock which may be issued upon
the exercise of Options



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shall not exceed, in the aggregate, 100,000 shares; it being understood that to
the extent any Options expire unexercised or are cancelled, terminated or
forfeited in any manner without the issuance of shares of Common Stock
thereunder, such shares shall again be available under the Plan. Such 100,000
shares of Common Stock may be authorized and unissued shares, treasury shares,
or a combination thereof, as the Board of Directors shall determine.

         4. OPTIONS. The Board of Directors may grant Options to Eligible
Directors in accordance with this paragraph 4 and the other provisions of the
Plan.

         (a) PROVISIONS.

         (i) Options shall not qualify as incentive stock options within the
meaning of Section 422 of the Code or any successor provision.

         (ii) Options shall have such terms, not to exceed ten years from the
date of grant, as the Board of Directors shall determine at grant.

         (iii) The Option price per share of Common Stock shall be 100% of the
Market Value on the date of grant and not less than the par value of a share of
Common Stock.

         (iv) Options shall be exercisable at such time or times as the Board of
Directors shall determine at or subsequent to grant; provided that, except in
the event of death or disability of the Participant, no Option may be exercised
until the Eligible Director has served on the Board of Directors for at least
six months after it is awarded; further provided that an Option may be exercised
only during a period beginning on the third business day following the date of
release of the Company's quarterly or annual summary statement of sales and
earnings and ending on the fifteenth business day following such date; and
further provided that in the event of termination of service of a Participant as
a member of the Board of Directors for any reason (including without limitation
expiration of term without re-election, resignation, retirement, disability or
death), each Option granted to the Participant shall cease to be exercisable not
later than the fifth anniversary of the date of termination or, if earlier, on
the scheduled date of expiration of such Option.

         (b) EXERCISE. Shares shall be issued to a Participant pursuant to the
exercise of an Option only upon receipt by the Company from the Participant of
written notice of exercise, specifying the number of shares with respect to
which the Option is being exercised, accompanied by payment in full in cash
(including check, bank draft or money order) or, to the extent permitted by the
Board of Directors, by a single exchange of shares of Common Stock already owned
by the Participant for at least six months in an amount equal to the aggregate
Option price for the shares of Common Stock subject to the Option or portion
thereof being exercised or by a combination of such methods; provided that the
Board of Directors may permit the Participant to elect to pay such aggregate
Option price by authorizing a third party to sell the shares of Common Stock
acquired upon exercise (or a sufficient portion thereof) and thereafter remit to
the Company sale proceeds sufficient to pay such aggregate Option price and any
withholding or other tax resulting from exercise. The value of already owned
shares of Common Stock exchanged in full or partial payment for the shares
purchased upon the exercise of an Option shall be equal to the aggregate Market
Value of such already owned shares on the date of the exercise of such Option.


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         (c) SURRENDER. If so provided by the Board of Directors at or
subsequent to the time of grant, an Option may be surrendered to the Company on
such terms and conditions, and for such consideration, as the Board of Directors
shall determine.

         (d) FORM. The form of each Option (and of the documentation evidencing
each Option) shall be determined by the Board of Directors.

         5.       MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS.

         (a) ADMINISTRATION. The Plan shall be administered by the Board of
Directors. Subject to the limitations of the Plan, the Board of Directors shall
have the sole and complete authority: (i) to select Participants, (ii) to award
Options in such forms and amounts as it shall determine, (iii) to impose such
limitations, restrictions and conditions upon such Options as it shall deem
appropriate, (iv) to interpret the Plan and to adopt, amend and rescind
administrative guidelines and other rules and regulations relating to the Plan,
(v) to correct any defect or omission or to reconcile any inconsistency in the
Plan or in any Options and (vi) to make all other determinations and to take all
other actions necessary or advisable for the implementation and administration
of the Plan. The Board of Directors' determinations on matters within its
authority shall be conclusive and binding upon the Company and all other
persons. All expenses associated with the Plan shall be borne by the Company.

         (b) NON-TRANSFERABILITY. Except as otherwise determined by the Board of
Directors, no Option, and no interest therein, shall be transferable by a
Participant otherwise than by will or the laws of descent and distribution, and
all Options shall be exercisable during a Participant's lifetime only by the
Participant or the Participant's legal representative. Any purported transfer
contrary to this provision will nullify the Option.

         (c) ADJUSTMENT. The Board of Directors may make or provide for such
adjustments in the numbers of shares of Common Stock covered by outstanding
Options granted hereunder as the Board of Directors, in its sole discretion,
exercised in good faith, may determine is equitably required to prevent dilution
or enlargement of the rights of Participants that otherwise would result from
(a) any stock dividend, stock split, combination of shares, recapitalization or
other change in the capital structure of the Company, or (b) any merger,
consolidation, spin-off, split-off, spin-out, split-up, reorganization, partial
or complete liquidation or other distribution of assets, issuance of rights or
warrants to purchase securities, or (c) any other corporate transaction or event
having an effect similar to any of the foregoing. Moreover, in the event of any
such transaction or event, the Board of Directors, in its discretion, may
provide in substitution for any or all outstanding awards under the Plan such
alternative consideration as it, in good faith, may determine to be equitable in
the circumstances and may require in connection therewith the surrender of all
awards so replaced. The Board may also make or provide for such adjustments in
the numbers of shares specified in Section 3 of the Plan as the Board in its
sole discretion, exercised in good faith, may determine is appropriate to
reflect any transaction or event described in this Section 5(c).

         (d) TAX WITHHOLDING. The Board of Directors shall have the power to
withhold, or to require a Participant to remit to the Company, an amount
sufficient to satisfy any withholding or 


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other tax due with respect to the Participant's exercise of an Option. Subject
to the consent of the Board of Directors, a Participant may make an irrevocable
election to have shares of Common Stock otherwise issuable under an Option
withheld, tender back to the Company shares of Common Stock received pursuant to
an Option or deliver to the Company shares of Common Stock already owned by the
Participant having a Market Value sufficient to satisfy all or part of the
Participant's estimated tax obligations associated with the transaction. Such
election must be made by a Participant prior to the date on which the relevant
tax obligation arises. The Board of Directors may disapprove of any election and
may limit, suspend or terminate the right to make such elections.

         (e) TERMINATION; AMENDMENTS. The Board of Directors may terminate the
Plan at any time. The Board of Directors may amend the Plan at any time or from
time to time; provided that no such amendment shall be made without stockholder
approval to the extent such approval is required by law, regulation or the rules
of any exchange upon which the Common Stock is listed.

                  The Board of Directors may amend an outstanding Option in any
manner to the extent that the Board of Directors would have had the authority
under the Plan to initially grant the Option as so amended.

                  No termination or amendment of the Plan or amendment of any
outstanding Option shall adversely affect any outstanding Option without the
consent of the Participant who holds it.

         (f) RIGHTS OF PARTICIPANTS. Nothing in the Plan shall confer on any
Eligible Director any right to continue to serve as a member of the Board of
Directors or affect in any way the right of the Company to terminate such
service at any time. No Eligible Director shall have a right to be selected as a
Participant, or, having been so selected, to be selected again as a Participant.

         (g) EFFECTIVE DATE. The effective date of the Plan shall be August 7,
1998.

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