They were close to celebrating their 20th anniversary, however the organisers decided that this years event was the last. 19 years ago, payment company CCBill came up with the idea to create a yearly event where they not only could meet current and new customers but also to provide a platform for others to network. The idea took off very well, the event evolved continously and soon The Phoenix Forum became a fixed date in the calendars of webmasters, affiliates, traffic companies and so on.
According to the just issued press release, CCBill says that times have changed and the needs of the industry along. Also, CCBill is a payment company and not a tradeshow production company as such. In the release they were thanking the many people making the event possible, including all the sponsors. They also left the hint, that some different format might return over the years.
But for now, they seem to be serious about their decision. The forum website has already been cleared out and the server sent into retirement.