For Immediate Release August 11, 2005		News Release

Colorado Tech Week Contact: Jonita LeRoy 303.892.3862 jonita.leroy@state.co.us		CSIA DEMOGala Contact: Su Hawk 303.592.4068 Cell: 303.884.9632 su@coloradosoftware.org

eBay CEO Meg Whitman To Keynote
CSIA DEMOGala During Colorado Tech Week

Denver event will take place at Colorado Convention Center Oct. 20

DENVER – Aug. 11, 2005 – Meg Whitman, president and CEO of eBay, will be the keynote speaker for the CSIA DEMOGala on Oct. 20, 2005. The event will be a part of Colorado Tech Week, a statewide celebration showcasing the state’s technology economy, coordinated by the Office of Economic Development and International Trade.

“We are privileged to have one of the most influential business leaders in the world visiting the state during Colorado Tech Week and to keynote the CSIA DEMOGala,” said Colorado Governor Bill Owens. “Colorado’s advanced technology industry is one of the largest and most significant in the nation. We are looking forward to hearing from Ms. Whitman and introducing her to Colorado’s technology visionaries.”

The CSIA DEMOGala will feature a broad spectrum of technologies from across Colorado, showing how these innovations are impacting the success of industries around the globe. The event will also create recognition and awareness for Colorado-based companies, and is expected to draw more than 1500 attendees.

“We created this event to showcase Colorado technology to the world, and with Meg Whitman representing one of the most visionary companies in technology, the shared ideas and insight will be enormously productive,” said John Oechsle, CIO and senior vice president of IHS and chairman of the CSIA DEMOGala Committee. “It’s vitally important that CSIA serve as a portal to show off the great companies and innovation of Colorado,” he added.

"In addition, Colorado is a leader in developing many innovative technologies that are dramatically changing the way we think, explore and grow,” added Oechsle. "The CSIA DEMOGala will provide a showcase of the most innovative and exciting technology companies based in Colorado, or whose innovation is happening in Colorado. This showcase will not be a trade show; instead, it will be a way for people to experience technology so they can experience how these innovations can impact their own industry, company or personal life," he said.

All technology companies in Colorado are eligible to be nominated for the showcase, and the public is invited to buy tables or individual seats; applications and registration information is available at www.coloradosoftware.org.

The CSIA DEMOGala will be held during Colorado Tech Week, Oct. 17 – 21. Events for the week are currently being planned throughout Colorado. An updated list is available at www.coloradotechweek.com.

“CSIA is empowered by the dozens of volunteers who make up our key committees and Board, and we’re very proud of the people on our DEMOGala committee who are creating this memorable, ground-breaking event,” Oechsle added.

Volunteers working with Oechsle and the CSIA staff on this event are: Bob Ogdon, SwiftPage Email, Chair of the DEMO/Technology Committee. His volunteers include: Larry Nelson, w3w3; Tori Donovan, Holland & Hart; Cherie Mitchell, LuciData; John Cody, Longmont Area Economic Council; Dan Mulligan, Yellow Dog Printing; Tina Gangel, ViaWest; Jim Godsey, Executive; Shanda Zavalsky, Ernst & Young; Rita Dozal, Information Technologies Resources; and Charlie Knapp, Oracle.

Julie Courtney, Gunther/Douglas is the chair of the Sales Committee. Her volunteers include: Creighton Bildstein, ATNI; Cherie Mitchell, LuciData; Michelle Marek, Interactive Business Systems; Manny Ladis, ViaWest; and Bryan Walsh, Data393. The Venue Committee is co-chaired by Jim Godsey, Executive and Cherie Mitchell, LuciData. The Legislative Committee is chaired by David Stephenson, Jr. of Fairfield and Woods, P.C.

The Marketing Committee is headed by Glenn Morey, Morey/Evans Advertising, and that committee comprises staff members of Morey/Evans Advertising including Julie Morey, Tom Evans, Krista Nicholson and Samantha Muscatel. The Public Relations Committee is headed by Rip Ripley, Brozena Ripley & Partners, and that committee comprises staff members of Brozena Ripley & Associates including Craig Eicher and Becca Cooper.

The Volunteer Committee is chaired by Bob Pullar, KPMG. And, other key volunteers include Scott Johnson, Microsoft and Jon Nordmark, eBags.

Sponsorships are now available, and companies who already have signed up are: IHS, Microsoft, and Oracle who each are Title Sponsors. Co-Sponsors thus far are: Cooley/Godward, PricewaterhouseCoopers, KPMG, ViaWest and St. Paul/Travelers.

The Founding Marketing Partner for the CSIA DEMOGala is Morey/Evans Advertising. The Public Relations Partner is Brozena Ripley & Partners.

For more information about sponsorships, please contact Su Hawk at CSIA at 303.592.4068 or su@coloradosoftware.org or Julie Courtney at Gunther/Douglas at 303.534.5068 or jcourtney@guntherdouglas.com.

About CSIA:

CSIA is the leader on behalf of the technology industry in Colorado, providing connections, insight, advocacy, and competitive edge programs and services to help technology companies succeed and prosper. Since 1994, CSIA has been involved in legislative issues and public policy to represent the technology industry in Colorado, and has provided a number of annual programs, events and connections to support business success. CSIA’s activities are funded solely by members and sponsors, and any company is invited to join the organization.

About eBay:
eBay is The World's Online Marketplace®. Founded in 1995, eBay created a powerful platform for the sale of goods and services by a passionate community of individuals and businesses. On any given day, there are millions of items across thousands of categories for sale on eBay. eBay enables trade on a local, national and international basis with customized sites in markets around the world. Through an array of services, such as its payment solution provider PayPal, eBay is enabling global e-commerce for an ever-growing online community.

About OEDIT:

The Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade offers a host of programs and services tailored to support business development at every level. They include business retention and relocations services, a bioscience and emerging industries program, business finance programs like the Venture Capital Authority and CAPCO, the Colorado Tourism Office, the Colorado Office of International Trade, the Colorado Small Business Development Centers, minority- and women-owned business services and economic research. For more information or to sign up for OEDIT’s free eNewsletter, visit www.AdvanceColorado.com.

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