PRESS RELEASE

- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE –

NEW MARKETING HUB LAUNCHED FOR CANADIAN CONFERENCES - ConferenceZone.net aims to boost visibility of conferences, visitors to Canadian cities, and competitive positioning of small business and non-profit sectors.

Ottawa, ON – May 6, 2009 – Canadian cities, small businesses, and non-profit organizations are now able to enhance their visibility on a website designed to promote conferences and the vendors that serve them. ConferenceZone, billed as Canada’s Find a Conference – Plan a Conference – Serve a Conference Destination, provides free membership and access for meeting planners in 24 cities to promote their upcoming events; receive information, news, and trends on the conference planning industry; and to identify reputable vendors and professional service providers. As the ailing economy is poised to further impact the declining tourism industry in 2009, ConferenceZone, to be promoted online and in print across Canada and around the world, will be a useful tool to promote meeting facilities, attractions and events, and local hospitality.

“ConferenceZone is a bright-spot in these tough economic times for conference planners and for the local vendors that cater to them,” says Melissa Peneycad, Principal at Nova Vista Strategy Group Inc. “Building communities is our passion and we are delighted to work with so many talented small businesses and non-profit organizations across Canada to increase their visibility and positioning in the marketplace.”

In June, a comprehensive directory of reputable meeting vendors and other professionals that serve the conference industry will be launched to provide additional resources for meeting planners. To qualify for a profiled listing each vendor must meet a pre-determined criterion that affirms them as small business and non-profit-friendly. This summer, students from universities across Canada are being hired to meet with businesses to promote ConferenceZone and to evaluate their qualifications for vendor membership.

Advanced online tools, currently in development, will soon be made available for planners to enable conference delegates to register, receive their schedules and programs, access live webinars, and evaluate their events online. Vendors will receive email alerts whenever a conference is newly listed in their city and a planner has indicated a need for their product or service.

“This year has been presented significant economic challenges for small businesses and non-profit organizations, and ConferenceZone is a positive solution”, says Dr. Wayne Adams, former Nova Scotia provincial cabinet minister and Sr. Principal of Nova Vista Strategy Group Inc. “We feel confident that by increasing the visibility of thousands, we can help curb the economic losses that our sectors have sustained.”

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For more information about ConferenceZone, please visit www.ConferenceZone.net, call M. Daniel Roukema, President & Sr. Consultant, Nova Vista Strategy Group Inc. at (613) 683-5979, or email droukema@novavista.ca.

About Nova Vista Strategy Group Inc.

Nova Vista Strategy Group Inc. is an Ottawa-based company with associates in Ontario, Nova Scotia and Saskatchewan that provides small businesses and non-profit organizations with the strategies and tools required to enhance their visibility, positioning, and overall competitive advantage in the marketplace. The firm specializes in web solutions, public engagement and facilitation, and non-profit management consulting. For more information visit www.novavista.ca or email droukema@novavista.ca.