Advanstar and PurchasePro.com Hire Icon Nicholson.

Business Editors

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 2, 2000

Icon Nicholson's Strategic, Creative and Global Capabilities

Attract Top Trade Publisher and Leading B2B E-Marketplace Provider

Icon Nicholson today announced it has been chosen to assist in the development of as many as 20 vertical industry communities for a project teaming media giant, Advanstar with PurchasePro.com, a leading provider of electronic marketplaces for businesses of all sizes -- its first new business win since Icon Medialab acquired Nicholson NY last month.

Icon Nicholson has been hired as a strategic Internet partner to assist in implementing Advanstar's and PurchasePro.com's global Internet development plans to build industry-specific, Web-based communities that provide business professionals with information they need to easily research, source, buy and sell products and services, to network with others in their field and enter new markets.

Advanstar, which services a variety of industries with the foremost trade shows and magazines, recently formed a partnership with PurchasePro.com (NASDAQ: PPRO). The partnership unites Advanstar's expertise in reaching specific industry categories with PurchasePro.com's flexible e-commerce engine for enabling all members of web-based communities to buy, sell, source, and bid their products and services.

Icon Nicholson will provide Internet strategy, design, and marketing and branding for the project over the next 30 months, with the first five sites scheduled to launch in Summer of 2000. Ultimately, the partners and Icon Nicholson will create between 15 and 20 networks in various vertical categories.

Robert Krakoff, chairman and chief executive office of Advanstar, said, &uot;We are delighted to be working with Icon Nicholson. Icon Nicholson has the unique ability to make accessible the enormous amount of complex information businesses needs to compete and grow in today's global marketplace. With half our business in Europe, we were drawn to their expertise in worldwide strategic market development. And Nicholson's work with other publishers, particularly Readers Digest and Thomas Register, demonstrates their understanding of our needs and those of our customers. They will bring their strategic and creative approach to business to our readership, our clients, and their customers.&uot;

Tom Nicholson, chief creative executive of Icon Nicholson, said, &uot;We look forward to marshalling the full range of Icon Nicholson's global capabilities and talents for this ambitious project from Advanstar and PurchasePro.com. The combined power, experience and expertise of our three companies in this joint effort offer small and mid-sized businesses enormous clout within their respective categories.&uot;

Advanstar, Inc., based in Boston, is owned by Hellman &Friedman Capital Partners III, LP, based in San Francisco. Advanstar is a worldwide business information company serving specialized markets with high-quality information resources and integrated marketing solutions. Advanstar has more than 100 business and professional publications and directories (including American Salon and American Spa), 113 exhibitions and conferences (including MAGIC and Travel Expo), numerous web-based communities and direct marketing, database and reference products. The company has nearly 1500 employees and currently operates from multiple offices in the United States, Canada, Latin America, Europe and Asia.

PurchasePro.com, Inc. is a leading provider of Internet business-to-business e-commerce services. The company's solution is comprised of public and private procurement networks where businesses can buy and sell a wide range of products and services in an efficient, competitive and cost-effective manner. A key element of its strategy is to develop sales and marketing relationships. These relationships include Sprint Corporation, Office Depot, Inc., VerticalNet, DigitalWork, iGetSmart.com, Cincinnati Bell, the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce and the American Association of Franchisees and Dealers. The company provides extensive support and training programs.

Icon Nicholson, a division of Icon Medialab, is a recognized leader in Internet professional services that brings clients competitive advantage through speed-to-market deployment of best-in-class Web applications. The company's creative and design excellence, e-commerce know-how, and advanced systems capabilities have gained it recognition as the expert in high-quality solutions for clients that include H& Block, IBM, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Motorola, Pfizer, Readers Digest and Thomas Publishing. Icon Medialab, a member of the Interpublic Group of companies (NYSE:IPG), employs 1000 professionals in 18 offices in 11 countries Shares of Icon Medialab are publicly traded on the Stockholm Stock Exchange (O-list:ICON), ISIN 0000476962.