AeA, Post-Newsweek To Present First-Of-Its-Kind Financial Conference For East-Coast High-Tech Firms.

Business Editors

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 22, 2001

The nation's largest high-tech trade association, AeA (formerly the American Electronics Association), and the Washington Post/Newsweek Business Information Unit (PNBI) will present a unique new financial conference next week for emerging-growth technology companies located in the eastern U.S.

The AeA/PNBI Atlantic Coast Investment Conference -- which will focus exclusively on the unique capital needs of private pre-IPO and public micro-cap high-tech companies -- will be held March 25-27, 2001, at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, D.C.

Nasdaq, Deloitte & Touche LLP, a national accounting firm, and Greenberg Traurig, LLP, an international law firm, have also joined AeA and PNBI as major sponsors for this first-of-its-kind conference on the East Coast.

AeA's President and CEO William T. Archey said: "This new conference is designed to fill a void for pre-IPO and micro-cap high-tech companies located east of the Mississippi River. Using the distinct AeA format, the companies and investors can expect to maximize time spent at the conference. We are also pleased that the companies attending will reflect the breadth and dynamism of the diverse high-tech industry -- with companies participating from the sectors of e-commerce and the Internet, semiconductors, software, telecom and wireless, and electronics."

Cliff Chiet, Senior Vice President of PNBI and Publisher of Washington Techway, said, "The conference is an extraordinarily important initiative for PNBI," and further stated that "there is a genuine need for a conference of this magnitude, and PNBI is pleased that AeA is bringing their expertise to the partnership."

The AeA/PNBI Atlantic Coast Investment Conference will generally follow the proven format of the 30-year-old, highly successful AeA Classic conference. Presenting companies will each make a 6-minute presentation during a general session and then host individual meetings where investors can get the full company story.

In addition to the new conference, AeA presents the AeA Classic, the AeA Micro-Cap for public companies and four regional financial conferences for privately held companies. The press is invited to the new conference, starting March 26. Reporters should contact Marc Brailov at 202-682-4443, or e-mail, [e-mail].

Responding to the substantial growth in its membership and keeping pace with the New Economy, the American Electronics Association has changed its name to the more succinct AeA. AeA has also adopted a new tagline, "Advancing the Business of Technology," to highlight its unique leadership and the unrivaled vitality of its member companies in shaping the New Economy.

Advancing the business of technology, AeA is the nation's largest high-tech trade association. Founded in 1943, AeA has more than 3,500 member companies that span the high-technology spectrum, from software, semiconductors and computers to Internet technology, advanced electronics and telecommunications systems and services. With 17 regional U.S. councils and offices in Brussels and Beijing, AeA offers a unique global policy grassroots capability and a wide portfolio of valuable business services and products for the high-tech industry. AeA has been the accepted voice of the U.S. technology community for 58 years.