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NFIB Brings Best Practices to Small Business Community…Virtually

September 9th, 2009

Virtual Summit to Provide Networking, Education Opportunities

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – September 9, 2009 – ON24, Inc., the global leader in webcasting and virtual event solutions, announced today that the company is collaborating with the nation’s leading small business association, the NFIB, to offer the NFIB Virtual Summit, a unique online event being offered at no charge to small and independent business owners and to the general public.

The online event, scheduled for September 15, is the organization’s first virtual conference. It will feature virtual “how-to” workshops led by e-commerce and social networking leaders such as eBay, Facebook and Google. “Our primary objective is to facilitate learning,” explained Mary Blasinsky, NFIB Chief of Staff.

The summit will feature video webcasts on the issues of greatest interest at this time to the small business community: health care, social networking, e-commerce and the economy. “This is a critical year for the small business community. We typically have a summit every other year in Washington. This year, however, we decided to offer a virtual show to augment our program,” Blasinsky explained.

The theme of the summit, “Connecting, Networking and Educating,” illustrates the NFIB’s priorities. Attendees will be

  • Connecting with industry experts and asking questions live in scheduled chats
  • Interacting with exhibitors in the virtual exhibit hall
  • Networking with peers using a variety of features, including group chat, private chat and message boards, for information and best-practices sharing
  • Attending video webcasts on the issues directly affecting small businesses

Many of the summit exhibitors are also small businesses. Blasinsky said that they are very enthusiastic about the benefits of exhibiting virtually, including:

  • Superior ROI and higher-quality leads. “ROI is much greater than with a live show due to the comprehensive reporting analytics provided by ON24. The ability to capture market data is invaluable to exhibitors.”
  • Cost savings. “Staffing a booth virtually is so much more cost-effective than staffing a booth in person,” she continued.
  • One-on-one attendee contact. “A staffer in a virtual booth can chat with each attendee. There are just more opportunities for one-on-one contact,” Blasinsky said.

“The NFIB Virtual Summit illustrates how small-to-medium businesses can take advantage of virtual shows,” explained ON24 CMO Denise Persson. “With this technology, the small business community can meet on a timely basis and network with each other and industry experts—virtually, conveniently and affordably.”

The NFIB Virtual Summit will be held all day, 10:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. EDT.

Registration information is available at www.NFIB.com/virtualsummit. The registration promotion code is zwb324.

About NFIB

NFIB is the nation’s leading small business association, with offices in Washington, D.C., and all 50 state capitals. Founded in 1943 as a non-profit, non-partisan organization, NFIB gives small and independent business owners a voice in shaping the public policy issues that affect their business. NFIB’s powerful network of grassroots activists sends their views directly to state and federal lawmakers through our unique member-only ballot, thus playing a critical role in supporting America’s free enterprise system. NFIB’s mission is to promote and protect the right of our members to own, operate and grow their businesses. More information is available online at www.NFIB.com/newsroom.

About ON24 Virtual Show

ON24 Virtual Show is a flexible communications and demand generation solution that provides a virtual venue for events such as trade shows, partner pavilions, conferences and training summits. With its professional networking capabilities, ON24 Virtual Show makes virtual events more engaging and interactive. Without ever leaving their desks, participants can learn from video presentations, interact with exhibitors and communicate with peers using professional networking tools. In addition, with its complete registration system and ability to track attendee activity, ON24 Virtual Show delivers robust reporting analytics.

About ON24 Inc.

The recognized global virtual events market share leader, ON24 is the world’s leading provider of webcasting and virtual environments for corporate communications and demand generation. ON24 offers fully integrated, enterprise-wide solutions for a wide range of applications, including training, conferences, company meetings, partner expos and trade shows. More than 750 organizations in publishing, technology, life sciences, government and financial services, including IBM, Cisco, United Business Media, Credit Suisse, GE Healthcare, Oracle and the National Science Foundation, rely on ON24. The company is headquartered in San Francisco, with offices in New York, London and Singapore. For more information, visit https://www.ON24.com.