For Immediate Release 

Susan Barich
Director of Communications
Silicon Valley World Internet Center
650-462-9800
barich@worldinternetcenter.com

PANEL PEERS INTO THE FUTURE OF eMARKETPLACES AT THE SILICON VALLEY WORLD INTERNET CENTER

December 4, 2000, Palo Alto, Calif. -- eMarketplace thought leaders Hamid Pirahesh, IBM manager of advanced database solutions & IBM Fellow; Robert Fraser, founder and chairman of NetSales (www.netsales.com); Dr. Margeurite Raaen, vice president of business development for Metiom (www.metiom.com); Paul Melchiorre, vice president marketplace business development, Ariba, Inc.; .and Warren Raisch, author, "eMarketplaces: B2B Strategies for Success," will delve into the many possible futures of eMarketplaces in the business-to-business (B2B) sector at the Silicon Valley World Internet Center (www.worldinternetcenter.com) on December 5.

"Although a majority of U.S. firms expect to be drawn into eMarketplaces in the coming years, they still do not know how they will participate or what impact these eMarketplaces will have on their existing business practices or supply-chain relationships," says Venilde Jeronimo, director of programs for the Silicon Valley World Internet Center.

“Much has been made in the press about the more than 1000 new marketplaces in existence. This panel is going to cut to the chase and examine what qualities successful e-Marketplaces will exhibit,” said Jeronimo.

A single strategy for the corporate world to succeed with a major B2B presence has not yet been defined, although different eMarketplace providers are betting on a variety of approaches. Some strike out for partnerships, while others count on coalitions, spin-offs, mergers or buy-outs.

During the first part of the program, panelists will each give their views on the future of eMarketplaces for the next 12-18 months. A moderated, interactive discussion will follow with an Internet-savvy audience participants for further exploration of what is predicted by Forrester Research, Inc. to be, by the year 2004, a $2.7 trillion marketplace, defined as an inter-company trade in which the final order is placed over the Internet.

According to Forrester, this growth will be accelerated by the rapid development of eMarketplaces and new models for conducting eCommerce, including auctions, aggregators, bid systems and exchanges. Forrester further predicts that these Marketplaces will capture 53 percent of all U.S. online business trade and, ultimately, between 45 and 74 percent of eCommerce in a supply chain.

The Silicon Valley World Internet Center is a combination think tank and showcase for the advancement of Internet-related technologies and markets. It is located in Palo Alto, California.