New York, NY April 30, 2008 -- Over 500 Internet professionals traveled to New Orleans for the 9th eCommerce Summit (www.ecommerce-summit.com) which concluded on April 25th.

"We really hit our stride with this event," noted Jonathan Garriss, Executive Director of the Professional eBay Sellers Alliance (www.gopesa.org), a co-host of the summit. "There was a lot of buzz going into the event and feedback from merchants who attended has been overwhelmingly positive, with numerous attendees declaring 'This was one of the best conferences I have ever attended!' according to Internet Auction News Radio."

The summit agenda included more than 30 educational sessions over a two-day period plus networking with more than 40 sponsoring companies. Unlike many other conventions, eCommerce Summits do not offer free exhibit hall passes, so they tend to attract senior executives who appreciate the value of finding experts on almost any ecommerce subject in one place.

Chip Arndt, Co-Founder of MerchantAdvantage described the summit as, "a wonderful conference of speakers and vendors whose services and products help small to midsized e-commerce merchants grow online sales." "There are other conferences to go to, but many are so large that it is difficult to have the needed one-on-one time with experts that can help the online merchant to understand what steps they should take next to reach consumers." "I met for 20 minutes each with experts at eBay, PeSA, Amazon and Yahoo!, which is unheard of, and would never happen at another conference. We are coming back!"

The summit also encouraged giving back to the community and organized a charity auction plus a day of home rebuilding with Habitat for Humanity. In total over $80,000 was raised for charity at the summit, including a $50,000 donation by eBay on behalf of all eBay sellers.

"eBay employees came to New Orleans in force to support the event." commented John Lawson, President of 3rd Power Outlet, an eBay PowerSeller. "The generosity of eBay's donation made me proud to be part of the eBay community. They did the right thing."

Additional information on the eCommerce Summit, including photographs and details on the Fall 2008 eCommerce Summit will be available soon at www.ecommerce-summit.com. Companies interested in speaking at or sponsoring future events should contact Cresta Pillsbury, Vice President of Business Development at eCommerce Merchants.

eCommerce Merchants is a leading trade association of small and medium sized ecommerce businesses. The organization provides best practices guidance, technology & infrastructure advice and sourcing & supplies solutions to online merchants around the world who use the internet to sell or promote products and services. The organization works closely with the Professional eBay Sellers Alliance (www.gopesa.org).