DEMO 2004 to Host Online Charity Auction First for Renowned Tech Conference Will Benefit Brave Kids

SOUTHBOROUGH, MA — February 10, 2004— You've always known DEMO as the conference to spotlight tomorrow's technologies. This year, executive producer Chris Shipley takes one of those innovative breakthroughs for a spin, with DEMO's first-ever online charity auction. The technology comes courtesy of cMarket, a DEMO 2004 demonstrator and leading provider of Internet-based auction and special event services. The auction proceeds will benefit Brave Kids, a non-profit organization that utilizes technology and the Internet to serve children with chronic illnesses, life threatening illnesses and disabilities. Interested bidders and donors can find out more at http://demo2004.cmarket.com/ .

"We chose Brave Kids to support its great work with children and to honor Phil Goldman, the Silicon Valley pioneer and Mailblocks founder who died unexpectedly on December 25, 2003," said Shipley. "As a founder of WebTV and product visionary at both General Magic and Apple, Phil contributed greatly to the body of knowledge on which many of today's outstanding products are built. Yet Phil always found time to support others; in that spirit, he served on the board of directors of Brave Kids."

The cMarket online auction solution extends the reach of traditional auctions with an integrated, easy-to-use, Web tool that enables any nonprofit to quickly and easily put its auctions online and into the inboxes of its constituency. Using cMarket, the non-profit engages its entire constituency resulting in more efficient bidding, while providing a significant marketing opportunity to its sponsors and donor organizations.

"Our focus with the DEMO conferences has always been giving promising emerging technologies a leg up," continued Shipley. "Showcasing a demonstrator technology during the conference exemplifies how strongly we believe in the innovations displayed at DEMO. Essentially, we're putting our money where our mouth is with this DEMO-wide test of cMarket's auction capabilities."

"When I started cMarket my goal was to be in a position to announce at DEMO," said Greg McHale, cMarket's founder and executive vice president. "I was cautiously optimistic that Chris and the DEMO team would understand the power and uniqueness of our solution. To be asked to present at DEMO is special. Having Chris realize the value in her relationships and leverage her constituency by including an auction as part of DEMO was simply spectacular. We are delighted our solution is being used to benefit Brave Kids."

Kristen Fitzgerald founded Brave Kids on June 9, 1999 after the loss of her two children to catastrophic illnesses. It provides an online community for children with special needs and their caretakers; MSN televisions to seriously ill children, enabling them to email teachers and access schoolwork; and resource centers to pediatric hospital wards. The Brave Kids program has been endorsed by and is linked to over 110 health organizations including The National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners, the National Pediatric AIDS Foundation, United Cerebral Palsy, and the National Children's Cancer Society.

"It is very heart warming for me to hear that DEMO has chosen to benefit Brave Kids and honor Phil Goldman with its online charity auction this year," said Fitzgerald. "Technology and its use by those with inspirational mind-development teams like DEMO, utilizing the power of the World Wide Web, are the same concept innovations that made possible the development of BraveKids.org, now serving hundred of thousands in need with just the click of a mouse."

DEMO 2004 will take place February 15-17, 2004 at the Westin Kierland resort in Scottsdale, AZ. Corporate executives, journalists, and venture capitalists attend DEMO to learn about new technologies, explore major trends, and make business decisions based on insights gleaned at the conference.

DEMO 2004 Sponsors and Partners
DEMO 2004 sponsors are Airespace, Battery Ventures, Friendster, IronPort Systems, Plantronics, Porter Novelli, and Xerox. Partner companies include The Arizona Technology Council, Aruba Wireless Networks, Business 2.0, Catchpole Technology, The Forum for Women Entrepreneurs (FWE), Hunt & Gather, IBD Network, Mobile Enterprise Magazine, PR Newswire, Silicon Valley Association of Startup Entrepreneurs (SVASE), Tech Oasis, and Women in Technology International (WITI).

About the DEMO Conferences
The annual DEMO and DEMOmobile conferences focus on emerging technologies and new products, which are hand-selected by executive producer Chris Shipley from across the spectrum of the personal technology marketplace. The DEMO conference has earned its reputation as the singular event that consistently identifies tomorrow's cutting-edge technologies. DEMO has served as a launch pad for companies such as Palm, E*Trade, Handspring, and U.S. Robotics, helping them to secure venture funding, establish critical business relationships, and influence early adopters. DEMO is held in February each year and features approximately 60 new companies, products and technologies. DEMOmobile, named "2002 Best Conference" by Conferenza, is held each fall and features approximately 30 new mobile technologies. For more information on the DEMO conferences, visit http://www.demo.com/ .

The DEMO community also benefits from the award winning DEMOletter. A weekly e-newsletter designed to reach the people who are creating companies, building products and launching new ideas, DEMOletter provides smart insight and analysis of entrepreneurial business issues.