Synergy Conventions' IT Conference and Expo Division Will Become SOFTBANK Australia Pty

Latest Acquisition Will Produce SOFTBANK Expos Shows in Australia

FOSTER CITY, Calif., Nov. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- SOFTBANK Expos, the leading producer of educational technology events, today announced that SOFTBANK will acquire the IT conference and exposition division of Synergy Conventions Pty in Sydney, Australia. The new group will become SOFTBANK Australia Pty and produce SOFTBANK Expos technology conferences and trade shows. The acquisition is expected to be completed by the end of the year, and the financial terms of the arrangement were not disclosed.

Synergy Conventions has worked as a partner with SOFTBANK Expos since July 1995 to launch and manage Networld+Interop in Sydney. The show will take place at the Sydney Exhibition and Conference Centre November 25 - 29. SOFTBANK Expos and Synergy also recently announced a second SOFTBANK Expos event, Seybold Seminars, planned for Sydney in May.

Alex Feher, Managing Director of Synergy, will become the General Manager of SOFTBANK Australia Pty, and Rob Irving, Director of Synergy, will become Marketing Director of the new entity.

"This acquisition is an important step in our strategy to provide high-quality, education-driven conferences and trade shows for technology buyers and sellers worldwide," explained William Lohse, president of SOFTBANK Expos. "The move from partnership to ownership signals our level of commitment to the Australian market, which is one of the fastest growing technology markets in the world."

"SOFTBANK's decision to invest in Australia is in line with the considerable growth potential offered by the region," said Feher. "Australia ranks in the top five on-line countries in the world and with the support of the SOFTBANK Expos organization, we believe we can make a major contribution to the region by providing the means to assist with the adoption of new technology."

Synergy was formed in 1991 by Feher and Irving. The first event produced by the company, Quest, has become Australia's leading manufacturing convention. In early 1995 the company launched an information technology group to produce high-tech trade shows. After the acquisition is completed, Synergy's other groups will continue to operate under a new structure.

Feher is an industrial engineer who moved to Australia in 1989 from South Africa. Irving was chairman of J Walter Thomas Advertising in Sydney before joining Feher to start Synergy.

SOFTBANK Expos, the world ,s largest Internet conference & trade show company, presents 21st century technology events. The events include premier educational conferences that attract the brightest technology professionals as

advisors, speakers and participants. SOFTBANK Expos extends the conference experience into year-round communities through a variety of forums, including content-rich web sites, newsletters and consulting services. The company is headquartered in Foster City, Calif., and has offices in Paris, Munich, Tokyo and now Sydney; and joint ventures in London and Singapore.

SOFTBANK Expos, 303 Vintage Park Drive, Foster City, CA 94404 1-800-4-SBEXPOS, 415-578-6900, http://www.sbexpos.com

SOURCE SOFTBANK Expos

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/CONTACT: Kris Sokoloski of SOFTBANK Expos, 415-372-7941, or ksokoloski@sbexpos.com/

CO: SOFTBANK Expos; Synergy Conventions Pty ST: California IN: CPR MLM SU: TNM

RB -- SFF035 -- 2277 11/08/96 19:37 EST http://www.prnewswire.com