New Hampshire Governor Craig Benson to Keynote TechNet New England Innovation Forum

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 12, 2004--

Event to Explore Innovation and the Policies that will Drive Economic Growth and Competitiveness in New England and Nationwide

TechNet, the bipartisan political network of CEOs that promotes the growth of the innovation economy, will be co-hosting with CNET News.com and the MIT Deshpande Center for Technological Innovation the "TechNet New England Innovation Forum" on October 13, 2004. This event, held at the Doubletree Guest Suites in Boston, is the second in a nationwide TechNet/CNET News.com series this fall focusing on the technology agenda needed to sustain America's competitiveness in the global economy.

Massachusetts Secretary of Economic Development Ranch Kimball will kick off the event with a keynote addressing the importance of the technology economy. Academic, policy and technology visionaries will follow with discussions on broadband, education, cyber security and R&D investment. The event will wrap up with a keynote from New Hampshire Governor Craig Benson.

What:    TechNet New England Innovation Forum

Who:     New Hampshire Governor Craig Benson
         Massachusetts Secretary of Economic Development Ranch Kimball
         Art Coviello, President & CEO, RSA Security
         Jeff Taylor, Founder & Chief Monster, Monster Worldwide
         Dr. David Clark, Senior Research Scientist, MIT
         Steve Kaufman, President & CEO, Avici Systems
         Rick White, President and CEO, TechNet

Where:   Doubletree Guest Suites
         400 Soldiers Field Road
         Boston, MA 02134
         For directions, go to:
http://www.doubletree.com/en/dt/hotels/local_maps.jhtml?ctyhocn=BOSSBDT
(Due to the length of this URL, it may be necessary to copy and paste
this hyperlink into your Internet browser's URL address field.)

When:    Wednesday, October 13, 2004
         8:15 a.m. - 8:45 a.m. ET  (Registration and Networking)
         8:45 a.m. - 9:20 a.m. ET  (Welcome, Ranch Kimball keynote)
         9:20 a.m. - 10:20 a.m. ET (Cornerstones of competition panel)
        10:20 a.m. - 11:15 a.m. ET (Emerging technologies 
                                    and jobs of the future panel)
        11:15 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. ET (Craig Benson keynote)

This event is free to members of the media. To RSVP, please contact [e-mail] or [e-mail]

About TechNet

TechNet is the bipartisan, political network of CEOs that promotes the growth of technology and the innovation economy. TechNet focuses on politics and policy by uniting its members and policy makers to sustain and advance America's global leadership in innovation. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, TechNet also operates offices in the high-tech centers of Southern California, New England, Texas and the Pacific Northwest. TechNet's members represent more than one million employees in the fields of information technology, biotechnology, ecommerce and finance.