Alibaba announced the launch of the Alibaba.com Trade Show Partnership Program. In its first phase, the program will allow organizers to promote their trade shows to a targeted base of Alibaba.com members in relevant industries through direct mail, promotions and Alibaba.com's Trade Show Channel. The program is designed to help trade show organizers increase attendance and extend the reach of their events by tapping into Alibaba's worldwide community of importers and exporters.

"The long-term vision is to work with trade show organizers to transform their shows from one-week events into 365-day exhibitions," said Porter Erisman, Alibaba.com's Vice President for International Marketing and Business Development.

Alibaba operates online marketplaces for both international and domestic China trade. Alibaba.com was founded in 1999 and is based in Hangzhou, eastern China. Alibaba is going head-to-head with eBay in China with its Taobao C2C auction site, AliPay online payment service, and Alibaba's Chinese and international B2B marketplaces.

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