Alibaba is inviting online sellers to attend its e-Business Champion Awards Reception in Chicago next week, taking place on the eve of eBay Live. The event honors successful online sellers, and Alibaba will send one winner to the global Alifest contest to be held in China on August 2nd where they will compete with winners from other parts of the world.

The party takes place on Wednesday evening, June 18, from 6:30 - 8:30 pm at the University of Chicago. There will be free food and cocktails and networking. Alibaba is also giving away five door prizes: a Canon Powershot Digital Camera, Garmin Nuvi 200 GPS, 2 Apple Store Gift Cards for $300/each for the new Apple 3G iPhone, and a Sony Playstation 3 (40 GB).

The Alibaba online marketplace is used by eBay sellers for product sourcing. The company told sellers interested in attending the event to RSVP on its website.

http://www.alibaba.com/trade/servlet/page/static/campaign/ebiz_us