WBE Certified

BALTIMORE, Nov. 17, 2005 – Designing Events, LLC, a global provider of planning, management and marketing services for events, meetings and conferences, announced today their certification as a Woman Business Enterprise (WBE). The national certification was granted by The Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), the nation's premier third-party certifier of women-owned and operated businesses.

"Designing Events is a great example of an industry leader that is woman-owned and operated," said Michelle Issing, co-founder of Designing Events. "It is important to raise awareness among decision-makers that there are viable, qualified woman-owned businesses to meet their respective needs. Through the work of the WBENC, the certification has become an important tool for gaining access to corporations and government entities that have supplier diversity initiatives requiring that a certain percentage of their procurement dollars be spent with WBEs.”

“Given that more than 700 US corporations and government entities accept WBENC certification, and considering the standards that WBENC requires of its members, we are very proud to earn this certification," added Bizzy Ratcliffe, Designing Events’ other co-founder. “In order to meet the national criteria, a company must be at least 51% woman-owned, must operate independently, and must demonstrate a strong track record in experience, capabilities, and business competence.”

About WBE Certified
WBE certification is administered by The Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC). Founded in 1997, it is the nation's leading advocate of women-owned businesses as suppliers to America's corporations. WBENC works to foster diversity in the world of commerce with programs and policies designed to expand opportunities and eliminate barriers in the marketplace for women business owners. Corporate supporters include such companies as UPS, Bank of America, IBM, Pfizer and Motorola.

About Designing Events
Designing Events, LLC is a premier global provider of planning, management and marketing services for pharmaceutical, corporate and association events, meetings and conferences. Based in the Baltimore metropolitan area, the company has a proven track record of delivering high-quality results utilizing a comprehensive range of services and resources that are custom-tailored to fit each client's unique needs. Often heralded for their ability to handle a myriad of time-sensitive details with ease, their true measure of success is allowing clients to focus all of their energy and attention on their guests and event goals.