Three days of learning, networking and volunteering for charity with executives from the Internet's leading companies gathered online merchants from around the world.

For the 9th eCommerce Summit (http://www.ecommerce-summit.com ) which concluded on April 25th, over 500 Internet professionals traveled to New Orleans.

Executive Director of the Professional eBay Sellers Alliance (http://www.gopesa.org ), a co-host of the summit, Jonathan Garriss, noted: "We really hit our stride with this event". "There was a lot of buzz going into the event and feedback from merchants who attended has been overwhelmingly positive, with numerous attendees declaring 'This was one of the best conferences I have ever attended!' according to Internet Auction News Radio."

Over a two-day period, the summit agenda included more than 30 educational sessions plus networking with more than 40 sponsoring companies. eCommerce Summits, unlike many other conventions, do not offer free exhibit hall passes, so they tend to attract senior executives who appreciate the value of finding experts on almost any ecommerce subject in one place.

The summit also encouraged giving back to the community and organized a charity auction plus a day of home rebuilding with Habitat for Humanity. Including a $50,000 donation by eBay on behalf of all eBay sellers, in total over $80,000 was raised for charity at the summit.

President of 3rd Power Outlet, an eBay PowerSeller, John Lawson, commented: "eBay employees came to New Orleans in force to support the event". "The generosity of eBay's donation made me proud to be part of the eBay community. They did the right thing."