In this week's report. . .

Internet + Trade Exchange Networks = Awesome Future!

There's some 500,000 companies (aggregately) now bartering through trade exchanges around the world. The number should expand significantly given today's technology and the forces (new companies) on the horizon which are poised to come into the commercial barter industry.

A look at the future of the barter industry will be possible for those making the trip to Vancouver for the upcoming 20th Annual International Reciprocal Trade Association (IRTA) Congress, September 23-26.

The schedule of events on Saturday looks particularly interesting and illuminating, as BarterTrust.com CEO Mike Edelhart addresses the attendees. Edelhart, a former VP of Softbank, will discuss his research and analysis of the barter industry. Including how the Internet will eliminate geographical boundaries, and the manner in which barter currency is being transformed.

Pragmatist and 20-year veteran Fred Detwiler, founder and CEO of Trade Exchange of America, will also share his views on why barter is headed in this direction.

The following session, titled "Clicks and Mortar: Bringing Barter To Wall Street" will cover the potential in mergers, financial opportunity on the Internet, and the three most important needs for success: customer acquisition, customer acquisition, customer acquisition.

Val E. Vaden, partner at Vector Capital (San Francisco) and founding general partner of Benchmark Capital—best known for early investment in eBay and Ariba—is scheduled to talk along with James Fierro the founding partner of Venture Resources Group. Both will share their expertise and vision with the attendees.

For details on the upcoming Congress, only ten days away, contact Sheila Gidley, at the IRTA office. Her e-mail: admin1@IRTA.net

Ubarter.com Goes Live Today

The first publicly-traded, business-to-business barter Internet web site, Ubarter.com, is now live-giving Ubarter a first-mover advantage. The company recently received $1 million in bridge financing from Alpine Capital of NYC two weeks ago.

Two company executives are relocating to corporate headquarters in Seattle. Bob Bagga, former President of BBE in Toronto, is moving as is Cameron Herold, Director of International Sales. Herold was recently promoted to VP of Sales & Business Development.

(Disclosure: BarterNews does not own stock in Ubarter.com but Bob Meyer, Publisher of BarterNews, does own Ubarter.com common stock in his personal investment portfolio.)

Media Week To Produce 18-Page Corporate Barter Supplement

In October, Media Week, the leading newspaper for the media industry in the U.K., will include an 18-page stand-alone supplement on corporate trading, aimed to educate its readership on the benefits of corporate barter.

Editorial coverage will include the role of corporate barter in media trading, an in-depth look at the U.K. and U.S. markets, how they developed, how they differ, and forecasts for projected growth.

Also covered will be the European barter experience-in which countries is it most established, rules and regulations, which sectors/advertisers of the media make the most use of barter as a currency.

Media Week plans to mail out 4,000 extra copies of the supplement to senior management of major corporations in the U.K. and the United States. Matt Barnard, one of the supplement writers, can be reached via e-mail: barnardmj@aol.com.

Gambling With Trade Dollars In Cyberspace?

That's what Virtual Gaming Enterprises (OTCBB: VGAMD) envisions by purchasing Cyber Casino Player of Escondido, California, because Cyber Casino will be the first internet casino to offer wagering in Global Cash™.

Klaus Heuring, president of a trade exchange known as EBB/USA and a joint venture partner with Cyber Casino, views it as the key to the global entertainment market. Heuring says barter organizations (such as European Barter Business (EBB), BXI, ITEX, and Bartercard) have an established client base of over 100,000 members that will now be able to wager on-line from anywhere in the world—utilizing their respective trade currencies, which are convertible to Global Cash™.

All currency exchange and processing of Global Cash™ will be facilitated by 1st Global Credit Union, a European financial institution experienced in multi-currency accounting. Cyber Casino is expected to be fully operational later this month.

Follow-up From September 7th...

Last week recently reported on the advertising efforts of internet companies, and how they view their expenditures as investments, rather than expenses.

Add Yahoo to the list of those who see the advantages of promotion. Last year they spent 45% of their $203 million revenues on sales and marketing.

(Yahoo continues to rely on guerrilla marketing... like stunts where they send guys dressed as chauffeurs to airport arrival areas holding signs for Mr. Yahoo!)

Quote of the Week...

"In business you never get something for nothing, but barter arrangements come close enough."

-Mark McCormack,
President International Management Group
and best-selling author,
What They Still Don't Teach You At Harvard Business School.

Next Week... September 21st