E-commerce and multimedia activities will take centre stage at a major conference highlighting new developments and opportunities in the industry taking place later this week in Fort William.

The Highlands and Islands Multimedia Conference (Friday 7th and Saturday 8th April, 2000) is being organised by local enterprise company Lochaber Limited (LL), part of the Highlands and Islands Enterprise network, in partnership with the Interactive Media Alliance of Scotland (IMAS). IMAS was set up in 1994 to promote and develop the new media industry in Scotland.

Sue Cook from the Interactive Media Alliance of Scotland (IMAS) said: "E-commerce is becoming increasingly important and the number of companies doing business on-line in the UK has doubled over the past year. It is therefore essential that local firms and individuals stay abreast of developments in the industry if they are to exploit its full potential.

"We hope that this conference will raise the overall profile of multimedia in the Lochaber and Skye and Lochalsh areas and encourage new businesses to adopt new technology."

Ralph Averbush from web portal Yahoo will be first to take the stage at the conference and will discuss current developments in e-commerce and its potential impact on the UK business world.

Other guest speakers include Tim Blaxter managing director of Glasgow based web developers, Delphic who will reveal some of their trade secrets and Dave McGovern from British Telecom who will talk about the use of new satellite communication links. SONY sales manager Joe Dorfman will also present a beginners guide to website production.

IT advisor for LL and SALE Alaistair Nicolson said: "This event gives local businesses and individuals the opportunity to keep up-to-date with new developments in the sector, above all in relation to e-commerce. Besides giving people the chance to learn new practical skills this is a great forum for multimedia practioners to meet and exchange information and ideas."

The Highlands and Islands Multimedia 2000 award which recognises the best use of new media in business will be presented by the IMAS at an informal dinner to be held in the Milton Hotel on the Friday evening.

On Saturday there will be a half day of practical workshops with sessions on digital video production, the use of on-line marketing and a session on Macromedia's new products.