BOSTON, MA — September 18, 2008

We are now just over a month away from the HIA Convention and AGM in Boston. We have a great line-up of speakers this year, and hotel rooms are going fast. I invite you to make the commitment to attend the HIA Convention.

Attendees are responsible for making their own room reservations. We recommend that you book your room before tomorrow, September 19. Once our block of reserved rooms runs out, that's it. The hotel is otherwise already totally booked. Please reserve your room at the Best Western Roundhouse Suites now by calling 617-989-1000. Remember to mention the Hemp Industries Association when booking to get the HIA group rate, and be sure to get a reservation confirmation number.

Once you have made your reservation, then register for the HIA Convention. The regular rate registration fee is $250 per person until tomorrow, September 19. After that, the rate increases to $300 per person.

See you there!

Regards,

Eric Steenstra
HIA Executive Director

We have lined up some great featured speakers, including:

• Mario Machnicki, Managing Director, American Limetec: Hemcrete® and the Potential Market for Hemp in Building Construction
• Adam Eidinger, Mintwood Media: PR Tactics for Small Businesses
• Alex White Plume, Pine Ridge Hemp Project: The Lakota Hempcrete Project
• Amy Shollenberger, Rural Vermont: The "Hemp for Vermont" Bill: How to Successfully Pass State Hemp Legislation
• Anndrea Hermann, Canadian Hemp Trade Alliance: Canadian Update
• Barbara Filippone, Envirotextiles: Hemp Textiles Update
• Bernd Frank, Managing Director BaFa GmbH, Malsch, Germany: Industrial Hemp in the EU: Experiences and Future Prospects
• Carl Hedberg, Consultant & Editor: The Entrepreneurial Mindset in Mission-Driven Enterprises (based on the top-selling book on entrepreneurship)
• Christina Volgyesi, Living Harvest: The Hemp Foods Market & Consumer Studies Update
• Gero Leson, Leson & Associates, Berkeley, CA: Nutritional Assessment of Hemp Foods and the TestPledge Program

We have arranged for special room rates for Sunday and Monday nights at the Best Western Roundhouse Suites. The hotel is also offering special room rates for Natural Products Expo East attendees (as a separate arrangement with different rates and dates), so if you are attending or exhibiting at the Expo, you can conveniently stay there for both events.

Please note: Attendees are responsible for making their own room reservations. We recommend that you book your room before Friday, September 19. Once our block of reserved rooms runs out, that's it. The hotel is otherwise already totally booked.

You must CALL the hotel at 617-989-1000 to make your reservation. Do not book online.

Please remember to mention the Hemp Industries Association when booking in order to get the HIA group rate, and be sure to get a reservation confirmation number.

Regular Rate Registration Fee – All Members: $250 per person until September 19, after which the late rate will be $300 per person from September 20 up to the day of the event. HIA Full Company Members may bring additional attendees (company employees) at a $50 discount each. All other attendees must be at least HIA Supporting Members.

Additional information, including hotel description, registration form and payment options, is on the HIA Convention Web page:

If you need more information, please feel free to call the HIA office at 707-874-3648.