AN INTERNET company that organises virtual conferences over the Web is planning to float on the stock market next month in a move that could value it at £100m.

RMR, based in Eynsham, hosts conferences with online discussions, new research published online and video clips of speakers.

It was founded in 1997 by systems developer Philip Marcella, who owns a ten per cent stake.

Creative and products director Mark Smith said RMR wanted to strengthen its position as one of the first in the sector.

He said: "Conferences are all about acquiring information, interacting with peers and looking at new products and services - all of which can be done on the Web.

"This can be used to attract numbers of delegates who would not be able to attend the conference because of distance and cost."

Mr Smith said the money raised would be spent on research and development and on expansion.

He said: "This will be in addition to the existing conference market, particularly for areas like e-commerce which are changing quickly.

Stephanie Shirley, who founded the FI Group, has invested £250,000 in RMR. She came across the group when it designed and ran the Autism '99 conference for her charitable foundation, which was visited by 19,000 users about 67 per cent of whom lived outside the UK.

The company hopes to generate its main revenue from advertising and sponsorship through online exhibitions.

Story date: Thursday 23 March

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