The 1999 Empire State Advantage (ESA) "Celebration of Excellence at Work" Conference will take place June 1-2 at the Omni Hotel in Albany.

The conference is targeted at managers and executives interested in quality-driven management systems and continuous improvement.

Conference highlights will include:

• A gala luncheon in honor of the 36 Governor's Award winners; ESA Gold, Silver and Partner organizations; and Excelsior Award winners. Governor Pataki has been invited to host the event.

• A keynote address by James R. Houghton, former CEO of Corning Incorporated and former chairman of The Business Council.

• An "executive forum" hosted by Houghton open only to senior executives organizations in all economic sectors.

• Special recognition of David Kearns, former CEO of Xerox Corporation and Undersecretary of Education in the Bush administration, for his contributions to business and education in New York and nationwide.

• A pre-conference session June 1 on how to apply for the ESA Certification Program and The Governor's Award for Excellence. Empire State Advantage honorees, senior reviewers and members of its board of directors will lead this session.

• A series of workshops on management issues in the private, health-care, education, not-for-profit and government sectors.

The registration fee for the full program is $199 per person; groups of five or more will receive a discount. The student rate is $49 per person. A block of rooms has been reserved at the Omni Hotel at a rate of $99 per night.

To find out more, or to register, please call 1-518/482-1747.