Chicago, Illinois - (The Hosting News) - July 25, 2008 - The Association of Internet and Hosting Service Providers, AIHSP, has debuted, as the first-ever trade association serving the shared interests of providers and vendors in the Web hosting and Internet services industry.

The new initiative will be unveiled next week at HostingCon 2008, the largest annual gathering of Web services professionals and exhibitors, scheduled to take place July 28-30, at Chicago's historic Navy Pier.

Paul Hirsch, President of the AIHSP Founding Committee, the group charged with laying the groundwork for the new organization noted, ''The notion of a professional association for the Web hosting and Internet Services industry has been discussed for many years, each time with widespread enthusiasm but ultimately a lack of dedicated energy. Today, we see a moment of tremendous opportunity, and we believe we have developed the strategy we need to make this a reality. We envision an organization owned by its members with the purpose of serving the industry as a whole.''

Through AIHSP, organizers hope to strengthen the Industry and forge stronger community ties - creating new connections within the marketplace and building relations with the general public, which lacks a fundamental understanding of the Industry and its needs. With these crucial advances, Internet and Hosting Service Providers can secure a more prosperous future and raise the bar of ethics and credibility.

AIHSP has set forth a list of goals it hopes to reach in the next several years. The group hopes to use the collective buying power of Web hosts and vendors to secure affordable access to employee benefits (including health and dental insurance); implement robust business ethics standards to boost Industry credibility; conduct meaningful market research to aid providers in strategic growth initiatives; offer increased networking opportunities for professionals; and develop a public relations team to respond to members of the media and lobby lawmakers for key legislation.

AIHSP will exhibit at booth #221 at HostingCon 2008, to be held next week in Chicago, Ill. Representatives from AIHSP will present 'Making the Case: The Need for a Professional Association for Web hosts 'at the conference on Tuesday, July 27 at 2:45pm. The opportunity to enroll as a member is imminent, and AIHSP encourages individuals and businesses to complete an interest form on its Web site (www.aihsp.org/Yes) to receive progress updates and get involved at the grassroots level.

HostingCon is the largest conference and trade show for the hosted services industry, this year to be spread over 56,000 square feet reserved specifically for the event, with approximately 20,000 net square feet of booth space in an easy to navigate floorplan. The exhibit hall will feature over 70 vendors displaying products and services, offering demonstrations and activities related to the hosted services industry.

To view a list of AIHSP goals, please visit http://aihsp.org/About-AIHSP/AIHSP-Goals.php.

For more about AIHSP, please visit: www.aihsp.org.

To learn more about HostingCon 2008, please visit: www.HostingCon.com.

Editor's note: TechPad Agency (parent company of The Hosting News) returns as a HostingCon 2008 media partner, and will be exhibiting in booth #418.