The opening ceremony sponsored by Altria Group, Inc., and Sprint Nextel will take place at Cervantes Center in America's Ballroom, starting at 6:00 p.m. It will also feature a performance by the Friendly Temple Missionary Baptist Church Choir as well as remarks by St. Louis Mayor Francis G. Slay, Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis President and CEO James H. Buford and David Jordan, a member of the National Urban League's Incentives To Excel and Succeed (NULITES) youth initiative.

Other speakers include: 2007 Conference Chairs August A. Busch of Anheuser-Busch and Richard K. Davis of U.S. Bancorp, NUL Board of Trustees Chairman John D. Hofmeister of Shell Oil Company and Ralph Reid of Sprint Nextel Corporation.

The invocation will be delivered by the Rev. Michael Jones, pastor of Friendly Temple Missionary Baptist Church Choir, and The Girl Scout Council of St. Louis will present the national colors.

The NUL 97th annual conference, which is expected to draw over 10,000 attendees from across the nation, will take place from July 25 through July 28. The four-day event, the theme of which is "You, Your Money, Your Future," will feature over 80 dynamic speakers and experts in four plenary sessions and 18 workshops to be held over four days. It is the premier networking, recruiting and issues conference for African-American professionals nationwide.

Two political-themed plenary sessions, including a presidential candidate forum as well as a panel discussion assessing whether the black vote will be taken for granted, will be held. In addition, the conference will feature a town hall addressing "The Black Male Crisis" and a family prayer breakfast. The plenary sessions will precede a wide array of workshops - from leadership and career development to wealth accumulation, entrepreneurship and understanding financial management to improving one's health and wellness - in an effort to help participants improve themselves economically and physically.

Confirmed speakers include: Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, former Sen. John Edwards, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Susan Taylor of Essence Magazine and Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, among others.

More information about the National Urban League's 2007 Annual Conference registration, exhibit or sponsorship opportunities is available on the League's website at www.nul.org or by calling 800-263-9926.