The Toronto Chapter is part of the Association of Strategic Alliance Professionals which was established in 1998 to: set standards of professional performance in the formation and management of strategic alliances: support the professional development of its members by promoting education, communication and fellowship through training and educational programs, conferences, workshops and on-line exchanges: and, create awareness of the contributions of strategic alliances and strategic alliance professionals among corporate managers and executives and among the general public. Global sponsors include: IBM; Cisco Systems; Hewlett Packard; Microsoft; Symantec; Novartis; Eli Lilly; P & G; Xerox; and the Walt Disney Company.