Newport Beach firm buys San Francisco...

Newport Beach firm buys San Francisco company

Ambassadors International Inc., based in Newport Beach, has

acquired privately-held Bluedot Software.

The marketing and event-services company, which trades on Nasdaq

under the symbol AMIE, purchased the San Francisco-based Bluedot for

an undisclosed amount. Bluedot produces software that is used to

manage corporate events and marketing efforts.

“The acquisition of Bluedot lets us offer customers new tools to

ensure their marketing events succeed,” said John Ueberroth,

Ambassadors’ chief executive. “With today’s tight budgets and the

need to measure the effectiveness of all marketing activities,

there’s never been a better time for this.”

Bluedot’s software has been in use for more than seven years.

Large corporations, trade associations and other groups have used the

software to automate more than 10,000 events since its introduction.

Bluedot’s top two executives, President Craig Barberich and Chief

Technology Officer Gene McKenna, will stay in their posts.

Ambassadors also announced that it would release Feb. 12 a report

on earnings from its fourth quarter of 2002. The cost of the Bluedot

acquisition would be factored in to earnings for the first quarter of

2003.

AMIE closed Friday at $9.19, down 0.11% on the day.