New York – The Blackstone Group (NYSE: BX) today announced that Stephen A. Schwarzman, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder of The Blackstone Group, is scheduled to present at the Merrill Lynch Banking & Financial Services Investor Conference on Tuesday, November 11, 2008 at 9:40 am EST.

A live audio webcast of the presentation will be available on the Investor Relations section of our website at http://www.veracast.com/webcasts/ml/banking08/29104241.cfm. For those unable to listen to the live audio webcast, a replay will be available on Blackstone’s website shortly after the event.

Please direct any questions regarding the webcast to Blackstone’s Investor Relations group at [email protected].

About The Blackstone Group

Blackstone is one of the world’s leading investment and advisory firms. We seek to create positive economic impact and long-term value for our investors, the companies we invest in, the companies we advise and the broader global economy. We do this through the commitment of our extraordinary people and flexible capital. Our alternative asset management businesses include the management of corporate private equity funds, real estate funds, hedge funds, funds of funds, debt funds, collateralized loan obligation vehicles (CLOs) and closed-end mutual funds. The Blackstone Group also provides various financial advisory services, including mergers and acquisitions advisory, restructuring and reorganization advisory and fund placement services. Further information is available at www.blackstone.com.

Contact:
John Ford
The Blackstone Group
212 583 5559
[email protected]