Definition: In this task, a passage will be given and the goal is to identify an event from the passage. An event is defined as a single word representing something that happened, is happening, or may happen. An event can be factual or hypothetical, positive or negative, certain or uncertain. While most events are based on verbs, an event can also be based on a noun (ex. storm, snow, rainfall) or a copula verb (is, was, been, etc.). The event must not be a pronoun or an adjective. For noun events with multiple words, use the last word in the phrase as event.
Input: Passage: At a news conference, Mr. Nadeau said the sale of the three non-food businesses, which account for nearly half the company's C$900 million in assets, should be completed in a "matter of months." The three units are a nationwide pharmaceutical and health-products distributor, a small sporting-goods chain, and a combination catalog showroom and toy-store chain.

conference