1.	ORGANIZATION

The Blackstone Group L.P., together with its subsidiaries, (“Blackstone” or the “Partnership”) is a leading global manager of private capital and provider of financial advisory services. The alternative asset management business includes the management of private equity funds, real estate funds, funds of hedge funds, credit-oriented funds, collateralized loan obligation (“CLO”) vehicles, separately managed accounts, and registered investment companies (collectively referred to as the “Blackstone Funds”). Blackstone also provides various financial advisory services, including financial advisory, restructuring and reorganization advisory and fund placement services. Blackstone’s business is organized into five segments: private equity, real estate, hedge fund solutions, credit businesses, and financial advisory.

The Partnership was formed as a Delaware limited partnership on March 12, 2007. The Partnership is managed and operated by its general partner, Blackstone Group Management L.L.C., which is in turn wholly-owned and controlled by one of Blackstone’s founders, Stephen A. Schwarzman (the “Founder”), and Blackstone’s other senior managing directors.

The activities of the Partnership are conducted through its holding partnerships: Blackstone Holdings I L.P., Blackstone Holdings II L.P., Blackstone Holdings III L.P. and Blackstone Holdings IV L.P. (collectively, “Blackstone Holdings”, “Blackstone Holdings Partnerships” or the “Holding Partnerships”). On June 18, 2007, in preparation for an initial public offering (“IPO”), the predecessor owners (“Predecessor Owners”) of the Blackstone business completed a reorganization (the “Reorganization”) whereby, with certain limited exceptions, the operating entities of the predecessor organization and the intellectual property rights associated with the Blackstone name were contributed (“Contributed Businesses”) to five holding partnerships (Blackstone Holdings I L.P., Blackstone Holdings II L.P., Blackstone Holdings III L.P., Blackstone Holdings IV L.P. and Blackstone Holdings V L.P.) either directly or indirectly via a sale to certain wholly-owned subsidiaries of the Partnership and then a contribution to the Holding Partnerships. The Partnership, through its wholly-owned subsidiaries, is the sole general partner in each of these Holding Partnerships. The reorganization was accounted for as an exchange of entities under common control for the component of interests contributed by the Founders and the other senior managing directors (collectively, the “Control Group”) and as an acquisition of non-controlling interests using the purchase method of accounting for all the predecessor owners other than the Control Group.

On January 1, 2009, the number of Holding Partnerships was reduced from five to four through the transfer of assets and liabilities of Blackstone Holdings III L.P. to Blackstone Holdings IV L.P. In connection therewith, Blackstone Holdings IV L.P. was renamed Blackstone Holdings III L.P. and Blackstone Holdings V L.P. was renamed Blackstone Holdings IV L.P. Blackstone Holdings refers to the five holding partnerships prior to the January 2009 reorganization and the four holding partnerships subsequent to the January 2009 reorganization.

Generally, holders of the limited partner interests in the four Holding Partnerships may, up to four times each year, exchange their limited partnership interests (“Partnership Units”) for Blackstone Common Units, on a one-to-one basis, exchanging one Partnership Unit in each of the four Holding Partnerships for one Blackstone Common Unit.