FYI...NETP presents at the SG World Conference...
<<Smith-Gardner World Conference Attracts Internet Commerce and Direct Marketing Leaders
Brings together current and prospective clients as well as partners to discuss how to be successful in the coming millennium
DELRAY BEACH, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 23, 1999-- Smith-Gardner & Associates, Inc. (Nasdaq:SGAI - news), the leading provider of enterprise-wide software solutions to the global non-store retailing industry, attracted leading Internet commerce and direct marketing organizations to its eighth annual users conference, SG World Conference '99, which was held at the Marriott Convention Center in Delray Beach, Fla., June 14-16. The program included a commanding general session, presentations by multiple keynote speakers, 40 informative breakout sessions, user discussion groups, a CEO roundtable discussion and a vendor showcase with nearly 50 exhibitors.
Titled ''Lock in the Power of the New Millennium'', this year's conference provided a venue for current and prospective customers to learn how to be more successful with their online and catalog businesses. The sold-out event was attended by more than 400 Smith-Gardner clients and partners from around the world, who came to discuss the challenges, practices and solutions involved in online retailing and direct marketing as we approach the next century.
Smith-Gardner's president and CEO Gary Hegna said, ''Each year, the World Conference allows us to communicate valuable information to our attendees as well as solicit feedback to ensure that we're meeting the needs of our clients. The overwhelming response to this event underscores that companies large and small acknowledge our powerful software solutions, industry expertise and overall market leadership. The sessions on our WebOrder Internet commerce system had the heaviest attendance, indicating that our clients and partners are clearly focused on this growing direct marketing medium.''
SG World Conference '99 kicked off with a dynamic keynote address from Don Libey, president of Libey Inc., who spoke on defining trends within the catalog and e-commerce industries. Other keynote speakers included Adam Schoenfeld, vice president and senior analyst of Jupiter Communications, and Lauren Freedman, president of the e-tailing group.
Smith-Gardner's client attendees included some of the largest companies in the non-store retailing industry, such as Creative Computers, Cyberian Outpost, Micro Warehouse, Nordstrom, Hickory Farms, Coldwater Creek, Staples, Rexall Sundown and the U.S. Mint.
According to Simon Abuyounes, Vice President of Operations for Creative Computers, ''SG World Conference '99 was an excellent forum for industry leaders to acquire knowledge and exchange information to become more successful and competitive within the online and direct marketing industries.''
''The information in the general sessions on Smith-Gardner's future roadmap was very much in sync with the goals and objectives for the online business growth of Outpost.com,'' according to Mike Starkenburg, Chief Technology Officer for Cyberian Outpost. ''The breakout question and answer sessions were particularly insightful.''
SG World Conference breakout sessions furnished timely information to direct marketers and online retailers on the new customer service paradigm and the importance of truly open technology to integrate best-of-breed technologies seamlessly. Accordingly, the advanced features of Smith-Gardner's MACS and WebOrder systems were presented in multiple sessions. In addition, attendees were briefed on several new Smith-Gardner products such as the Data Mining System, the CTI (Computer Telephony Integration) module and the Inventory Forecasting module.
Breakout sessions also included presentations by representatives from LinkShare Corporation, OneSoft, CFT Consulting, F. Curtis Barry & Co., Banta Integrated Media, Manhattan Associates, Cognos, Hewlett-Packard, Marketing Systems Analysis and Net Perceptions.
''SG World Conference highlights the importance of a strong back-end system for today's mushrooming e-commerce businesses,'' said Prakash Puram, General Manager of Consumer and Retail Markets for Net Perceptions. ''We are delighted and excited about the opportunity to join with Smith-Gardner to deliver advanced Internet technology to our common call center, catalog and e-commerce customers.''
Smith-Gardner is a supplier of mission-critical software systems to the non-store retailing industry. Founded in 1988, the Company is headquartered in Delray Beach, Florida, and has offices throughout the United States and in the U.K. and Australia. Clients include traditional direct marketers, retailers, manufacturers and Internet-only based companies who are processing between 50 to 300,000 orders per day with Smith-Gardner's Mailorder And Cataloging System (MACS®) and WebOrder(tm) system. For more information about Smith-Gardner, please access the Company's web site at www.smith-gardner.com.>>
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