ITSMA Announces 2005 Annual Conference: Marketing on the Verge

Services and solutions marketing on verge of transformation; ITSMA conference features dynamic line-up of speakers from Avaya, Cisco, EDS, Fujitsu, Gartner, Mercury, SAP, W2 Group, and Wipro to address marketing's new role

LEXINGTON, Massachusetts—September 13, 2005—As the technology sector evolves, marketing executives across the industry are leading the charge to transform their organizations into customer-centric communities that cultivate innovation and growth through collaboration. ITSMA, a membership organization that helps companies market and sell technology services and solutions, will provide a forum for exploring marketing's new direction, value, and risks at its 2005 Annual Conference, Marketing on the Verge, to be held November 7-9 in Cambridge, MA.

"It's clear that the way customers evaluate, select, and buy technology has changed dramatically," said Dave Munn, president and CEO, ITSMA. "More than ever, there's an undeniable focus on business value, which has created tremendous opportunities for services and solutions marketers to lead the enterprise to a more interactive, customer-driven model. Marketing on the Verge will bring together the industry's most forward-thinking leaders to examine marketing's emerging role in this changing landscape."

The conference will provide an opportunity to network with more than 100 senior services and solutions executives and industry thought leaders. Featured speakers include:

• Brian Fugere, Partner and former Chief Marketing Officer, Deloitte Consulting; co-author, Why Business People Speak Like Idiots
• Marty Homlish, Chief Marketing Officer, SAP
• Ellen Kitzis, Group Vice President, Research Business Development, Gartner
• Christopher Lochhead, Chief Marketing Officer, Mercury
• Philip Oliver, Acting Group Marketing Director, Fujitsu Services; Vice President, ITSMA
• Jessie Paul, Chief Marketing Officer, Wipro Technologies
• Gail Rigler, Vice President, Global Marketing, EDS Corporation
• Julie Schwartz, Senior Vice President and Chief Research Officer, ITSMA
• Larry Weber, Founder and Chairman, W2Group; Founder, Weber Shandwick Worldwide

Discussion at the conference will focus on the new directions for marketing and business success, including:

• Aligning with buyer priorities and preferences
• Sharpening competitive differentiation
• Harnessing new techniques for communicating online
• Managing the total customer experience
• Assuming a larger leadership role in the business

Marketing on the Verge will also feature the presentation of ITSMA's Marketing Excellence Awards at a special dinner on Tuesday, November 8. The awards honor excellence in marketing innovation, execution, and business results.

The conference will be take place on November 7-9, 2005 at The Charles Hotel in Cambridge, MA. Experts from ITSMA and MediaLive International will lead two pre-conference workshops on Monday, November 7:

• Invigorating Live Marketing will show you how to get the biggest bang for your buck at conferences, trade shows, user groups, and internal events.

• Mining Markets of One will outline best practices for account-based marketing and show you how to approach your top accounts for optimized results.

For more information and to register online, please visit: www.itsma.com/conference.

About ITSMA
ITSMA specializes in helping companies market and sell services and solutions more effectively. As a membership organization, we work with the world's leading technology, communications, and professional services providers to generate increased demand, strengthen customer relationships, and improve brand differentiation. ITSMA members include business leaders such as Accenture, BT, Cisco, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Microsoft, SAP, and Tata Consultancy Services, among others. Our comprehensive research, consulting, and training on topics including ITSMA Account-Based Marketing ^SM, Brand Positioning, and Solutions Development provide the insight and experience companies need to improve business results. ITSMA is based near Boston, and has offices in London and Tokyo. Learn more at www.itsma.com.