ITSMA’s Fourth Annual Chief Marketers' Conference to Highlight Marketing's Leadership Role in Generating Growth in Technology Services and Solutions

Technology marketing leaders to gather May 11-12 in Washington, DC, with speakers and panelists from Accenture, Avaya, Bain, IBM Global Services, Inward Strategic Consulting, Mercury Interactive, and others to discuss marketing-led growth strategies for technology services and solutions

LEXINGTON, Massachusetts—March 31, 2004— As the outlook for technology spending continues to improve, marketing leaders across the industry are stepping forward with innovative marketing and sales strategies to generate new sources of revenue and profitability. Top firms are expanding their capabilities, entering new markets, strengthening partner programs, re-tooling sales channels, and emphasizing the business value of their offerings.

ITSMA’s Fourth Annual Chief Marketers' Conference, “Marketing-Led Growth: Building a New Vision,” will display the latest thinking and success stories on marketing and selling technology services and solutions. The Conference will take place May 11-12 at the Westin Embassy Row in Washington, DC.

“Most marketing groups have been under siege the last few years to lower costs and focus only on the most immediate sales opportunities. These efforts helped companies stabilize during the downturn, but growth in today's market requires bolder leadership initiatives and more ambitious marketing programs," said Dave Munn, ITSMA’s president and CEO. "The new buying reality requires a marketing-led approach versus a sales- or capabilities-led approach to be successful.”

As the premier annual event dedicated specifically to marketing leadership for technology services and solutions, the ITSMA conference will feature such speakers as:

• Paul Magill, Vice President, Marketing, IBM Global Services
• Christopher Lochhead, Chief Marketing Officer, Mercury Interactive
• Allan Steinmetz, Founder and CEO, Inward Strategic Consulting
• Sophia Williams, Vice President, Marketing, Avaya Global Services
• James Harris, Chief Operating Officer, Accenture Technology Infrastructure Services
• Rudy Puryear, Director and Co-leader, Capability Sourcing Practice, Bain & Company
• Tom Rodenhauser, President, Consulting Information Services
• Jeff Lowe, Strategic Planning Director, Venture Communications
• Steve Hurley, Vice President, Learning and Performance Excellence, ITSMA
• Sam Iyengar, Senior Advisor, ITSMA India
• Philip Oliver, Vice President, ITSMA; former Vice President, Worldwide Strategy, IBM Global Services
• Julie Schwartz, Senior Vice President and Chief Research Officer, ITSMA

Keynote speaker Dr. Robert Cialdini, the world’s leading authority on influence, will discuss “Ethical Influence and the Psychology of Persuasion.”

The Chief Marketers' Conference will also feature a high-powered panel discussion on "Outsourcing, Offshoring, and the Globalization of IT Services" as well as hands-on breakout groups and extensive networking opportunities.

The conference is sponsored by Rainmaker Systems.

For more information on the conference program, attendees, and registration, visit http://www.itsma.com/CMO.

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.