ITSMA's Ninth Annual MarketingServices Conference to Highlight Marketing Leadership, Innovation, and Results for Technology Services and Solutions

Technology marketing leaders to gather October 20-22 in Berkeley, California, with chief marketers and strategists from Dimension Data, Hewlett-Packard, Hitachi Consulting, Microsoft, salesforce.com, Sigma Partners, Unisys, Wipro and others to discuss best practices in marketing technology services and solutions

LEXINGTON, Massachusetts—August 14, 2003—As tech spending inches forward, marketing leaders are demonstrating new leadership in developing strategies for growth, persuading skeptical buyers of the value of technology, and documenting the business return on marketing investment.

ITSMA's Ninth Annual MarketingServices conference, "Marketing Returns: Leadership, Innovation, and Results," will showcase the latest thinking on successful strategies for marketing and selling technology services and solutions. The Conference will take place October 20-22 at the Claremont Resort and Spa in Berkeley, CA.

"Marketers have taken a lot of hits during the past few years as tech companies focused almost entirely on cutting costs," notes Dave Munn, ITSMA's president and CEO. "But more companies now understand the critical value of marketing in generating growth, and marketers are exerting greater leadership in defining opportunities, innovating new campaigns, and demonstrating the measurable payoff of marketing."

As the premier annual event dedicated specifically to marketing technology services and solutions, the ITSMA conference will zero in on some of the industry's most urgent challenges, including:

• Identifying opportunities for growth
• Developing and offering integrated solutions
• Accelerating the sales cycle
• Differentiating brands in a crowded market
• Maximizing customer loyalty
• Strengthening the return on marketing investment

Featured speakers include:

• Howard Rheingold (keynote speaker), author of Smart Mobs, The Virtual Community, and Virtual Reality and one of the foremost authorities on the social implications of technology
• Michael Winkler, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, Hewlett-Packard
• Brian Fugere, Partner and Chief Marketing Officer, Deloitte Consulting
• Leigh Alexander, Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, Unisys
• Sangita Singh, Chief Marketing Officer, Wipro Technologies
• Brian Eckert, Executive Vice President, Marketing, Dimension Data
• Cary Fulbright, Senior Vice President, Marketing, salesforce.com
• Shahla Aly, General Manager, Services Strategy, Microsoft
• Larry DeBoever, Chief Research Officer and EVP, Hitachi Consulting
• Peter Solvik, Managing Director, Sigma Partners; former CIO, Cisco Systems
• Philip Oliver, Vice President, ITSMA; former Vice President, Worldwide Strategy, IBM Global Services
• Dave Munn, President and CEO, ITSMA
• Julie Schwartz, Vice President, Research, ITSMA

The conference will also highlight the presentation of ITSMA's annual Services Marketing Excellence Awards, discussions with leading CIOs on buying perspectives and priorities, hands-on workshops and breakout groups, and extensive networking opportunities.

The conference is sponsored by Rainmaker Systems and Encover.

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