2008 NCOF to Present Ways for Operations and Fulfillment Professionals to Win in Challenging Economic Times; NCOF Set for Apr. 7-10

March 18, 2008 — No matter how many rate cuts Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke proposes in an effort to bolster the lagging economy, operations and fulfillment professionals know that their best insurance against the recession is learning how to control back-end costs. Even if the economy dips, they can come out on top by learning winning solutions at the 2008 National Conference on Operations & Fulfillment (NCOF), the only event focused exclusively on the operations and fulfillment opportunities and challenges facing today’s catalog, online, and multichannel retailers.

The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) and Penton Media’s Multichannel Merchant^® magazine, the co-producers of the event, will welcome attendees to NCOF from April 7–10, 2008, at the Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center in Orlando, FL. The United States Postal Service (USPS) is the official sponsor of this 18th annual conference.

“While operations and fulfillment professionals understand that they can’t always control front-end costs, they can impact back-end costs,” said Angela Eastin, Penton group show director. “With that top of mind, the 2008 NCOF conference can help attendees control their companies’ back-end costs during these tumultuous economic times.”

While NCOF’s Exhibit Hall and the educational offerings are replete with cost-savings measures, conference schedule highlights include:

· Cost-Effective Shipping Strategies — 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Monday, April 7 — Why not start saving money on the first day of NCOF? This pre-conference workshop focuses on best practices for small parcel shipping.

· Shipping and Handling Costs — 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday, April 7 — Also on the first day of NCOF, top-level company leaders are invited to this Executive Summit limited to companies with sales of $15 million or more. This session is a forum at which 40 executives will discuss topics, such as “Shipping and Handling Costs” with the aid of a facilitator.

· Negotiating Parcel Contract Rates & Terms — 10 to 11:15 a.m. on Tuesday, April 8 — This session promises to reveal negotiation secrets that can save companies 10 to 30 percent on their parcel contracts with carriers such as UPS, FedEx, and DHL.

· Effective Inventory Management for Increased Profitability — 1:45 to 3 p.m. on Tuesday, April 8 — NCOF attendees will learn to increase inventory productivity and profitability and improve turnover, customer service, and net profits.

· Lowering Operations Expenses — Managing the Pennies — 1:45 to 3 p.m. on Tuesday, April 8 — Every penny counts. But in business, this aphorism will only be practiced if the entire organization embraces cost-reducing logistics. This session will focus on ways can meet this challenge.

· Case Study: Driving Down Transportation Costs — 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. on Wednesday, April 9 — Shippers have a different perspective on the emerging role of data and statistical tools for better management of spending on freight and parcels, which will be discussed in this session.

· 40 Ideas to Reduce Shipping Costs — Survivor-Style — 8:15 to 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, April 10 — À la CBS’s popular “Survivor” series, attendees can vote off the least helpful parcel consultant during this session. Consultants here will work with shippers and carriers to get clients the best combination of price and service.

· Management Skills for Creating Lean Operations — 11:10 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. on Thursday, April 10 — Lean concepts (the elimination of waste and variation in time, inventory, and cost) have been widely and successfully applied to manufacturing and some parts of the supply chain. This session will focus on the rarely examined resources — labor in the office, call center, or warehouses.

About NCOF

The 18th Annual National Conference on Operations & Fulfillment (NCOF), the operations and fulfillment conference for catalog, online and multichannel retailers, will take place April 7–10, 2008, at the Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center in Orlando, FL. Co-produced by the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) and Penton Media’s Multichannel Merchant magazine, NCOF is the only event focused exclusively on meeting the operations and fulfillment challenges of today’s direct commerce marketplace. Professionals in various areas of operations and fulfillment come to NCOF to get the latest ideas and solutions the industry has to offer on increasing efficiency and streamlining operations. The 2007 NCOF attracted more than 150 exhibiting companies and approximately 1,500 attendees. For more information, or to register for NCOF 2008, visit www.ncof.com.

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