NCOF Announces Keynote Lineup, Intensive Pre- Conference Program; Begins Apr. 29

January 26, 2007 — A stellar keynote lineup and an intensive pre-conference program are on tap for the National Conference on Operations And Fulfillment (NCOF) (www.ncof.com), which will be held April 29 – May 2 at the Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel and Convention Center in Schaumburg, IL.

Presented by the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) (www.the-dma.org) and Multichannel Merchant’s Operations & Fulfillment®, published by Prism Business Media (www.prismb2b.com), NCOF is the premier gathering of direct-to-customer operations and fulfillment professionals.

Keynote Lineup

Success By Design

Dr. Peter Johnson, PhD

President, Strategic Performance Institute

Dr. Peter Johnson is an internationally acclaimed business strategy expert and 26-year veteran of the professional speaking and consulting industry. He has worked exclusively for the past six years under direct contract with the US Army, advanced technology command working strategic plans for Homeland Defense. His corporate job experience and credentials include a long-running information technology career with IBM, General Electric, Litton Industries, Data General, and McDonnell-Douglas.

Comedy With A Byte

Greg Schwem

President, Comedy With A Byte, Inc.

Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism alumnus Greg Schwem began his journalism career as a beat reporter for The Palm Beach Post. As a television reporter at WPTV, the NBC affiliate in West Palm Beach, he was the recipient of UPI awards for outstanding news and features reporting. Today Greg performs for companies, including Motorola, Radio Shack, Verizon Wireless, Sprint, McDonald’s, Nikon, Washington Mutual, and Siemens. Chicago Magazine recently called Greg “the world’s favorite corporate funnyman.”

Management Trends: The Evolving Workforce

Marilyn Moats-Kennedy

Moats-Kennedy, Inc.

A former DePaul University faculty member, Moats-Kennedy is the founder and publisher of Career Strategist, a newsletter on career planning, job hunting, and office politics. Of particular interest today are age diversity issues such as cross-generational motivation: management, communication, and recruitment and retentions. Kennedy holds a BSJ and MSJ from Northwestern University and is a charter member of Northwestern University's Council of 100 and The Medill School's Journalism Hall of Fame.

NCOF Pre-Conference Workshops

An intensive educational program, focused on key operational and fulfillment strategies will be featured on Pre-Conference Workshop Day, Sunday, April 29 from 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Sessions include the following:

The Essentials of Operations & Fulfillment: This full-day workshop provides an intensive learning experience for all members of the service and fulfillment management team. The latest strategies and tactics of each aspect of the fulfillment process will be reviewed with a focus on maximizing service performance and improving operational efficiency.

The Art & Science of Managing the Contact Center: This interactive workshop will feature opportunities to network with peers and share information on best practices. Focus areas include metrics and measurements, calibration best practices, improved performance tactics, including coaching and incentive and rewards programs.

Evaluating and Improving Your Distribution Center Operations: Solutions for improving distributions center operations will be featured in this workshop. Methods for evaluating an operation, setting and meeting goals, and communicating with members of the supply chain will be explored.

Packaging & Shipping Strategies for Reducing Cost: A comprehensive experience focused on best practices for small parcel shipping. You'll learn from experienced industry pros on how to manage and maintain a more efficient and profitable shipping operation.

It's All in the Systems – Operations IT: Strategic Approaches to Systems Management and Selection: This full-day workshop is divided into two parts. The first part will give you an overview on systems selection and implementation. The second part will provide detailed summaries of specific systems available, by system type.

For More Information

For complete pre-conference descriptions and conference programming at NCOF, and to register, please visit www.ncof.com.

About Prism Business Media

Prism Business Media Inc. is a leader in business-to-business communication and information, connecting qualified buyers and sellers in 21 industry sectors. Prism's growing portfolio of market-leading brands spans 71 magazines, 170 e-newsletters, 17 industry trade shows and more than 500 rich data products. Each month, more than 3.3 million unique visitors utilize Prism Web sites and services. Prism Business Media is owned by U.S. Equity Partners II, an investment fund sponsored by Wasserstein & Co., LP, and Highfields Capital Management and Lexington Partners. For additional information on the company and its businesses, visit www.prismb2b.com.

About Direct Marketing Association

The Direct Marketing Association (www.the-dma.org) is the leading global trade association of businesses and nonprofit organizations using and supporting multichannel direct marketing tools and techniques. DMA advocates industry standards for responsible marketing, promotes relevance as the key to reaching consumers with desirable offers, and provides cutting-edge research, education, and networking opportunities to improve results throughout the end-to-end direct marketing process. Founded in 1917, DMA today represents more than 3,600 companies from dozens of vertical industries in the US and 50 other nations, including a majority of the Fortune 100 companies, as well as nonprofit organizations.

In 2006, marketers – commercial and nonprofit – will spend an estimated $166.5 billion on direct marketing in the United States. Measured against total US sales, these advertising expenditures will generate an estimated $1.93 trillion in incremental sales. This year, direct marketing will account for 10.3 percent of total US GDP. Also, there are today 1.7 million direct marketing employees in the US alone. Their collective sales efforts directly support 8.8 million other jobs. That accounts for 10.5 million US jobs.

The Power of Direct: Relevance. Responsibility. Results.

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