Chicago, IL, (October 4, 2002). Raine Consulting, Inc. is pleased to announce that they will be holding an invitation-only Executive Briefing titled "Technology Choices that Impact Profitability" on Wednesday October 9th, 2002. Susan Kelly, Managing Partner of Raine Consulting says, "We are excited about all the talent that is getting together for an intense morning to discuss the hottest issues today in the graphic media industries. We want to make this a tactical program that helps decision makers craft a roadmap to drive success in 2003." The agenda is designed to address technology questions such as ‘Buy’ versus ‘Build’, capturing the elusive ROI, and how technology can strengthen customer relationships. Some of the topics include: WHAT’S A PRINTER TO DO IN THIS ECONOMY? Susan Kelly of Raine Consulting delivers the bottom line messages from Graph Expo and identifies the trends and triggers that will have the greatest impact on your business in 2003. Gauge the importance and the role that technology will play, and get the best strategies and solutions for immediate and long-term results. MANAGING SUPPORT COSTS: David Dodd and Bill Davison of Point Balance present their latest research that helps printers identify real costs, with particular emphasis on capturing, tracking, and managing those growing support costs. DE-MYSTIFYING ERP: What every executive needs to know. Bruce Howard, former Big 6 IT Consultant to the F500, gives a brief history and puts enterprise resource planning in perspective for executives in the print industry. CASE STUDY: Why is SAP entering the printing/publishing market? Get a sneak peek of what this world-class giant is offering to the industry. Uwe Goehring, founder of the SAP Solution for Printers called PRINT IT introduces this newest solution. He includes an informative comparison of Buy vs. Build as it relates to enterprise systems for printers. VARIABLE DATA: Technology Plan or Product Plan? With the widespread implementation of digital assets, how can printers make use of variable data and product-ize the offering? Dona Quirke of Raine Consulting explores the technology impact these assets have on the printing enterprise and give valuable tools for assessing your organization’s tech-readiness to make the most of this new equipment. On the agenda are David Dodd and Bill Davison from Point Balance. Dodd says "We are pleased to be a part of such an exciting event. Our most recent publication titled " Driving Improved Profitability with Activity-Based Costing" was a joint effort of Point Balance and H.R. Margolis Company which discusses how support expenses is one of the primary causes of huge and persistent profit gaps between leaders and laggards. Bill Davison added "We look forward to sharing our latest insights as to how printers can accelerate their financial performance even during a tough economy. A session not to be missed." About the Event: For more information about this event or to receive an invitation, call Julie Brink @ Raine Consulting 630-629-3410 or contact us at [email protected].