On behalf of the SofTechnics team, I want to express our thanks to everyone who participated in the SofTechnics 2010 Users Conference April 18-21, 2010, in Nashville, TN. The knowledge, experience, and presentations by our retail user community, and the dedication and passion of our business partners made this conference a huge success. We believe that we achieved a good mix of networking, education, and recreation, and covered many of the key topics that all of us are facing in the competitive world of retail.

The high-level presentations from our speakers proved their expertise and passion for their topics, and were evident in the positive response from the attendees.

• Steve Gilliland – Mr. Gilliland, CSP, showed our attendees how to “Enjoy the Ride!” and revealed the way to face conflicting demands in an unforgiving business environment that keeps getting tougher. From the beginning, when he demonstrated how to reignite their passion, to the end with his compelling challenge to “never lose your focus,” he released an “explosion of enthusiasm” that was absolutely contagious!
  
  
• Cy Fenton – Mr. Fenton, SVP, Information Technology and Head Geek, Books-A-Million, Inc. presented the results of the 2009 Integrated Solutions for Retailers Magazine Year End Survey, which examined what, beyond the obvious, went wrong for retailers in 2009 and what retailers plan to invest in throughout 2010 as they endeavor a return to healthy sales and profits.
  
  
• Joe Tarnowski - Mr. Tarnowski, Senior Editor, Progressive Grocer, discussed how retailers are leveraging new and emerging media to enhance the performance of their operations. He included success stories of innovative retailers using technologies such as mobile marketing, Web-based applications, and social media. Out-of-the-box uses of popular social media such as Facebook and Twitter were discussed, along with a look at some new potentially disruptive technologies yet to enter the retail realm. Mr. Tarnowski then moderated roundtable discussions whereby the attendees helped create their own social media solutions.
  
  
• Cynde Stetler, Ralph Stadler, and Scott Moreland – Ms. Stetler from Motorola Business Two-Way Radios, Mr. Stadler from Motorola, Inc., and Mr. Moreland from Motorola Enterprise Mobility Solutions discussed how Motorola two-way radios provide a variety of benefits that assist in overcoming daily challenges in the store. Providing time saving functionality for managers, excellent customer service, reducing shrink, and keeping the shelves stocked are just some ways they presented how two-way radios allow a retailer to run more efficiently.

In addition to the significant presentations by key retailers and industry leaders, the SofTechnics 2010 Users Conference also conducted solution focused workshops and three roundtable sessions. A highlight of the conference was the Solutions Partner Technology Zone, which provided firsthand demonstrations of SofTechnics’ ability to deliver complete retail solutions to complex business problems through strategic partnerships. Exhibiting retail solutions and services were: AccessVia, BlueStar, Datamax-O’Neil, Mettler-Toledo, Motorola, Motorola Business Two-Way Radios, Quest Solution, SAF USA, Source Communications, Wavelink, and Zebra Technologies.

Thank you again for your participation and support.

Regards,


Guy B. Dille
General Manager
Retail Software & Integration