Enterprise 2002
Welcome to ENTERPRISE 2002.
Time sure flies in our business. It's hard to believe that our first conference was five years ago. Since then, our industry has experienced a lifetime of highs and lows the promise of Internet technology, the bubble economy days and the post-burst trauma, a host of new enterprise applications, the rise of new business models, and much much more. During this wild time, one thing has remained constant: our conference focused exclusively on the enterprise market and how corporations use software.
This is our first gathering following the Sept. 11 tragedy. This event had a major personal, emotional and business impact on everyone in our industry. It has reminded us how important it is to share time with our families, friends and colleagues.
As we begin our fifth annual conference today, the economy is showing signs of life after two miserable years. Many experts believe the technology market has hit bottom, but the big question remains: when will the enterprise software industry begin to grow again?
Enterprise 2002 will focus on three areas of executive concern in today's challenging business climate.
- The Voice of the Customer An evaluation of our customers' needs and how to deliver solutions in a quick, cost-efficient way while demonstrating ROI.
- Critical Success Factors An examination of what enterprise vendors need to do to be better prepared for the challenges ahead.
- The Next Big Thing Will a major new market develop in the next five years such as ERP, SCM or CRM? If so, what will it be?
This year's conference will include some new sessions. Don1t miss our fireside chat interview, the "Next Big Thing" panel where fast-growth company CEOs make their case by presenting their strategies and the "Lessons Learned" session.
The gold stars on your badges identify how many Enterprise conferences you have attended. Your attendance in the past five years has funded a dozen worthy causes worldwide. We are grateful to our loyal following and appreciate your continued support. By now, you should be receiving our new Enterprise Critical e-newsletter every month. We hope this will be another way to share knowledge and maintain our community year-round.
Last but not least, we would like to thank our advisors, Erik Keller, Roger McNamee, Chuck Phillips, Bruce Richardson and the McKinsey team GregHughes, Mike Nevens and Bill Pade for their valuable input into this event.
Once again, welcome to Enterprise 2002. MR Rangaswami & Constantin Delivanis
