INDUSTRY INSIGHT

Tread Softly and Carry a Big Screen:Opportunity and Peril in the Holiday Ahead
presented by Stephen Baker, Vice President of Industry Analysis, The NPD Group

Mixed messages around holiday opportunities abound. Every category and product with a great sales outlook is balanced by ones with wavering demand. While brand new category opportunities are few and far between, and innovative merchandising will be in short supply, those few attempts to create the next blockbuster segment still have equal potential to boom or bust. So it is likely to be the big categories that have kept tech afloat throughout 2008, such as LCD TVs, notebook computers, and GPS, that make or break the holiday season. Join NPD’s Vice President of Industry Analysis Stephen Baker as he scorecards the opportunities for this holiday and presents the big picture as to how 2008 could be a harbinger of times to come.

The State of CE Retail: 5 Key Trends Changing the Way Consumer Electronics are Sold
presented by Tim Herbert, Senior Director, Market Research, Consumer Electronics Association

Description coming soon...

Fast Growth Retailers/Etailers: Secrets to Growing Your Business NOW!
presented by Steve Burke, Editor/News, Everything Channel

A look at the strategies and services that separate Fast Growth retailers/E-tailers from the rest of the pack. Specifically panelists will discuss what they are doing in terms of product selection, services, corporate culture, operations that is driving sales gains in an intensely competitive retail environment and what kind of changes they are making to maintain their fast growth advantage.

Panelists:
Michael B. Carioti, Manager of Marketing Development, PROVANTAGE Corporation
Albert Liniado, President and co-founder of DataVision Computer Video

Emerging Technologies: A Look at Hot Technologies that are Reshaping the Retail Landscape
moderated by Steve Burke, Editor/News, Everything Channel

A look at what emerging technologies are reshaping the consumer landscape. Specifically panelists will discuss what new technologies are on the horizon and what retailers need to know to make sure they don’t miss the next great emerging technology. Is there a new iPod on the retail landscape? What should retailers be looking at when evaluating emerging technology to make sure that it’s leading edge rather than bleeding edge? Find out everything you need to know to make sure you don’t miss the next emerging technology wave.

Panelists:
Fred King, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, PlumChoice
Jack Wahrman, Senior Merchandise Manager, J&R Music World and Computer World
Fred Brown, The Sightline Group
Jeffrey M. Harvey, , Executive Vice President, inthinc

Warranty Do's and Don't's: What You Need to Know to Succeed with Extended Warranties
moderated by Craig Zarley, Editor/News, Everything Channel

Warranties bolster customer confidence and increase profits for consumer electronic retailers. But warranty benefits can backfire when warranty service falls far short of customer expectations. Our panel of experts will examine issues clouding the warranty market including pending industry regulations that could boost costs during the upcoming holiday season and the use of warranties to mask gray market products.

Panelists:
Ahmed Khaishgi, Chief Operating Officer and co-founder of SquareTrade
Bruce Saulnier, President AMT Warranty Corporation
Ahron Schachter, Director of New Product Placement/Merchandiser,Adorama Camera
Scott Howard, Director of Merchandising/Marketing, Office Depot Cananda

BIOGRAPHIES

Steve Burke, Editor/News of Everything Channel

Steve Burke has been reporting on the technology industry for 25 years. He has teamed with fellow editors numerous times to win American Society of Business Publication Editors and Jesse H. Neal journalism awards. He is a frequent speaker on channel issues at industry conferences and has appeared a number of times on CNBC.

Craig Zarley, Industry Editor, Everything Channel

Everything Channel Industry Editor Craig Zarley has covered the IT industry for 30 years. For the past 18 years, he has been an editor for Everything Channel's (formerly CMP) CRN, VAR Business and GovernmentVAR. He is an expert on channel business issues and has won numerous awards for his writing and reporting.

Stephen Baker, Vice President of Industry Analysis for Consumer Technology, NPD

Stephen Baker is NPD’s Vice President of Industry Analysis for Consumer Technology. Baker offers expert insight and commentary to clients and the media about consumer technology sales and trends across the U.S. and regionally, including retail and e-commerce, computer hardware and peripherals, holiday and yearly sales results, and analysis of new products and their impact on the consumer technology market.

Baker is available to offer expert insight and commentary on these and many other industry-related topics:

• Consumer technology retail and e-commerce sales
• Retailer and manufacturer sales trends
• PCs and related technologies
• Printing and imaging markets

Baker has been tracking and analyzing the industry for nearly 15 years. He was ranked as a leading industry analyst by AdWeek’s Technology Marketing.

Baker is quoted extensively in industry publications such as TWICE, CNET, and CE Daily, as well as business and news publications including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, USA Today, Investor’s Business Daily, Business Week, and The San Jose Mercury News. He has also appeared on CNBC, Fox News, and CNN.

Baker has presented and served on panels at industry events such as RetailVision, and CES.

He began his career at Staples in 1985, helping to open the first office superstore in the United States. Baker spent nine years with the company where he gained the extensive knowledge and understanding of retail and the office supplies and consumer technology industries.

Baker joined NPD when it acquired PC Data Inc., in March 2001, where he was the principal hardware analyst and director of the overall hardware point-of-sale business. Prior to joining PC Data, he was a senior analyst in the distribution channels service at International Data Corporation (IDC).

Baker received his MBA from Northeastern University and a BSFS from Georgetown University.

Tim Herbert, Senior Director, Market Research, Consumer Electronics Association

Tim Herbert oversees day to day operations of the CEA Market Research Department. With 15 years of research experience, Tim has a wealth of expertise in both quantitative and qualitative research techniques. He has led hundreds of research projects during his tenure, working to get inside the mind of consumers to figure out what drives technology purchases. Additionally, Tim spends countless hours studying business trends to "connect the dots" and make sense of the ever changing technology landscape.

In 1999, Tim fulfilled his entrepreneurial cravings by co-founding and launching eBrain Market Research, a full service research and consulting firm.

Tim regularly pens articles for industry publications, presents at industry conferences and has been cited in numerous media outlets.

Tim has an MBA from George Mason University.

Fred King, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, PlumChoice

Fred came to PlumChoice by way of its funding partner Edison Ventures, a New Jersey-based venture capital firm that had witnessed Fred's skill and acumen first hand in a previous position. Fred joined PlumChoice in late 2007 to lead its sales and marketing teams with an initial emphasis on channel partner sales. Previously, Fred has held positions at Chrysler in the engineering and scientific computing division, and also ran a small business during his college days around computer support, while building nearly 500 computers for the university lab. From Chrysler, Fred joined Netscape just post-IPO to help sell consulting services to large enterprise clients and moved through the ranks to eventually lead their entire Americas region.

After a total of four years with Netscape / iPlanet, Fred relocated to the lower Hudson Valley area of New York where he helped grow a number of small innovative companies in the professional services, software, and wireless digital imaging industries.

Jack Wahrman, Senior Merchandise Manager, J&R Music World and Computer World

Jack Wahrman has been with J&R for more than 36 year…since the beginning. Jack has held practically all of the possible positions that J&R offers.

Ahmed Khaishgi, Chief Operating Officer and co-founder of SquareTrade

Ahmed Khaishgi, Chief Operating Officer and co-founder of SquareTrade, is reinventing the warranty industry with a new online service approach that delivers unique high value to consumers and new profits for retailers.

Prior to co-founding SquareTrade, Ahmed was an engagement manager at McKinsey & Company in New York, where he led the team that created the company's internal e-commerce implementation capabilities. Ahmed graduated from Harvard Business School as a Baker Scholar (top 5%), and has an undergraduate degree in Computer Engineering. Before business school, he was a systems analyst at Procter & Gamble where he implemented a large ERP system.

Bruce Saulnier, President AMT Warranty Corporation

With more than 15 years of experience in warranty sales and risk management, Bruce Saulnier serves as President of AMT Warranty Corporation and Vice President of Business Development for AmTrust North America. Saulnier’s background is steeped in industry know-how previously holding positions as the Director of Sales, Continuity, Consulting and Managed Services for Hewlett Packard Corporation; Vice President of Sales for Wang Recovery Systems Corporation; and multiple sales positions, including American Sales Manager at Compaq/Digital Equipment Corporation.

Ahron Schachter, Director of New Product Placement/Merchandiser,Adorama Camera

Ahron, is not new to the industry; He has been a builder/ shaker of many major retail / e-tail establishments over the past 24 years such as J&R Computerworld , DataVision, RCS Computer Experience. Ahron, President of BizSense Consulting, has joined Adorama as their Retail guru. Ahron has a deep understanding of the East coast territory - especially New York City (aka as New York's retail Maven!). His business relationships are very deeply rooted. His goal is to grow Adorama to one of New York's top retail performers. As usual - the industry is witnessing this amazing growth.

Fred Brown, Partner, The Sightline Group

Fred Brown possesses over 25 years of executive leadership in the computer and consumer electronics industries. His expertise in developing channels for technology companies has helped many successfully bring their products to market. With a track record of achievements and a network of relationships with key industry decision-makers, Fred has served as a retained consultant for more than a decade.
Prior to his consulting career, Fred excelled in executive positions at several leading companies in a variety of high tech market segments, including:

• Viewpoint (MetaCreations)
  • Vice President of Sales & Marketing Worldwide
• AT&T, Global Information Services
  • Vice President of Worldwide Marketing
• Xtend Micro Products
  • Vice President of Sales
• Cal ABCO, Reveal, Packard Bell
  • President, Legend Division
• The Brown Book
  • Founder & Publisher
• Osborne Computers
  • Vice President of Sales

Michael B. Carioti, Manager of Marketing Development, PROVANTAGE Corporation

Michael Carioti has been with PROVANTAGE for nearly 15 years. He has experienced the IT channel from a pre and post internet perspective and has served in a marketing role throughout his time with the company. Michael’s combined passion for marketing and technology has assisted PROVANTAGE in reaching new heights in product merchandising, improved web site design and processes, distributor system integration, and optimizing internal system procedures.

Jeffrey M. Harvey, Executive Vice President, inthinc

Albert Liniado, President and co-founder of DataVision Computer Video

Albert Liniado is the President and co-founder of DataVision Computer Video and performs several vital functions for the company. Some of his responsibilities include managing and directing DataVision’s buying office, overseeing the production and design of the company’s monthly 32-page newspaper catalogs, and supervising the warehouse in the 5th Avenue retail location.

In 1988, Liniado started working for United Video and Computer, introducing computers for mail order sales via Computer Shopper magazine. This experience served him well, because in 1991, he opened DataVision Computer Video with partner and brother-in-law James Garson. Although DataVision started as a simple mail-order company, in 1993, the company opened its first retail location at 445 5th Avenue in the heart of midtown Manhattan. In 1998, due to its great success, DataVision expanded to its 5th Avenue location to 35,000 square feet. Today, DataVision holds the honor of being one of the top computer electronics retailers in New York City and on the Web.

DataVision has been recognized by several top industry publications for its retail excellence. Some of these awards include Computer Retail Weekly’s VAR Award (1995), Computer Retail Weekly’s Top 100 Retail Locations 6 (1997), New York Magazine Editor’s Pick--Best Computer Superstore (2005), Dealer Scope’s Retail Excellence Award (2007), CE Pro’s Top 100 Custom Installers 28 (2008), and Dealer Scope’s Top 101 Retailers (2008). DataVision is also an authorized service center for such prestigious brands as Lenovo, Apple, Toshiba, HP, and Asus among others, and maintains an excellent relationship with each of its many business partners.

Albert Liniado, originally from Richmond, VA, now lives in Brooklyn, NY with his wife and three sons. In addition to his position at DataVision, Albert is also the President and Founder of "The Stella Liniado Rainbow Foundation", a non-profit organization which promotes Cancer research and Bone Marrow Testing, this foundation honors the memory of his extraordinary daughter, Stella who passed away in January 2007 from cancer. (www.stellarainbowfoundation.org).