( San Diego , CA January 22, 2004 ) – The Service & Support Professionals Association (SSPA), the leading industry Association for IT support professionals announced today two dynamic Power Panels for the SSPA Conference@San Diego, April 5-7, 2004 . The SSPA Conference @ San Diego “SSPA Best Practices Showcase” will be the paramount event where the Service and Support industry comes together in a fusion of visionary keynote addresses; vibrant speakers; Best Practices knowledge-sharing groups and workshops; and the opportunity for one-to-one meetings with key industry experts. The Conference includes the announcement of the annual WebStar Service Awards winners.

“Keeping in line with our Best Practices theme, we have identified from our community members, the top “hot” topics of concern for them in 2004,” said Bill Rose, SSPA Founder/CEO. We have recruited experts from a variety of SSPA Member companies who will share their knowledge and expertise on these topical issues.”

Power Panel- "Understanding the Pros & Cons of Offshore Outsourcing"

Many companies are joining the current trend of exploring and establishing offshore outsourcing support centers to countries such as India and the Philippines . Is this a trend that will prove successful and beneficial for your company? Or, will it be a failure like some companies have experienced? This expert Power Panel will explore the pros and cons and provide you with extensive information that will show you how to enhance the successes and avoid the pitfalls for your company and customers. Issues such as: what are the cultural differences; how do you re-structure your home-based technical support to sync with the offshore outsourcing; what are the distinctive management issues; and what are the competitive advantages of offshore outsourcing? If you are beginning to explore or in the process of establishing offshore outsourcing, don't miss this Panel.

Power Panel- "Best Practices in Acquisition Integration for Technical Support"

The reasons behind many failed acquisitions and mergers are often misunderstood. While surprising to many, studies show that the causes for both success and failure are usually not related to price and "due diligence" factors, but rather the quality of the integration process following the acquisition. This expert Power Panel will discuss the numerous factors that may impact on your support center, some of which will include:

*Drafting Integration Plan: including communication plan; governance process and strategic management.

*Refining the Integration Plan draft into a plan that is supported by management and those affected by change.

*Integration Implementation: senior management focuses on clear communication in reporting implementation progress; new corporate culture and environment; and preventing alienation with those responsible for integration execution.

The Panel will discuss the many issues in making an acquisition successful and which determines whether the future will be “heavenly or hellish” for the acquisition process.

The Conference will also include an opening Keynote Speaker; Best Practices Sharing Sessions; individual speaker presentations and a closing Keynote Speaker. In addition, f ive Informative Workshops will be presented, giving you the opportunity to learn from the top leaders in the industry on some of the most important aspects of success. The workshops are designed to explore an issue in depth with more attendee interaction and "hands-on" experiences.

One of the highlights of the San Diego Conference will be the SSPA WebStar Service Awards that will be presented at a gala dinner on Monday evening of the Conference. The annual WebStar Service Awards are presented to companies who excel at providing exceptional customer service and technical support via the Web. The Awards involve a self-nominating process and are open to all SSPA Members. For more information, please send an email to info@thesspa.com or visit www.thesspa.com/sandiego.

About SSPA
Founded in 1989, the Service & Support Professionals Association (SSPA) was formed to focus on the specific needs of service executives who are responsible for support centers and overall customer relations. Today, the SSPA represents over 22,500 service professionals at 2,700 support centers worldwide. These executives look to SSPA to provide insight into the future of support services, a road map of best practices within our industry and access to the best service and support vendors. SSPA has become the center of support providing a reliable and comprehensive resource for news, research, benchmarking, standards and collaboration.

SSPA was created for professionals, managers and executives that make their living in the IT support services community. It is not a generic, one-size-fits all website where nobody ever feels like they belong. SSPA is dynamic, interactive, living resource specifically designed for the unique needs of support professionals. This exciting virtual community creates a forum for constant interaction with peers, industry experts, technology vendors and much more. For more information regarding the SSPA and other related divisions, log on to www.thesspa.com or send an email to info@thesspa.com.