FUTURE FORWARD ’04 ZEROES IN ON HELPING BUSINESS SUCCEED
AMID THE NEW POST-BOOM REALITIES OF THE TECHNOLOGY INDUSTRY

NEW ENGLAND’S TECH COMPANIES EXPLORE NEW STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS AT FUTURE FORWARD 2004 CONFERENCE AND SEPTEMBER 14 PREVIEW EVENT

PORTSMOUTH, N.H., Aug. 17, 2004 ¾ Future Forward, New England’s leading conference of technology executives, high-tech entrepreneurs and venture capitalists, will preview its annual forum on September 14 with a program titled "The Past, Present and Future of Innovation in New England: A preview of Future Forward 2004." The free preview, at the offices of Nixon Peabody in Boston, will include speakers Evan Schwartz, author of “Juice: The Creative Fuel that Drives Today’s World-Class Inventors”; David Rose, president of Ambient Devices; Jo Hoppe, CIO of Pegasystems; and Robert Alperin, president and CEO of EasyAsk.  

“If you’re interested in Future Forward but need to know more before committing, this preview will show just how thought provoking the main event will be and how many business opportunities it offers,” said Future Forward Events President Shayne Gilbert. “People have walked away from every forum with new ideas and business contacts, which is exactly our goal.”  

The preview and the main Future Forward event on October 14-15 in Portsmouth will focus on the overall state of the New England tech industry, innovation, and the relationship between technology developers and corporate buyers. Many of the sessions will focus on the new buyer-side dynamics, such as the metrics executives are focusing on these days when weighing technology purchases. Preview attendees are eligible to win a one-day pass to Future Forward 2004 and a $50 gift certificate to dinner in Portsmouth, one of New England’s restaurant capitals. For directions to the Nixon Peabody offices, 100 Summer Street, Boston, please visit www.nixonpeabody.com/offices_detail.asp?ID=1.  

Now in its fourth year, Future Forward has emerged as the premier technology conference in New England, geared solely toward issues, events and developments that affect the region’s technology industry. Future Forward gathers New England people who develop, produce and buy technology, including vendors, investors, service providers and C-level (CIO, CFO, CEO) corporate executives. The October forum will feature speakers and moderators such as author and Harvard Business School Professor Clay Christensen, RSA Security CEO Art Coviello, and Progress Software CEO and co-founder Joseph Alsop. The forum features new technology demonstrations, case studies, debates and events for sharing ideas and making business connections. Future Forward has chosen Portsmouth as its location for the second year in a row because of its central location and cultural amenities.  

“I created a client relationship out of the last event in Portsmouth,” said small high-tech firm marketer Fred Kocher. “I met the CEO of a company in Waltham that’s selling cutting-edge technology to transportation interests around the country. I had some contacts he needed, and that developed into a working business relationship. That contact alone made Future Forum worth the investment.”  

For more information on the September preview and the October forum, visit www.futureforward.com.

About Future Forward
Future Forward brings New England’s technology visionaries together to hash out what’s next in hardware, software and life sciences. It’s a two-day conversation among movers and shakers about forces transforming the technology world. Future Forward is designed for entrepreneurs, investors, IT executives and technology innovators. It presents unparalleled opportunities to share ideas and do business with your peers from around New England to sharpen your vision of the future and accelerate your organization’s forward motion. Conference sponsors include Nixon Peabody LLC and Beaupre & Co. Public Relations, Inc. For more information go to www.futureforward.com.

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