Apple Specialists Invite Vendors to ``Speed Dating'' Event at Special Macworld Boston Meeting July 11th; Pre-Show Meeting Provides Vendors Unique Opportunity to Reach Dealers.

BOSTON -- More than 50 Apple Specialist owners are expected to attend a one day "best practices" meeting at Macworld Conference and Expo Boston on July 11, 2005. The meeting will include presentations, roundtable discussions, Vendor "Speed Dating" over lunch and a table-top vendor fair.

"This meeting presents a rare opportunity for vendors to connect directly with Apple Specialists away from the rush of the show floor," said Richard Haddock, Director of Communications for the Apple Specialist Marketing Co-op (ASMC). "Apple Specialists are a particularly hot market for today's vendors, as proven by the overwhelming success of the recent ASMC Conference in Austin, in which 100 percent of vendors said they would be likely participate in next year's conference."

One of the meeting's most popular events will be Vendor Speed Dating, during which vendors have five minutes to talk about their products and services to a table of Apple dealers. "Vendor speed dating puts vendors up close with dealers who need to know about their products," Haddock said. "It's a powerful combination of face-to-face sales and networking that creates instant relationships."

The event was the highlight of the recent ASMC Conference in Austin, where more than 80 percent of the vendors who participated rated Speed Dating as "awesome" and said they would definitely participate again. Speed Dating generated numerous new orders for the vendors that participated in Austin, according to Haddock.

"Apple Specialists are great partners for vendors," ASMC Executive Director Kevin Langdon said. "They are always interested in learning about new, innovative ways to take care of their clients' needs."

The ASMC meeting will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Monday, July 11. The vendor fair will be open from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and will include table-top displays and heavy hors d'oeuvres.

Vendors wishing to participate should contact ASMC President Kevin Langdon at 858-277-9653 or email [e-mail]. For more information on Apple Specialists visit www.applespecialist.com.

The Apple Specialist Marketing Co-op is an association of 160 Apple Dealers and Service Providers with more than 300 locations throughout the U.S. ASMC was formed in January 2004 to raise awareness of the value that independent Apple Specialists dealers bring to their communities. ASMC provides advertising, marketing and promotional opportunities for its members, as well as a wide range of training and business improvement activities each year.