Bentley MicroStation VARs Prepare to Integrate User Engineering Groups with their Worldwide Enterprises.

SAN ANTONIO, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 28, 1997 -

Annual MPC Conference of Over 400 VARs from the Americas Focuses

on High-Impact Technology that Powers Engineering into the

"Age of the Global Enterprise"

Bentley Systems, Inc., held its fourth annual MicroStation/ModelServer Power Conference (MPC) for its American value-adding resellers (MVARs) over the last three days. With a record of over 500 people here in attendance, the focus of this year's conference was the integration of user engineering groups with their worldwide enterprises.

The three-day MPC provided the entire Americas distribution channel with corporate, product, and service directions of Bentley and its Strategic Affiliates. With a special emphasis placed on the Engineering Back Office(TM) strategy and ModelServer(TM) line of web-based server products, the conference prepared the group to help power engineering into the "Age of the Global Enterprise".

Warren Winterbottom, senior vice president of sales in the Americas, comments, "The team of our users, our MVARs and Bentley has a rich history of shared success. The unique proposition of the Engineering Back Office is one that further empowers user organizations and drives the growth of MVAR business." He adds, "At MPC, we showed that 1997 will be another year where users and MVARs will grow globally with Bentley."

Kevin Maney, technology editor of the USA Today, in his Thursday, April 24 cover story "Technology is Demolishing Time and Distance" reported on the move of engineering to a global, technology-powered approach. He stated, "The Internet and computer networks enable companies to work globally in ways they never could before." As an example he noted teams who are: "working on ways to let engineers in different countries collaborate on tractor designs by simultaneously working on a 3-D model over a computer network."

MPC also featured presentations by company president Greg Bentley in which he unveiled his "Thesis for Continued Strong Growth of Bentley and MVARs" and a presentation titled "Engineering the Future Together" by marketing senior vice president Yoav Etiel on the strategies behind Bentley's continuing market success. To underscore the changing dynamics of the engineering business and the global connecting power of the ModelServer technology, company CEO Keith Bentley demonstrated the ModelServer products from his office in Exton, PA "wired" to the San Antonio audience.

Many of the MPC sessions and workshops were focused around key markets, including building, geoengineering, and mechanical. Planning and training sessions were held for foundation products, including MicroStation(R) 95; the engineering products of MicroStation TriForma(TM), MicroStation Modeler(R), and MicroStation GeoGraphics(TM); as well Strategic Affiliates products, from GEOPAK, HMR, Jacobus, WorkPlace, NetSpace and SpatialData. Bentley SELECT(SM) On-Line, a recent enhancement to the company's popular technology and service subscription program, as well as the company's consulting program were also featured in sessions.

In 1995, Bentley began selling in the Americas through a network of exclusive MVARs. Over 140 MVAR companies at over 180 sites throughout America now offer Bentley products and services. In this same timeframe, Bentley revenue has quadrupled to over $120M, and the company has become the fastest growing Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) software company in the world.

More on Bentley

Bentley Systems, Inc., is a worldwide leader in engineering software and user services. The company now serves over 250,000 professionals in building/plant engineering, geoengineering, and mechanical engineering. Its MicroStation desktop products are proven at over 70% of the largest U.S. engineering firms and are the software foundation of well-known buildings, roadways, machines, and industrial plants around the world. Its new line of Internet/intranet-based ModelServer products are the first to unite engineering and the enterprise. With revenues now over $120M annually, Bentley was listed as the fourth fastest growing company on the 1996 Softletter 100 and awarded 1996 Growth Company of the Year by the Eastern Technology Council.

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MicroStation and MicroStation Modeler are registered trademarks; Engineering Back Office, MicroStation TriForma, MicroStation GeoGraphics, ModelServer, and Bentley are trademarks, and Bentley SELECT is a service mark of Bentley Systems, Inc. All other brands and product names are the trademarks of their respective owners.

CONTACT: Kim Bergen

Boston Communications

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