Business Objects Teams With Sun Microsystems, Informatica, Ventro, and PricewaterhouseCoopers for Net Marketplace Seminar Series.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 5, 2000

E-business strategist and "Killer App" bestseller author Larry Downes to lead executive discussions on the future of net marketplaces

Business Objects (Nasdaq:BOBJ), the world's leading provider of e-business intelligence (e-BI) solutions, today announced a net marketplace seminar series with Sun Microsystems, Informatica, Ventro, and PricewaterhouseCoopers. The series, entitled "Focus on net marketplaces: Building a winning business model in the e-business exchange revolution," will be hosted by Larry Downes, e-business strategist and co-author of the best selling book, "Unleashing the Killer App."

The events will begin with a web seminar on October 11 from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. PDT then proceed to on-site seminars in San Francisco, Washington D.C., New York, and Chicago in November. A net marketplace is an end-to-end e-business hub for buyers, sellers, manufacturers, and distributors. Attendees of the seminar sessions will learn how industry leaders and visionaries are building and deploying these solutions, and how net marketplaces can increase revenue, improve customer retention, and reduce competitive threat.

"Industry transformation is happening across the spectrum of businesses, and net marketplaces are both a symptom and cause of that change," said Larry Downes. "These exchanges are already delivering improved customer service, streamlined procurement, and improved profitability. Tomorrow, net marketplaces will be the basis for new value chains that will prove strategic for some and devastating for others. Participation in today's net marketplaces is essential for everyone."

Executives from Business Objects, Sun Microsystems, Informatica, Ventro, and PricewaterhouseCoopers will discuss the following topics as they pertain to net marketplaces:

-- Defining and executing the right value proposition

-- The challenges, risks, and barriers to avoid in establishing a net
marketplace

-- Hardware and software solutions for systems integration, analytics, and
infrastructure

-- How to best apply your information assets

-- Choosing between consortium or independent business models

-- Identifying resources to successfully launch a net marketplace

"Attendees of this seminar will discover the benefits a net marketplace can bring to their companies bottom line and customer relations by listening to industry executives who are executing real-life solutions themselves," said Alex Moissis, vice president of marketing for Business Objects Americas. "Business Objects plays a significant role in the success of a net marketplace in that it allows timely access to mission critical e-BI information to all participants in the supply chain. As net marketplaces provide e-BI to their customers, Business Objects provides the ability to access, analyze, and share business data, identifying where customers can make better decisions and save money."

Registration, Dates, Times, and Locations

Web Seminar -- To register for the web seminar, please go to: www.businessobjects.com/netmarketswebpost or call 1-800-213-8526.

-- October 11, 10 a.m. - 11 a.m. PDT.

Onsite Seminars - To resister for any of the four-onsite seminars, please go to: www.businessobjects.com/netmarketspost or call 1-800-214-8246.

-- Wednesday, November 8, San Francisco, CA, The Ritz-Carlton,

8:30 a.m. - 12 p.m.

-- Tuesday, November 14, Washington, DC, The St. Regis Hotel,

8:30 a.m. - 12 p.m.

-- Wednesday, November 15, New York, NY, Hotel Inter-Continental,

8:30 a.m. - 12 p.m.

-- Thursday, November 16, Chicago, IL, Park Hyatt,

8:30 a.m. - 12 p.m.

About Business Objects

Business Objects is the world's leading provider of e-business intelligence (e-BI) solutions. The company coined the term e-business intelligence in 1998 to describe the intersection of business intelligence and the internet. Using e-business intelligence, organizations can access, analyze, and share information in intranet, extranet, and e-business environments. In intranets, the company's products provide employees with information to make better business decisions, and are used in environments ranging from workgroups of 20 users to enterprise deployments exceeding 20,000. In the extranet environment, the company is pioneering the use of e-BI in applications that allow organizations to build stronger relationships by linking customers, partners, and suppliers via the internet. In addition, the company's products can improve the performance of an e-business by providing reporting and analysis against the ever-expanding amount of transaction and profile data that is collected each day throughout the world wide web.

Founded in 1990, Business Objects pioneered the modern business intelligence industry by inventing and patenting a "semantic layer" that insulates users from the technical complexity of database systems. Today, the company has sold more than 2,268,000 licenses to over 10,900 organizations in more than 80 countries. The company's stock is publicly traded under the ticker symbols NASDAQ: BOBJ and PARIS BOURSE: code SICOVAM 12074, and included in the SBF 120 and IT CAC 50 French stock market indexes. Business Objects can be reached at 408-953-6000 and www.businessobjects.com.

About Informatica

Informatica provides e-business analytic solutions that enable companies to leverage business insight for competitive advantage. Informatica's products include a comprehensive suite of analytic applications, the industry's most powerful data integration platform and a wide range of supporting services and partnerships. Over 1,000 customers rely on Informatica to analyze and improve their entire e-business value chain. Informatica's customers include 3Com, AMD, Boeing, Chevron, Cisco, CNET, Deutsche Bank, eBay, GE, HP, Inktomi, Merrill Lynch, MetLife, MCI WorldCom, Mutual of Omaha, Philips Semiconductors, Polo Ralph Lauren, Preview Travel, Priceline.com, Sprint and Zurich Insurance. For more information, call 800.970.1179, or visit Informatica's Web site at www.informatica.com.

About Ventro

Ventro is a leading builder of and service provider to business-to-business (B2B) marketplaces. Ventro offers a variety of products and services through its complete marketplace solution that take online B2B marketplaces from concept to liquidity. Ventro marketplaces include Chemdex, Promedix, Broadlane, Industria Solutions, Amphire Solutions, MarketMile, and Ventro Life Sciences Europe. For more information about Ventro, please visit www.ventro.com.

About PricewaterhouseCoopers

The Management Consulting Services practice of PricewaterhouseCoopers helps clients maximize their business performance by integrating strategic change, process improvements and technology solutions. Through a worldwide network of skills and resources, consultants manage complex projects with global capabilities and local knowledge, from strategy through implementation. PricewaterhouseCoopers (www.pwcglobal.com) is the world's largest professional services organization. Drawing on the knowledge and skills of more than 150,000 people in 150 countries, we help our clients solve complex business problems and measurably enhance their ability to build value, manage risk and improve performance in an Internet-enabled world. PricewaterhouseCoopers refers to the member firms of the worldwide PricewaterhouseCoopers organization.

Sun, the Sun logo, Sun Microsystems and The Network Is The Computer are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the United States and other countries. BusinessObjects is a trademark of Business Objects SA. WebIntelligence is a registered trademark of Business Objects SA. Other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.

A full-text copy of this announcement may be downloaded from the web; access http://www.businesswire.com/cnn and search on "Business Objects." Business Objects product inquiries should contact 800-527-0580.