Global Touch Announces Winners of 1999 EuroChannels Innovator Awards; Good Indicator for Future Health & Viability of IT Channel.

BERLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--October 26, 1999--

Global Touch, Inc.(R), one of the high-tech industry's foremost channel consulting firms, today announced the results of the 1999 EuroChannels Innovator Awards. This year's awards, sponsored by IBM Corporation and Lotus Development, were given out at a gala dinner held at the Hotel Inter-Continental as part of this week's seventh annual EuroChannels(R) conference. The awards were presented by Cathy Daum, director of EMEA partner sales and marketing for Lotus IBM Software Partner Organization, and Denise Sangster, president and chief executive officer of Global Touch.

The EuroChannels Innovator Awards recognize and pay tribute to European channel partners that are true "innovators" that set strategic precedents for the future in the areas of sales, marketing and customer support. As the only European industry-neutral awards for channel partners, they single out those companies and executives who genuinely make a difference as a distributor, reseller, VAR, retailer, system house, mail order company, call center, fulfillment house or service provider. All nominations were offered by the EuroChannels Advisory Board, which is comprised of more than 50 European IT industry executives. The award recipients were selected via Internet-based voting on Global Touch's web site. Voting was open to the European IT industry over a 3-week voting period.

Key Results

"This year's results show tremendous innovation and future viability for the European IT channel as we enter the Internet age," stated Sangster. "The winners clearly show that business models that allow customers choice and flexibility, as well as value-add around the product, are the successful models of the future."

1999 winners key results include:

- 56% of this year's winners operate a combined business model (both physical and virtual);

- 67% of the winners are value-add resellers; and

- 49% of the winners are from the Nordic region.

"Clearly, dual (virtual and physical) business models that offer value-add services are the key to future success," stated Sangster. "Each of the winners provides `best of class' examples of how to succeed in a marketplace that continues to accelerate each month."

1999 Winners

The categories and winners for the 1999 EuroChannels Innovator Awards are:

Award Category            Winner                         Geography

Most Innovative
Cyber Sales,            RedCorp (www.redcorp.be)          Belgium
Marketing or
Support Program


Most Innovative         Allium (www.allium.fr)            France
Approach to Customer
Support Services

Most Innovative         WM-data BFC (www.wmdata.com)      Denmark
Approach to
Sales Development

Most Innovative         Guide AB (www.guide.se)           Sweden
or Creative Approach
to Market Development

Most Innovative         Pellas & Fahle Data               Sweden
Approach to New         (www.pfdata.se)
Channel or
Pioneering a Channel

Reseller/VAR            GE Capital ITS Espana             Spain
of the Year             (www.gecits-eu.com)

Retailer of             KPN Primafoon                     Netherlands
the Year                (www.primafoon.nl)

Most
Outstanding              Michael Norris
European Leader         (www.computacenter.com) and       UK and
                         Lars Palm (www.scribona.com)     Sweden

EuroChannels 1999

Now in its seventh year, EuroChannels is Europe's leading channel conference for senior level computer industry executives. This year's conference, which concludes on Wednesday afternoon, has brought together over 400 people for three days of seminars, panel discussions and meetings at the Hotel Inter-Continental in Berlin. Topics have included a variety of issues affecting the European IT industry, including how to establish a virtual presence without harming the physical one, resolving the ever-increasing conflict in virtual and physical supply chains, and creating one-to-one customer intimacy. Complete ongoing information on the conference can be found on the Global Touch web site at http://www.globaltouch.com.

About Global Touch

Global Touch is one of the premier global channel consulting firms serving the high-tech industry. The California-based organization provides its clients with "step ahead" information as well as product and channel readiness strategies in three key areas: consulting; conferences and events; and publications. Founded in 1989, the company's strength lies in its ability to identify the market pulse through a combination of primary and secondary research, and to translate this knowledge into a proactive plan.

Since 1993 Global Touch has produced EuroChannels, which is recognized as Europe's leading channel conference for senior-level computer industry executives and the only event dedicated to addressing the business issues of the industry. In 1998 Global Touch launched CyberChannels, which focuses on the colliding virtual and physical worlds and how this "cyberlution" is radically changing the IT market and relationships within the channel.

For more information on Global Touch and its services, visit the company's web site at http://www.globaltouch.com, or contact them by e-mail at [e-mail], or by telephone at [phone].

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Note to Editors:

(c) 1999, Global Touch, Inc.(R) Global Touch Incorporated, the Global Touch, Inc. logo, EuroChannels(R), the EuroChannels logo, EuroProduct ConneXion(TM), the EuroProduct ConneXion logo, ConneXion(TM), and their respective taglines, are trademarks and service marks owned by Global Touch Incorporated, and are protected throughout the world. All other marks are owned by their respective trademark holders.