XML 2002 To Bring Industry and Standards Together; Leading IT organizations and consortiums to participate and collaborate on XML Conference and Exposition 2002 program.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

XML Conference & Expo 2002

ALEXANDRIA, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 10, 2002

IDEAlliance, a leading trade association dedicated to fostering XML and other information standards, announced today that three of the leading promoters of Internet technologies, including standards adoption and development, will co-host this year's XML Conference and Exposition 2002. This year's event is being held December 8-13, in Baltimore, Maryland at the Baltimore Convention Center.

As the industry's leading conference and trade show dedicated to XML technologies, XML 2002 will focus this year on "putting the pieces together." This year's program will feature speakers and organizations that are helping to shape the future of how XML is used by implementing current technologies. XML 2002 is expected to attract more than 1,000 IT professionals, including applications engineers, chief information officers, directors of e-business, project managers and team leaders from Fortune 500 corporations as well as small businesses, government agencies and nonprofit organizations.

Three organizations are co-hosting the event to help to promote and foster these new and emerging technologies. Their goal for the event is to educate attendees on compelling industry issues and offer insights on how new innovations and standards development can help to keep pace with rapidly changing global technologies. These co-hosts are:

-- DISA (The Data Interchange Standards Association) is home for the Accredited Standards Committee (ASC) X12 and industry groups developing e-business standards that provide the foundation enabling individuals and organizations to participate in global e-business. Driving an array of e-business initiatives, DISA provides technical and administrative support to many affiliated organizations, www.disa.org.

-- OASIS (Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards) is a not-for-profit, global consortium that drives the development, convergence and adoption of e-business standards. OASIS produces worldwide standards for security, Web services, XML conformance, business transactions, electronic publishing, topic maps and interoperability within and between marketplaces. Additional information can be found at www.oasis-open.org.

-- The W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) was founded by Tim Berners-Lee in 1994 to ensure that the evolution of the Web architecture would be consistent with its genesis -- as an open, interoperable, extensible system. W3C is the place where HTML and StyleSheet technologies evolve; it is also where XML was born, and continues to develop. Over 44 W3C Recommendations have been published covering essential Web technologies for Privacy, Graphics, Metadata, Web Services; Web Accessibility; Voice Browsing and Multimodal Interaction. W3C is also the development center for Quality Assurance work and the development of test suites, validators, and a range of free software available for public use. For more information see http://www.w3.org/.

"The XML 2002 program delivers practical information on the Web services and e-business standards that are shaping the industry. Attendees will gain greater understanding about ebXML, UBL, and UDDI, from the people who are developing and implementing these standards," remarked Karl Best, director of technical operations for OASIS, which has co-hosted the conference for the last nine years. "Many OASIS technical committees will be meeting during the event, so it's a great opportunity not only to learn about standards but also to get involved in developing them."

"Conferences are all about bringing people together, so they can discuss the latest in technology, ways of implementing systems, and what products meet which needs," said Lauren Wood, Chair of this year's XML Conference. "Much of what will be talked about at XML 2002 comes from the work being done in the standards organizations that are co-hosting the conference, and XML 2002 is an opportunity for people to see that work in a larger context. Putting the pieces together involves standards as well as the technology that implements those standards and we're glad that the conference, with the help of our co-hosts, can act as a meeting place for those designing, those implementing, and those using these standards."

XML Conference and Exposition 2002 is the latest in the XML conference series, the largest and longest-running annual gathering of XML users and developers in the world. Participants in XML 2002 can take advantage of a variety of learning formats, including technical sessions, keynote addresses, plenary sessions, informal business receptions, discussion groups and social events. This year's event offers attendees its most comprehensive and focused program to date, with more than 100 sessions given by professionals from around the globe.

The Exposition will feature more than 50 providers of XML-based products and services offering hands-on demonstrations and displays December 10 through 12. Attendees will have the opportunity to see in-depth demonstrations of the newest products and technologies. Several new product announcements are expected to be made at the show. In addition, a new technology arena will showcase pre-released software innovations. Free admission to the exhibits is available through November 22.

Participants can register and find the full schedule of events for XML Conference and Exposition 2002 at www.xmlconference.org. Special discounts are available to academics and members of organizations affiliated with IDEAlliance.

About IDEAlliance

IDEAlliance (International Digital Enterprise Alliance) is a not-for-profit membership organization. Its mission is to advance user-driven, cross-industry solutions for all publishing and content-related processes by developing standards, fostering business alliances, and identifying best practices. IDEAlliance has been a leader in information technology since 1966 (founded as Graphic Communications Association), having fostered the development and adoption of standards such as ADIS, GRACoL, ICE, JIFFI, Mail.dat, papiNet, PRISM, PROSE XML, SPACE XML, SGML, and XML. Learn more about IDEAlliance at www.idealliance.org.