Attendee Information for Encounter 2015
September 13-15, 2015
Questions and Answers
 
This News Flash covers several topics you need to know about as you prepare to attend Encounter 2015 at the Wyndham San Antonio Riverwalk Hotel, San Antonio, TX, September 13-15, 2015.

Click on the questions,  in the Questions & Answers block, and go directly to the answer. 
 
Our Vendor Sponsors would like you to know where they will be and what they offer so please read over their individual sections. We appreciate our Vendor Sponsors.  Please make sure you stop by to speak to each of them during the conference. You may find the solution to your company's needs. 
 
Please read over all the information thoroughly. See you very soon!
Mary Barlow
Eclipse Users Group/UFO 
Joe Bennett, SVP of Unilog Content Solutions will be representing our flagship product, CIMM2 in Booth 12. Stop by, say hello and find out why Unilog was recently named one of 50 Fastest Growing Tech Companies of 2015 by The Silicon Review!
 
CIMM2 is an e-commerce software that replicates the Amazon experience for B2B suppliers, distributors and their customers. Designed specifically for B2B businesses, key features - such as ERP integration - make CIMM2 the best-in-breed choice for B2B environments. www.cimm2.com
There are exciting things happening at SPA, so please plan to stop by our booth #17 and attend our presentation on Monday at 4:40.  Those who attend our presentation will have the opportunity to sign up for a trial offer of our new, cloud-based Reporting Tool.  To take advantage of this offer, you would simply send us 24 months of your Eclipse invoice history and SPA will review your potential margin gain impact results with your management team in a web session.  If you then decide to use SPA's pricing services, SPA will give you a 90-day money back guarantee on our program.  Join us to learn how dozens of Eclipse users have increased margins by 2 to 4 points using our services.
Innovo LLC: Booth # 1
Extend your Eclipse investment with Innovo's powerful suite of mobile apps. Our OE Touch app lets your customers and sales reps place orders in Eclipse 24/7. StockRoom manages your customer's inventory and order replenishment. Signature Touch allows you to display marketing videos and capture signatures wherever your customer is - at the counter, on the dock, or on your delivery routes. Location Touch uses low-cost mobile devices to manage your inventory. Info Touch connects you to your business summary directly on your mobile device. Stop by our booth to see how we can extend your Eclipse investment!
How do I get to the hotel from the San Antonio International Airport? 
There is no hotel shuttle for the Wyndham San Antonio Riverwalk. Here are links to several pages where you can find information:  
.
  Viator Airport Shuttle - if there are several in your group you might want to contact them for a private van.  Go Airport Shuttle - 
shared van -
$3
6 round-trip with 2 bags per person is the quote they gave me.
Zerion is an alternative, independent Eclipse services provider. Zerion Logo
We will be instructing many of the training classes during the conference, as well as doing a presentation on how you can extend Eclipse. We will also have team members available to share information with you at Booth #13 in the vendor area. There, we can tell you more about our customer-centric consulting, implementations, customization and training. We look forward to seeing you in San Antonio!
Phocas_logo
Visit Phocas Business Intelligence at Booth #15!
Phocas' simple business intelligence tool is used by more than 100 companies using Eclipse - developed to make accessing key business information held deep within your Eclipse system easy.
Join us o9/14 at 2:20pm for a breakout discussing the top five challenges Eclipse users face when seeking more from their business data and ways to overcome them. Click here for a preview or to register. One lucky registration will win an apple watch! 
I am driving to San Antonio, where is the hotel? 
111 East Pecan Street , San AntonioTX 78205 US Phone: 1-210-354-2800
Come meet Bill McNalley of Profit2 in Booth #14
Join Bill on 9/14 for our class @ 10:30 am "How to Get More Value from Eclipse's Pricing Module". Learn how to better leverage your library system, reduce maintenance of your system and improve the effectiveness of your pricing. Best practices include:
The Most Effective Way to Organize Your Libraries * Rationalizing Customer Segmentation for Pricing * A Better Approach to Classifying Items Into Discount Groups * Simplifying Management of Field Pricing Requests * Increasing System Price Utilization * Selectively Adjusting Customer Pricing * A System to increase Pricing System Maintenance * How to Increase Margin Without Losing Control of Your Pricing System
Second Phase Logo
For more than 10 years, Second Phase has helped over 115 of your fellow Eclipse distribution companies compete effectively online with the largest wholesaler-distributors. Our cloud-based web solution lowers your cost per sale, improves customer support productivity, and substantially increases your higher-margin spot sales. The bottomline is no other eCommerce provider has the value proposition of Second Phase based on a completely turnkey monthly software as a service (SAAS) cost that is focused solely on the unique needs and realistic budgets of wholesale distributors like you.

Come to our class on 9/14 @ 11:40 am to hear about our Webstore Case Studies or to booth #22
Interested in a CRM/BI but don't have time for an IT project? Don't worry SMP has you covered.SMP Logo Lg Hosted, easy to implement, and tightly integrated to Eclipse (Real-Time)! Fast and simple UI. Anytime anywhere access ... desktop, mobile, Outlook. Visit booth #11, attend their session on September 15th @ 8-8:50am for "Grow Your Top Line and Close More Deals". SMP will be discussing industry best practices around sales and marketing management including Real-Time Eclipse Connect and Bid Closer ... the easiest way to get an instant ROI on your CRM initiative! www.gosmp.com [email protected]
How am I supposed to dress for the conference? 
Business casual. Pretty much how you would dress to go to work.  Company shirts are nice to get a conversation going with other users.
You have options for a webstore! Many Eclipse users think they are stuck using the Eclipse WOE webstore product or a provider Eclipse "recommends". Schmitt ProfiTools, Inc's (SPI) webstore provides integration to your Eclipse system plus many other customized features!
We are your one-stop shop for Content, Eclipse Integration and Webstores. Visit BOOTH 2 to speak with Rich Schmitt about our Best-In-Market webstore and of all the other products and services provided by SPI.
Rich will also be doing a informative session about 1st Class Webstores on Tuesday at 9:10. 
Kore 200
Encounter the Kore Experience
 
Stop by the Kore Technologies Booth 18 to visit Ken and Keith to see a live demonstration of how KommerceServer 5.4, an integrated B2B/B2C eCommerce solution delivers an engaging customer experience and improves product content management. 
Learn how Kourier Integratorcan unleash your Eclipse data to use it to its full potential.  Kourier, an ETL and EAI data management suite builds Operational Data Stores to generate business intelligence reports, create real-time RESTful Web interfaces and more.  
MITS logo
There is only one Epicor recommended reporting and business intelligence solution for Eclipse: MITS Distributor Analytics.
Other fun facts? We've been supporting Eclipse users since 2002, have deep experience with the complexities of the Eclipse data model, and include Sales, Inventory, AR, Purchasing, Pricing, & GL modules in our standard install.
See Marie & John in Booth #16 to learn why 120+ companies chose MITS for Eclipse, or find out what's new (e.g., DIY dashboards) on 9/15 at 11:30 am.
When and where do I register for the conference?
Registration is from 3-6:30 pm Sunday ending during the Welcome Reception and from 7-8:30 am on Monday during breakfast. The Registration desk is on the Second Floor to your left as you exit the elevators. 
 All you have to do is come by, give one of us your name and we will be more than happy to get you registered. Please bring your printed "ticket" it definitely speeds up registration. You can find a link for it in your registration confirmation email. 
Stop by booth 19 and visit with Thrive Technologies.

Learn the secrets to increasing profits with improved inventory performance. Learn how to measure your inventory forecast accuracy and sustain ongoing results like reducing inventory 30%, improving fill rates 8% - 12%, reducing lost sales by 70%.
Join us on Tuesday at 2:10 pm for our presentation session.
A Better Solution
Billtrust is the premier provider of automated invoice-to-cash solutions for North American businesses across both B2B and B2C markets. Billtrust integrates three key areas of the invoice-to-cash process: presentment, payment, and cash application, helping our clients connect with their customers, improve their cash flow, and reduce their DSO. Stop by booth 3 to learn more about our solutions.
Avalara is excited to join Eclipse users at this year's Encounter event! We hope to meet you there, but until then, we'd love for you to get to know us a little better. 
Who is Avalara? We are the leading provider of sales tax automation software for Eclipse, helping businesses manage the complex rules and regulations. 
Why automate? Sales tax is complicated and staying compliant can be a challenge. Avalara handles the heavy lifting so you can focus on growing your business.
 How can you learn more? Visit us at Encounter 2015 at Booth #6 or www.avalara.com
How Do I Get the Handouts for My Classes?              
This year we are going with technology! The handouts for all Encounter 2015 classes are on our website in PDF format just waiting for you to download them.  Login, right there on the Encounter 2015 Banner there will be a button for Encounter 2015 Handouts. The handout page is designed just like the class listing, by date, by class time period. Use you Registration Confirmation Email to see your classes in the same order. You can print them and bring them with you or you can download them to you tablet or laptop. See the Question "Can I take notes on the PDF files?"
Tour de Force software solutions provide CRM, SFA, in-depth business intelligence, and business process optimization features. The single biggest competitive advantage offered by Tour de Force is our extensive integration to your Eclipse system. No other software is able to compete with our level of integration and the amount of information that we make available to your organization.

Stop by Booth #4 to meet with Terry Kin and Pete Chandler from Tour de Force! Learn more about our solutions and the benefits that we can provide to your organization. 
Epicor is excited to be attending Encounter again this year. Stop by Booth #5 to chat with Epicor Experts about all the interesting things Eclipse has in store for you! Some things we are looking forward to talking with you about are:

- Eclipse 9.0
- Companion Product Offerings such as, Avalara Tax Connect, Showroom, Customer Facing Order Entry (OE) and Epicor Commerce Connect (ECC)
- Your personal experiences with your Epicor Eclipse software system!
Supply Chain Services is an expert in integrating data collection, barcoding, and mobility technology with ERP and distribution software and processes, with specific experience with Eclipse software. Our customer relationships are built on understanding business needs and applying appropriate technology solutions-incorporating barcode scanners, barcode printers, rugged mobile computers, barcode labels, print and apply, and wireless networking as well as managed mobile services. 
Come see us about integrating data collection with Eclipse in booth 7.
Is there a way to take notes on the PDF files on my tablet? 
If you have an IPad, there is a software you can purchase for a reasonable price;  "pdf-notes for iPad" - available here. 
If you have One Note, which is a Microsoft product, this site says you can download it free - just make sure it is. There is also a One Note Online version. I haven't checked it out, but it may work if you have Office 365..
While 'VSI-FAX' and 'Fax on Demand' are widely used by Eclipse customers, few are aware that Esker also offers a suite of Cloud-based solutions, designed to help companies automate the following manual processes:

- Accounts Payable
- Sales Order Processing
- Account Receivable
- Purchasing

Stop by booth #8, to learn how other companies have reduced document processing time by as much as 80%, reduced costs by nearly 50%, and eliminated 99% of their processing errors.
epacube high res
We changed everything you know about maximizing profitability with the newest version of epaCUBE Profit Optimizer software and our new FASTPATH implementation process. The software is so easy to use that some of our customers are seeing gains in as few as 15 days.

The results are clear: The average distributor on epaCUBE identified 5.5% gross profit improvement, $3M in new gross profit, and over $21M in increased enterprise value.

Join us at Booth #9 for a closer look and a chance to win and Apple watch.
Sales Productivity Improvement with AutoOrder
One very simple thing every business can do to become more efficient is to reduce manual data entry. AutoOrder Powered by Conexiom converts inbound purchase orders from customers in their own format into standardized, structured electronic documents that can be automatically processed into Epicor Eclipse without requiring manual keying. 
AutoOrder can be deployed within minutes and leverages existing people, processes and systems.

Come visit us at Booth #10.
Are meals included? 
Yes! Breakfast is served each day. Lunch times are 12:30 Monday and 12:20 Tuesday. The Welcome Reception @ 6 pm on Sunday is pizza, beer and wine so if you don't want to go out for dinner we'll have it for you. Monday evening's reception is a combination of "reception foods & beverages", so if you want to go out to dinner afterward you might still be hungry. 
Business Data Links was founded in November of 1999 as a nationwide functional technology management firm. Our core competency is helping wholesale distributors with not only their IT infrastructure needs, but also their ERP System.  BDL's services includes consultation and application of Web Commerce, Technology Infrastructure, Managed IT support, and Network security.  Our expertise also includes a thorough understanding of multiple ERP systems, in which their services focus solely on informing business owners on the benefit of having a concise and easy "business management system".  

Visit us at booth #20 and discover how we can help your business.
Trade Service 
Booth 21
e-Commerce Content Services

Amazon, Alibaba, Grainger and a host of other online competitive threats are targeting the traditional distribution channel - FIGHT BACK! We'll help you launch the e-commerce website you need to take care of your existing customers, appeal to new customers, and even go after the consumer market where it makes sense. And the best part is: It's affordable! Our custom approach creates rich product content in the specific format you need so that you can respond quickly to emerging threats. Come by our booth or call Bob Stone at 866-561-5942.
I see all of these vendors will be in attendance when can I speak to them? 
The Vendor Sponsor area is in the extended Texas Ballroom A on the second Level! The Vendor Sponsor booths are only steps from breakfast, lunch and breaks.  There will be food and a bar in the Vendor area during both receptions so make sure you say hello to everyone! The booths will definitely be open during the receptions, breaks, and meals, but many booths are attended all the time. If you want to speak to them at other times make sure you set up an appointment. Our Vendor Sponsors are a very important part of Encounter 2015.  Their sponsorship helps keep the cost of registration down for you the attendee. They have great products that your company might find to be just what you were looking for!