INTERSECT '08 Conference Wrap-up

Over 100 routing professionals came together September 7-9, 2008 for RouteSmart Technologies' fifth and most successful users' conference, INTERSECT '08. Many of our US and European clients made the trip to Annapolis, Maryland, for two and a half days of learning and collaboration.

Our line-up of case studies and presentations this year was outstanding. From RouteSmart on cell phones to Web deployments of routing data, from sales zone development to socio-technical keys to success, from streamlining processes to nationwide rollouts, our clients and partners offered an amazing breadth of best practices in route optimization.

Not only did our clients learn a great deal from the case studies and other presentations, but we learned a lot from all of you as well. Year after year, one of our most popular sessions, the Industry Roundtables, enables us to listen to you, our clients, to help validate and shape our product plans for the future. We expanded our roundtable sessions this year, and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive. We'll be getting to work on some of the great ideas we learned, and we hope you'll be putting some great ideas to use with your organization.

Post-Conference Training

Learning continued after the conference as two sold-out classes, Advanced Routing Concepts and the new Introduction to the RouteSmart Macro Language, rounded out the week. With two instructors per class and small class sizes, each attendee received individualized attention while learning new skills and mastering new concepts.

We sincerely thank all of our clients, partners, and sponsors for helping to make INTERSECT '08 such a huge success. Here are just a few comments from some of our attendees:

• "The Industry Roundtable did a great job of getting like-minded individuals together to discuss common topics/problems."
• "Good selection of presenters/case studies."
• "You let the appreciation you have for your employees and your customers shine through."
• "It was enlightening to hear the many different ways you can utilize RouteSmart."
• "Super job overall - one of the best conferences I've been to."

Make sure our next INTERSECT conference is part of your path to success.

Product News

RouteSmart for ArcGIS
As we discussed at INTERSECT '08, RouteSmart Technologies plans our next release of RouteSmart for ArcGIS to be available in November 2008. Included in this new release will be several new features and enhancements, as well as compatibility with ESRI's ArcGIS 9.3. Chief among the new features will be an Export Wizard to more easily move data out of RouteSmart and back to your customer information systems; an enhancement to the Set Segment ID and Side tool to allow comparisons on various street attributes as well as the closest street geographically; and an ability to enter Street Notes for a street segment that will be displayed on RouteSmart reports (such as information on gated communities, traffic awareness, and so on). Look for a formal product announcement on the new release in November.

RouteSmart WebAccess
We'll also be doing some significant work in WebAccess, planning for one additional major release this year. Most notably, our next release of WebAccess will include LDAP support to make it easier to add new users who are part of your Active Directory; support for the Street Notes function; and some enhancements to the geocoding tools, including the capability to select a stop or group of stops and quickly change their side of service along the street. We'll be sending a WebAccess product announcement out shortly.

As always, don't forget about our complimentary "What's New" webinars after each new release. These webinars are the quickest and easiest way to keep current with "what's new" in our products. Look for sign-up details in each product announcement.

Routing University Fall/Spring Schedule Announced

Attend a Routing University class to leverage more from your RouteSmart investment. All classes are scheduled in our corporate training facility in Columbia, Maryland, and are led by our industry experts.

New User Express
Cost: $3100
Days: 5

• November 10-14, 2008
• December 8-12, 2008
• February 16-20, 2009
• April 20-24, 2009

Introduction to Street Service Routing
Cost: $2500
Days: 3

• March 17-19, 2009
• May 12-14, 2009

Advanced Routing Concepts
Cost: $2500
Days: 3

• January 20-22, 2009
• April 28-30, 2009

Introduction to the RouteSmart Macro Language
Cost: $2500
Days: 3

• January 27-29, 2009
• May 5-7, 2009

We'll be mailing a course catalog out to all clients shortly. To register for any Routing University class, visit our Web site to download and fill out the registration form in the course catalog, or email us at routinguniversity@routesmart.com and we’ll send you a registration form and training agenda overview for the class. Inquire about discounts for sending multiple students from the same company to a single class.

Announcing Plans for INTERSECT '09

After an overwhelmingly successful INTERSECT '08 conference, RouteSmart Technologies announces that our next conference, INTERSECT '09, is tentatively planned for July 2009 in San Diego, California. More information will be coming soon, but for now, plan to join us in July for INTERSECT '09.

As discussed at INTERSECT '08, our plan is to have a full conference every two years on the even years (2008, 2010, and so on), and to have a one-day, focused event on the odd years (2009, 2011, and so on) that would correspond with a major industry conference (in 2009, with the ESRI International User Conference). We recognize that there are numerous events competing for your time and budget, and we look at this even year/odd year format as a way to continue to deliver value while keeping your investment more manageable.

As with all INTERSECT conferences, all active RouteSmart clients will receive one complimentary conference registration for each primary RouteSmart for ArcGIS maintenance subscription. We hope to see you there.