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LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J., -- For the past eight years, the U Connect Conference(R) has been a forum for retailers and manufacturers to gain insights and ideas from their industry peers. This year, nearly fourteen hundred industry leaders and supply chain professionals gathered for U Connect 08, presented by GS1 US(TM) and VICS, at the Gaylord Texan in Dallas, TX. Attendees had access to over 55 exhibitors and 70 sessions designed to help trading partners discover new techniques and technologies to gain end-to-end supply chain visibility, go green, achieve sustainability and enable business growth. The success of this year's conference left attendees looking forward to U Connect 09 in Orlando, FL.

One of the highlights of this year's conference was the introduction of "New Ways of Working Together," a new collaborative business approach for trading partners that will enable them to focus on agreed-to plans and jointly grow their businesses while working to eliminate supply chain disruptions. "New Ways of Working Together" focuses on the connectivity of cross-organization areas such as marketing and sales, manufacturing, business-to-business collaboration, transportation, and quality and safety to utilize standards to create more efficient and sustainable supply chains.

"The value of business collaboration and the creation of efficient supply chains cannot be underestimated in today's business environment," said Chip Lloyd, Chief Operating Officer, GS1 US. "With increasing fuel costs, high-profile product recalls and increasing momentum towards sustainable business practices - U Connect and GS1 System standards have never been more important or relevant."

U Connect 08 hosted attendees and speakers from FORTUNE 500 companies such as, Anheuser-Busch, Inc., ConAgra, Dillard's, Kraft Foods, Lowe's, Miller Brewing Company, Procter & Gamble, Target, The Coca-Cola Company, The Hershey Co., The Pepsi Co., Tyson Foods, Wegmans Food Markets, Inc., and Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. These speakers provided insight and learnings on how the implementation of standards increased their efficiency and overall profitability.

By listening to each other's best practices, companies across the business spectrum gained insight into topics such as the importance of data quality, advances in Electronic Product Code(TM)/Radio Frequency Identification (EPC/RFID) technologies and the growing need for track and trace technologies.

"The U Connect Conference this year, as always, was very good. Being a smaller manufacturer, it provides me with a good metric of where most of the larger retailers are with their initiatives. Also, meeting individuals face to face is invaluable. The roundtable discussions with the manufacturers and retailers were very informative. I look forward to attending the conference in Orlando next year," said Bob Rodd, CRC Industries.

U Connect 09 is scheduled for June 2 - 5, 2009, at the Orlando World Center Marriott in Orlando, FL. For more information on how to exhibit or attend, please visit www.uconnectevent.org.

About GS1 US(TM)

GS1 US is a not for profit organization dedicated to the adoption and implementation of standards-based, global supply chain solutions. GS1 US operates wholly owned subsidiaries EPCglobal US(TM), RosettaNet, and 1SYNC(TM). GS1 US manages the United Nations Standard Products and Services Code(R) (UNSPSC(R)) for the UN Development Programme. EPCglobal Inc(TM) is a joint venture of GS1 US and GS1. GS1 US-based solutions, including business processes, XML standards, EDI transaction sets, and the bar code identification standards of the GS1 System (formerly known as the EAN.UCC System) are currently used by more than one million companies worldwide.
www.GS1US.org.

About VICS(TM)

The Voluntary Interindustry Commerce Solutions (VICS) Association has enabled companies in the retail and consumer-focused industries to eliminate billions of dollars of waste and delay. By creating voluntary guidelines, often referred to as "standards," VICS has created new best practices that ultimately lead to lower costs and better availability of products for consumers. VICS' volunteer members improve the flow of products and information throughout retailing and the consumer-focused industries that supply retail. The Association provides leadership and an environment in which executives can make a difference in their industry, their company performance- and their personal commitment to make the world work a little better. VICS' members help define the next best practices in the industries and thus anticipate and optimize business processes and costs.

Additional information can be found at www.vics.org.

SOURCE: GS1 US