The XML conference is a four day event focused on how to use XML to make print documents in production environments. Presenters will include those who have already moved their production printing to XML, and others who say the technology is not ready yet. And then detailed and pragmatic sessions on actually what you need to do to implement XML in your environment, both from a technical and management viewpoint.

Sessions range from ‘What is XML and why do you care’ and ‘Managing the investment’ to specific technical ‘how-to’ sessions on XML style and formatting. And in the joint XML Tutorials, bring your laptop computer and you’ll get real ‘hands on’ experience in writing your own XSL-XSLT and XSL-FO. There will be basic sessions for novices and non-techies, as well as advanced tips and tricks sessions from industry experts.

Also includes admission to the sessions in the PDF, Digital Prepress, and Xplor Document Conferences, and the JDF Day on Sunday, February 5, 2005.

And don't forget the Friday night Xplor Beach Party with The Landsharks, best known as Jiimmy Buffet's back-up band. Register now!

Introduction to
XSLT Concepts

Mulberry
Technologies

D.A. Lapeyre

Ralph Walter

B. Tommie Usdin

Rudolf Weinmann

XSLT & XSL-FO
Truly 'hands-on'
(bring your laptop)

Ralph Walter

Assentis

B. Tommie Usdin

Klaas Bals

D.A. Lapeyre

Thomas Hug

Urs Tanner

B. Tommie Usdin

Kevin Brown

Jost Klopfstein

Klaas Bals

Kevin Brown

Introduction to
XSL-FO Concepts

Mulberry
Technologies

Jacques Hofstetter, IBM

Rudolf Weinmann

Rich Howarth

Inventive Designers

Klaas Bals

XSLT & XSL-FO
Truly 'hands-on'
(bring your laptop)
Advanced

Ralph Walter

Assentis

Walter Svoboda

Dalton Cranston

Paul Huff, PostNexus

IBM

Roberto Nagel

Q&A with 4 Experts

Jost Klopfstein

Open Roads Open Minds:
An Exploration
of Creative
Problem-Solving

Steve Uzzell

Howie Fenton & Taz Tally

Editors' Year in Review

Register now!

Educational Tutorial: Introduction to XSLT Concepts  
8:15AM–12:00 Noon with one 30 minute break at 9:45AM
Mulberry Technologies, Inc.

You keep hearing that XML is exciting; that once you have your content in XML you can do anything with it; that XML is powerful and flexible. Then you look at an XML file and don't see what the fuss is all about! XSLT (the XML transformation language) is the language that makes XML powerful and flexible. Using XSLT you can: convert XML into display formats (HTML, PDF, etc.); make XML into tool-specific formats (such as typesetting languages), and automatically add: numbering, cross-references, tables of contents, and generated text to your pages. You can also use XSLT to convert documents tagged according to your DTD/schema into documents tagged according to someone else's tag set! XSLT changes the way you'll think about XML. This introduction covers the principles of XSLT, its processing model, what it can and can't do, and how it is being used in real environments. This is a concept course; showing "just enough" syntax.

Attendees should know what XML is and what tags are. This is a concepts course for production folks and managers, not just for the technical.

Educational Tutorial: Introduction to XSL-FO Concepts  (Printing Directly from XML)
1:30–5:00PM with one 15 minute break at 3:00PM
Mulberry Technologies, Inc.

XSL-FO (Extensible Stylesheet Language - Formatting Objects) is a specification for formatting XML documents for print or web display. Publishers, catalog producers, and financial institutions (among many others) are using XSL-FO to go directly from XML into PDF, PostScript, PCL. etc. This conceptual introduction introduces XSL-FO, what it is, how it works, how it can be used, and what it is capable of producing (and what it can't!). Using a stylesheet-in-development, we illustrate the logical components of an XSL-FO formatting system, how the page geometry works, and show you the basic vocabulary of "formatting objects": blocks, wrappers, Cascading-Stylesheet-like attributes, and pages. Why isn't everyone using XSL-FO? Should your company consider it?

For people who are or will be involved in XML publishing. Attendees should know what XML is and what tags are.

Opening Keynote: Open Roads Open Minds: An Exploration of Creative Problem-Solving 
5:15–6:15PM
Steve Uzzell

The open road never fails to open your mind. Once your mind is open, the power of your imagination is released. This formidable power knows no bounds. Steve uses his mind-stretching images as illustrations about possibility and creativity, inspiring his audiences to make any venture an adventure. Learn to put this perspective to work for you everyday - in problem solving, in the creative process, and in your life.

Steve Uzzell is one of the top advertising and corporate photographers in the country. He started in the photography business 31 years ago as the assistant to the editor of National Geographic and a member of their photographic staff. He now shoots for a roster of clients that includes airlines and automobile manufacturers, travel, shelter and fashion magazines, many of our United States and even some foreign countries. His work has garnered international acclaim and won numerous awards, including ten from Communication Arts. Along the way he has photographed two books, Maryland, and The View From Sterling Bluff and had editorial work published in over 50 publications.

Register now!

What is XML and Why Should You Care?  (Basic Track)
8:15–9:15AM
Deborah A. Lapeyre

XML is a data format that manages text and content as named objects. XML documents with their "tags" can be part of cost-effective solutions for content reuse, repurposing, internationalization and more. This session provides the vocabulary you need to talk about XML, a look at how XML works, some real world examples, and a glimpse at the logical components of an XML application.

XSL-FO Intro  (Advanced Track)
8:15–9:15AM
Ralph Walter

What are the capabilities of XSL-FO? What are its strengths and weaknesses? What are the basic building blocks of XSL-FO and how can they be combined to produce business critical documents?

How and Why are Companies Using XML?  (Basic Track)
9:45–10:45AM
B. Tommie Usdin

More and more organizations are moving their content to XML. Some are asking for XML as well as pages from their printers, some are sending XML to their printers. Who is moving to XML, and what do they hope to get from it? How can designers and printers serve their XML customers? If you understand why your customer wants XML and what they want to do with it you can help them meet their goals, and thus increase your value as a supplier!

XSL-FO 1.1 Outlook  (Advanced Track)
9:45–10:45AM
Klaas Bals

People are getting convinced that solutions based on Open Standards are better for a variety of reasons. XML has already emerged as a widely adopted standard, and is now being used to print. To be able to do this in a standard way, you need XSLT and XSL-FO. XSLT and XSL-FO are XML standards of the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) to generate output, both electronically and in printed form. This session will first explain how XML and XSL work, and then talk about which new features are available in XSL-FO 1.1. This session talks about the high level functionality but also goes in depth with some technical examples to show how these technologies work.

Moving to XML: The Investment  (Basic Track)
11:00AM–12:00 Noon
B. Tommie Usdin

XML has many benefits, but no one ever said it came for free. Moving to XML will change the way you work, the flow or content through your organization, staffing skills (and possibly staffing levels), and the opportunities you have. Where do tags come from and when? What does your staff need to know? Does added value mean added work? How can XML help in QA? What are some of the known problems and pitfalls you might avoid?

Real World XML Applications  (Advanced Track)
11:00AM–12:00 Noon
Kevin Brown

In this session you will hear how XML is being used today in real mainstream applications to produce — and compose — a wide variety of Electronic Documents. Customer examples include:

• UK Government - various documents
• Major insurer - quotes, policies, renewals
• Major financial services company - loan documentation
• Rabobank - banking industry monthly statements
• Mid-size utility company - monthly statements and billings &
• US Government/Joint Chiefs - Daily Threat Assessment

XML for OnDemand and Transactional Printing 
1:30–2:30PM
Jacques Hofstetter, IBM

XML Keynote: Why We Moved to XML-Based Printing 
2:45–3:45PM
Walter Svoboda

Printing in today's point of view is not any more visualizing on paper only. The real challenge today is how to bind various information from different sources together and provide them through different channels, and of course maybe one mighty channel is still paper. But this will not be the main channel in the future. Therefore you have to think about new concepts to create information out of the existing applications and processes. One method you can choice is doing it with XML, XSL/FO and those open standards, which are very open to future enhancements.

Wüstenrot is a leading insurance and home loan bank company in Austria/Europe. As a traditional IBM Mainframe user, Wüstenrot decided to move business communications to a new and open platform. This presentation discusses business aspects why a company should think about such a strategic move, the related challenges and what Wüstenrot expects from this project.

Rebuttal: “XML & XSL is About the Worst Thing that Happened to the Document Industry” 
4:00–5:00PM
Roberto Nagel

Now that we have your attention… This rather provoking statement refers to the document creation processes based on XML and XSL style sheets. In his presentation Roberto compares XSL-based document systems with those using proprietary data structures. But no fear – it is not going to be a comparison on product features and technical details. Quite the opposite! Expect a management level view on the current landscape of high volume document creation and how state-of-art composition tools fit into this picture.

Register now!

Why XML for Print?  (Basic Track)
8:15–9:15AM
B Tommie Usdin

Should your organization be making print publications from XML? The current XML hype is focused on web portals, XML-service-oriented architectures, and e-business applications. But while the use of XML in traditional print publishing may be less trendy and newsworthy, it is equally powerful. Working with XML can help publishers improve quality and timeliness, as well as allowing them to repurpose, reuse, and reformat content from a single source. XML allows publishers to create high-quality print publications using source data that can also support electronic publication, electronic archives, enhanced search and retrieval, and new product opportunities.

XML and XSL Advanced  (Advanced Track)
8:15–9:15AM
Rudolph Weinman

XML in Print Production   (Basic Track)
9:45–10:45AM
Deborah A. Lapeyre

Most of the ways of adding XML to print production come down to a variation on one of three themes: making pages then XML, introducing XML during composition, and working with XML from as far in front of composition as you can manage. What are the implications and advantages of each style? Why would you prefer one to another? If you do make XML early in the production cycle, how do you get from XML to pages? There are many methods, each with its own set of pros and cons, that can be used in combination for multiple content reuse.

On-Demand Document Creation in Health Care -
Moving  from MS Word to an XML-based Composition Solution (Advanced Track)
9:45–10:45AM
Thomas Hug, EKG

EGK is a leading Swiss health care company. They produce thousands individualized business documents each day in conjunction with the execution of their core business processes. This presentation will outline how and why EGK moved away from their MS Word-based solution to an XML-based document composition system. In addition, topics like multilingual support, enforcing corporate design and identity (CD/CI) and integration of document composition into Java-based business application will be discussed. Furthermore, Thomas will run an online demo of their new solution and present how an end user works with their new solution.

Composition Tips and Tricks & “What Doesn't Work” (Basic Track)
11:00AM–12:00 Noon
Jost Klopfstein

This session is focused on the XSL-FO standard from W3C and will demonstrate what can and cannot be done with the implementation of this language. Topics covered to include: graphics, tables, floats, flows, alignment, footmarks, pagination, TOC, indexes, large documents and the upcoming XSL-FO 1.1 standard.

Create complex forms with visual fidelity with XForms and XSL-FO (Advanced Track)
11:00AM–12:00 Noon
Klaas Bals

You get the technical background, but you also get to see what can be done using these technologies. From theory to practice! This session will explain how Open Standard technologies such as XSL-FO, XSLT, XForms and UBL can be used together in Scriptura XForms. XSL-FO for page oriented layout with a visual fidelity, XForms for advanced and flexible interactive forms. And UBL to represent the business data. These technologies combined allow you to create forms with very similar functionality as Adobe PDF Forms, but with many advantages... It is using only open standards, these forms can also be used in a document design/composition environment for high volume printing and electronic delivery, a very powerful and user friendly graphical design environment, etc...

XML & XSL Basics (Basic Track) 
1:30-2:30PM
Rudolf Weinmann

This session will introduce you to the eXtensible Markup Language XML. Where does it come from. What does it look like. What is it good for, what are its benefits over other data formats. What are the accompanying standards and why are they important.

The session concludes with the user case of a printing solution, that helps you estimate the benefits of XML.

XML-Based Compound Document Management & Publishing  (Advanced Track)
1:30-2:30PM
Rich Howarth, IBM

As XML publishing continues to grow in all industries the need to effectively manage document components increases. Enterprise Content Management (ECM) systems allow objects and documents to be managed over their lifecycle, from creation to publication, and enable integration with business process management systems. Rich will discuss how to use ECM systems to enable collaborative management of the components used in popular XML authoring and publishing tools.

Towards a single Enterprise Document Generation System - The Suncorp Experience  (Basic Track)
2:45–3:45PM
Dalton Cranston, Suncorp

This session will explain the process of selecting an implementing a single Enterprise Document Generation System. It describes the goals, challenges, technical goals and approach as well as the online an batch implementation. The session concludes with the lessons learned, and the next steps towards the future.

Linking Document Creation to Document Delivery using XML & XML-FO  (Advanced Track)
2:45–3:45PM
Paul Huff, PostNexus

On Demand & Transaction Printing with XML: Q&A with Four Experts  
4:00–5:00

The Future of Print (“Is Print Dead...”) 
5:15-6:30PM
Taz Tally and Howie Fenton

What ever show you go to today the controversy rages: some presenters say “Print and printers are a dying breed destined to go the way of the dinosaur”. While others say, “Print and printers will never die, they will remain in our world right next to mom and Apple Pie - forever.”

The only problem is that all of these presentations are one sided. If go to either presentation you do not hear both sides. You do not walk away thinking it was a fair, balanced presentation. And perhaps most important, you never get to hear how each side responds to the others arguments.

In this seminar we pit two of the leading speakers in the industry against each other. On the “Print is Dead” side is Taz Tally, famous for his taz Tally seminars. According to Taz, “Print will go the way of the buggy whip. The evidence is overwhelming. Just look at history”

On the other side, proclaiming the “Print will Survive” side is Howie Fenton famous consultant for GATF and NAPL and former editor of Pre Magazine. According to Howie “Print and printers will survive forever. They have survived CD-ROMs, radio, and TV and will survive other forms of New Media.”

Be warned this seminar is not for the faint hearted. Each time they perform this seminar both Taz and Howie one add more and more ammunition and more passion to their side. Considering that they been doing it for over a year now and have performed this for PIA affiliates from coast to coast - you know this is going to be a hot ticket. You can’t afford to miss the latest Taz and Howie “Print Is Dead” debate.

Register now!

XML Vendor Tutorial:
8:15–9:15AM

Educational Tutorial: XSLT & XSL-FO Truly “Hands-On” (Bring Your Laptop)  
8:15AM–12:00 Noon with one 30 minute break at 9:45 AM
Ralph Walter, Assentis

This workshop will allow you to take your first practical steps in XSL-FO. You will be through the basic principles of XSL-FO and get the opportunity to do exercises on your own and get support where necessary. Practical questions can be raised and discussed. As a result you will be able to produce basic XSL-FO documents and know its capabilities and limitations. Prerequisites: You need to bring your own computer. An XSLT-capable XML editor is an asset. An XSL-FO renderer will be supplied.

XML Vendor Tutorial: Assentis  
9:45–10:45AM
Urs Tanner

Assentis is a leading software company based in Switzerland with sales offices in the United States and Europe.

Assentis provides solutions for individualized business communications, fully based on open XML and J2EE standards. DocDesign is one of the first repository based template editors which allows companies to assemble a document template from common reusable modules. End users can individualize business documents with Assentis DocWrite, a software module allowing users to enter free-text or data from business applications. DocBase is a highly scalable rendering and post-processing server fully based on J2EE standards.

In addition, we will cover client success stories, including how they were able to integrate data acquisition, overcome scalability and complexity issues in a high performance large transaction environment.

XML Vendor Tutorial: RenderX  
11:00AM–12:00 Noon
Kevin Brown

In this session you will see the various RenderX products, their features and high-level architecture.

Furthermore you will discover different ways to integrate XEP into your applications and systems, and some real-world samples.

XML Vendor Tutorial: Inventive Designers  
1:30–2:30PM
Klaas Bals

In this session you will see the Scriptura XBOS and Scriptura XForms platform, and all of the aspects of it. How to graphically design documents and interactive forms in the extremey user friendly designer, how to generate documents with a high performance (up to 300 pages/second), how to fill in interactive forms, and how to do post-processing on the output such as adding OMR marks, do bundling, email and fax output and so on... This way you can see how to get all the benefits of Open Standards such as XML, XSL and XForms without the need for you to know these open standards yourself. Just use the product that does this for you.

Educational Tutorial: XSLT & XSL-FO Truly “Hands-On” Advanced (Bring Your Laptop) 
1:30–5:00PM with one 15 minute break at 3:00PM
Ralph Walter, Assentis

This workshop will allow you to take your first practical steps in XSL-FO. You will be through the basic principles of XSL-FO and get the opportunity to do exercises on your own and get support where necessary. Practical questions can be raised and discussed. As a result you will be able to produce basic XSL-FO documents and know its capabilities and limitations. Prerequisites: You need to bring your own computer. An XSLT-capable XML editor is an asset. An XSL-FO renderer will be supplied.

XML Vendor Tutorial: IBM  
2:45–3:45PM

XML Vendor Tutorial: Axos Technologies 
4:00–5:00PM
Jost Klopfstein

Need a high visual fidelity template for a form with embedded variable data in 20 minutes? There are millions of existing government, insurance, banking, order, legal, health or check forms just waiting to be included into your business applications.

Find out how Axos Technologies’ solution – codename FormMapper – provides an easy-to-use tool based on open standards, which allows quick production of form templates with variable data.

Closing Session: Editor's Year in Review  
5:15–6:15PM

Join the editors of leading trade and vertical publications as they offer their views on what they saw and heard at The Global Document Exchange-Powered By Xplor and the Graphics of the Americas Exhibition. Reporting on the industry over the last year, while offering their views on what to expect in 2006, the panel will provide "their take" and insight on trends and issues effecting the industry today and for the future. In addition, attendees can hear firsthand what the market is expecting and what the industry is actually delivering. Joins us for this highly interactive general session!

Charles Corr, Group Director InfoTrends/CAP Ventures and Session Moderator
As Group Director of InfoTrends/CAP Ventures' On Demand, Production Workflow Solutions, Digital Peripherals Solutions and Corporate Consulting groups, Charlie Corr has more than 27 years of experience in the printing field with industry-wide expertise in implementing digital print technology and solutions that span from the desktop to the print shop. Mr. Corr has conducted numerous market research, business development, and re-engineering assignments. His re-engineering efforts have resulted in significant efficiencies and savings through organizational redesign, streamlined operations, and the use of appropriate technology resources. He is one of the foremost global keynote speakers. He has consulted for major corporations, publishers, print providers government and other users printing and related technology. In a previous assignment, Mr. Corr was responsible for operations of a full-service graphics provider at Harvard University, which provided design/print, office products/paper, digital print and copy, publishing and mail services to Harvard and its affiliates. Mr. Corr has also worked with a number of industry leaders to develop network-based state-of-the art technology utilizing the Web for printing and related commerce and was a pioneer in the use of digital print technologies.

Panelists include:

Bill Esler, Editor and Chief of Graphics Arts Monthly
Bill Esler's 30 years of print industry experience includes three years prior at Graphic Communications World (also known as the Green Sheet), where he served as publisher and editor. Previously, Mr. Esler served as Chief Editor for Quick Print Products (which merged with Graphic Arts Monthly in 2001), Business Development Manager for Access China (co-published with NPES) and Sales Manager for World Leaders in Print, a global print industry magazine published in four languages in 35 countries. Prior to joining Reed full time, Esler served as Midwest Editor for Graphic Arts Monthly and while operating Quoin Communications, publishers of Printing News Midwest, Print Business Register, Converting Business Register and Copy Magazine. In addition, Mr. Esler's prior experience includes six years at Innes Publishing, where he launched High Volume Printing and Instant Printer and a year before that as features editor at American Printer.

Gail Nickel-Kailing, Editor, Graphic Communications World
Gail Nickel-Kailing is a nationally known analyst and consultant, providing counsel to companies seeking to increase profits and revenues and reduce operating costs. Ms. Nickel-Kailing has a special interest in the use of technology to design, acquire, produce and distribute customer communication and promotional materials. Prior to launching her consulting practice, she was a senior marketing professional in the graphic arts industry. Ms. Nickel-Kailing is currently Editor-in-Chief of Graphic Communications World, a newsletter for the graphic arts executive that has been continuously published twice a month since 1968.

Mark Michelson, Editor-in-Chief of Printing Impressions
As one of America's most influential and widely read publication for commercial printers, Mr. Michelson has served as Editor-in-Chief since 1985, and has been covering the graphic arts industry since 1982 as an employee of North American Publishing Co. Under his tenure at Printing Impressions, Michelson created and oversees the Printing Impressions/RIT Printing Industry Hall of Fame; the Printing Impressions 400, the printing industry's most comprehensive ranking of the top 400 printers in the U.S. and Canada; and the Master Specifier, the most complete guide to graphic arts equipment, products and services. He received the Tom McMillan Award for editorial excellence in 2004 and was inducted into the NAPL's Soderstrom Society in 2005, among other honors.

Carlos Silgado, Content Director, Artes Gráficas
Carlos Silgado has spent the last two decades as an active participant in the Graphics Arts Industry either as part of the supply industry, the printing sector or as part of the academy and the printing trade associations. Previously he contributed with the magazine as author of technical articles. He has also been editorial consultant for Artes Gráficas.

Noel Ward, Executive Editor, OnDemandJournal.com
Noel Ward is a consultant, speaker and writer focusing on digital printing strategies and content development for print and electronic media. He conducts technology audits, market research, and competitive analyses to build strategies companies use to optimize their document creation, production and distribution processes.

One of the best-known writers in the industry, Mr. Ward creates and produces white papers, case studies, speeches, presentations, marketing materials and electronic newsletters for several industry-leading companies. He is editor and publisher of the electronic newsletter Digital Asset Directions, Executive Editor of OnDemandJournal.com, Director of RealTime Trade Show Coverage for WhatTheyThink.com, and Editor of The LeadINg Edge, the newsletter of the Imaging Network Group.

Register now!

Klaas Bals studied Computer Science at the University of Antwerp, Belgium. He is a member of the XSL Working Group and the W3C XForms Working Group of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). He is Chief Technology Officer of Inventive Designers where he is responsible for Scriptura XBOS, a solution that allows you to communicate with your customers in two directions, using many different media.

Mr. Brown has over twenty years of experience in the information technology and management industry. Prior to RenderX, Brown was senior vice president of sales and marketing for Lightspeed Interactive, a start-up XML content management company. While at Lightspeed, Mr. Brown led several acquisitions and developed marketing strategies in XML content management and delivery. Brown has also held management positions at Xerox/Chrystal Software, Texcel Research and EDS.

Mr. Brown graduated from Michigan State University with a Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering and a minor in Mathematics. Mr. Brown also holds a Masters Degree in Nuclear Engineering Design from the U.S. Navy's nuclear design facility in Schenectady, NY.

Dalton has worked in IT in many different roles, in Australia and overseas, for over 18 years. He joined Suncorp as a Solutions Architect in 2003 as part of the IT Strategy, Architecture and Security team. Since joining Suncorp Dalton has been involved in a number of initiatives including Suncorp's J2EE hosting Environment, Workflow and Imaging projects and a number of document generation projects.

Dalton has substantial experience designining, architecting and implementing large, multi-tiered, object-oriented systems. He has a long pedigree in object oriented design having developed applications built on frameworks from early programming languages such as NewEra and Forte through to modern J2EE implementations. He has a very broad range of experience in technology - Mainframe, UNIX and MS based platforms, approach - bespoke development and package based integration/development, projects (both large and small) and in many different industry sectors. Dalton has particular interest web-services and service oriented architectures and in multi-channel delivery architectures including web, print, interactive digital television, PDA's and mobile telephones.

Howard M. Fenton (or “Howie” as he calls himself) is a well known author, consultant and trainer in the graphic arts. He is best known as the senior consultant of digital technology for NAPL, six years as a consultant for Graphic Arts Technical Foundation (GATF) and his three years as the editor of Pre, a prepress magazine. He has authored five books. The subjects include digital printing, scanning, color management, process control and emerging digital technologies. He writes and emails two free newsletters entitled Digital Technology Trends – one for production staff, the other for non-production staff. He specializes in digital printing, new prepress technologies, digital workflow, quality control, color management, and the implementation and management of new technologies. He audits 35 companies a year and after 12 years has a client list of approximately 200 companies.

Richard Howarth manages IBM’s Enterprise Content Management Strategy and Planning Organization. He has more than 25 years of experience in the IT industry in the areas of operating systems development, printing and imaging, and enterprise content management.

Prior to his current role, Richard was Director of Strategy for IBM Printing Systems where he was responsible for the overall strategy and business plan for the Printing Division. Within the Printing Division he also had the responsibilities of Director of the Production Printing Business and Director of Software Engineering. Richard began his IBM career in MVS development in New York in 1982.

Thomas Hug is the chief information officer (CIO) of EGK, a Swiss health care company. He has more than 20 years of experience as a manager in application development in the health care and the insurance business. Thomas holds a federal diploma in economics and computer sciences.

Prior to co-founding Axos Technologies in January of 2004, Jost spent 20 years in the IT industry as a project manager, consultant, team leader, architect and developer for leading companies including IBM and Zurich Financial Services. At Axos he is responsible for Integration Services and Business Development and brings a unique combination of IT experience and a previous background in the print industry to this new business of high quality, personalized print solutions based on open standards. Since 1999, he has focused on XML technologies and has over 10 years experience in application integration.

Jost holds a Masters degree in Computer Science from University of Berne, Switzerland.

Deborah Lapeyre is a Senior XML and XSLT Consultant for Mulberry Technologies, Inc., a firm specializing in helping their clients toward better publishing through XML and XSLT solutions. She teaches XML literacy; business implications of XML, XML (and SGML) syntax, and DTD construction; and hands-on XSLT and XSL-FO courses. Debbie has been working with XML and XSLT since their inception and with SGML since 1984, which was before SGML was officially adopted as an ISO standard. In a previous life, she write wrote code for systems that put ink on paper and used, taught, and documented a proprietary generic markup system named "SAMANTHA".

Roberto Nagel, EDP, thinks, breathes and speaks documents. Since the foundation of the company in 1992, he works as Consultant and as Technical Director at Document Dialog (www.documentdialog.com). The company’s tag line explains exactly what they are doing: “Let's Talk About Your Documents … And Let Your Documents Do The Talking”. Document Dialog provides software and services to document-intensive organizations for planning, selection and implementation of batch and interactive document systems. As a consultant Roberto Nagel facilitates the dialogue between Marketing and IT. And in his role as the technical director of the international group of companies with offices in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany, he is responsible for the maintenance of Document Dialog’s portfolio of state-of-the-art products by leading software producers.

Walter Svoboda is Managing Director of Wüstenrot Datenservices GmbH and acts in this position as the CIO of Wüstenrot Insurance and Wüstenrot loan bank. Under his leadership Wüstenrot Datenservices successfully completed IT projects such as EURO changeover, Y2K, and "Wüstenrot paperless office". Before his current position, Walter Svoboda was the CEO of APROSOFT-GmbH. This company was a IBM-Businesspartner for document storage, document archival and workflow.

Dr. Taz Tally is a trainer and author renowned for his content-rich and entertaining teaching style. He has created numerous training videos and CDs and authored textbooks used throughout the industry. He also writes a regular prepress column for Photoshop User. Internationally regarded as a prepress guru, he has held seminars for more than 30,000 graphics professional, making him one of the industry's most popular presenters.

Urs is one of the founders and the CEO of Assentis Technologies AG. He is also responsible for product management and strategic alliances. Prior to his current position, Urs was the CEO of an e-Business service company in Central Europe. In addition he served as chairman of the board for the Central European distributors of Excelon Corp. (today Sonic Software), Datajunction (today Pervasive) and Kintana Inc. (today Mercury Interactive). Urs holds a federal diploma in economics and computer sciences.

B. Tommie Usdin is President of Mulberry Technologies, Inc., a consultancy specializing in XML and SGML. Ms. Usdin has been working with SGML since 1985 and has been a supporter of XML since 1996. She chairs IDEAlliance's Extreme Markup Language conferences and was co-editor of "Markup Languages: Theory & Practice" published by the MIT Press. Ms. Usdin has developed DTDs, Schemas, and XML/SGML application frameworks for applications in government and industry. Projects include reference materials in medicine, science, engineering, and law; semiconductor documentation; historical and archival materials. Distribution formats have included print books, magazines, and journals, and both web- and media-based electronic publications.

Steve Uzzell is one of the top advertising and corporate photographers in the country. He started in the photography business 31 years ago as the assistant to the editor of National Geographic and a member of their photographic staff. He now shoots for a roster of clients that includes airlines and automobile manufacturers, travel, shelter and fashion magazines, many of our United States and even some foreign countries. His work has garnered international acclaim and won numerous awards, including ten from Communication Arts. Along the way he has photographed two books, Maryland, and The View From Sterling Bluff and had editorial work published in over 50 publications.

Currently VP Professional Services of Assentis Technologies, Ralph is responsible for integration services, training, support and consulting. Before joining Assentis Technologies, he was the CTO of an international B2B startup in the reinsurance industry sector. Ralph looks back to a long career with Accenture as a manager in IT consulting and integration with a focus on financial services industry companies. He started his professional career 15 years ago as a free-lance programmer. Ralph holds a masters degree in computer science and economics from the University of Berne.

Chuck Weger is President of Elara Systems, a Fairfax, Virginia consulting firm that specializes in publishing technologies. More than a decade ago, he came up with the concept of "preflight" that changed graphic arts workflows forever. He has written for Macworld, MacUser, Publish!, Byte, and many other publications. He speaks regularly at conferences including Seybold Seminars, Macworld, GraphExpo, HDIA, and others. These days, he specializes in Mac OS X conversion and training.

Rudolf P. Weinmann is Chief XML Plumber at Assentis Technologies. In numerous projects since 1999 he has accumulated an in-depth practical knowledge of XML and accompanying standards and has shared his experience with over 2000 attendees of his XML trainings. Before that, he worked as software developer on IBM mainframes for more than ten years.

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Assentis is a leading software company based in Switzerland with sales offices in the United States and Europe. Assentis provides solutions for individualized business communication, fully based on open XML and J2EE standards. DocDesign is one of the first template editors that is repository based and allows companies to assemble a document template from common modules. End users can individualize business documents with Assentis DocWrite, a software module that allows users to enter free-text or structured data or select data from business applications. DocBase is a highly scalable rendering and post-processing server fully based on J2EE standards. Beside of DocFamily's product positioning and demonstration, this presentation also will talk about client stories and how Assentis addresses topics like seamless application integration for data acquisition, scalability for high performance and post processing.

RenderX provides standalone software products as well as server and desktop components that can be integrated into larger business solutions, all based on XEP - our original commercial engine. All of our products support content in multiple languages and any level of layout complexity. They arrange and format text, tables, graphics, and images to generate professional, typeset-quality print products and enhanced electronic products for distribution with advanced features such as interactive links, bookmarks and electronic security.

Suncorp is Australia's sixth largest bank and the fouth largest insurance group with assets of more than $48 billion and $12 billion funds under manangement. There are over 8600 staff nationally. The main buinesses are retail and business banking, general insurance, live insurance, superannuation and funds management with a focus on retail consumers and small to medium businesses. We have 4.2 million customers across Autsralia and strong market shares in most of our insurance business classes including home, motor and compulsory third party.

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