First-Ever HRO Summit by Buyers, for Buyers Launched

WASHINGTON, DC--(Marketwire - August 27, 2008) - The Human Resources Outsourcing Association (HROA) in conjunction with its Large Market Buyers' Group and Mid-Market Buyers' Group, today announced details of the inaugural HRO Summit. The event will be held on October 21-23, 2008 at the Saddlebrook Resort in Tampa, Florida.

The HRO Summit will be the industry's leading event bringing together the most experienced HR practitioners and thought leaders to debate and discuss the latest trends and directions in large and middle market HR outsourcing and transformation. HRO Summit is the world's only event that focuses exclusively on the practical needs of HR practitioners in multi-process HRO relationships. This premier event was designed by the buying community expressly for HRO buyers, especially those researching a buying decision for 2009 and senior executives actively engaged in managing, providing and sourcing HR services transforming the HR function and operations. Attendees will gain insight on the business and economic fluctuations, the transformation that HRO delivers, and the hard issues and tough decisions HR practitioners have to make every day.

An esteemed advisory council, consisting of prominent forward-thinking HR executives in HRO, played an integral role in developing the conference program. Designed from the ground-up by practitioners, for practitioners, Chairman of the HROA, Ernie Lareau of DuPont, Co-Chairs LeAnne Andersen of Best Buy and Chairwoman of the HROA Large Market Buyers Group and Lisa Knutson of Scripps and Chairwoman of HROA Mid-Market have led the program design.

Ernie Lareau, director HR Shared Services for DuPont, commented, "Along with my buyer colleagues, I've had a direct hand in selecting the topics and speakers for this year's HRO Summit. We designed the program based on our actual experience of managing complex HRO relationships. As Chairman of the HROA and a Buyer of HRO services, I believe you will find the topics and discussion extremely valuable in your quest for excellence in HRO."

The three-day event will feature buyers-only sessions on managing contractual relationships, measuring satisfaction, and identifying best practices. Towers Perrin will present the results of its latest survey on HRO buyer satisfaction during a roundtable discussion. HROA will present results of its ongoing mid-market research, as contrasted against the large market, during a roundtable discussion.

Keynote discussions will include "The U.S. Presidential Elections, Free Trade, & Outsourcing," presented by The Center for Trade Policy Studies, Cato Institute Director, Dan Griswold and "Talent Management: The Next Frontier in HRO," presented by SAP's Dr. Christian Baader. Other highlights include multiple roundtable discussions on the "Emerging Middle Market," "Rejuvenation: Breathing Life into New & Existing HRO Relationships," another entitled "Building the Business Case with Metrics, and yet another on "Good Governance." The Summit will also include case studies featuring Accenture, the State of Florida, Convergys, Veyance, EquaTerra, and Hewitt.

The complete conference program is available at http://www.hrosummits.com/home.asp.

About the HROA

The HROA is the definitive independent organization for all those who purchase, provide, or participate in HR transformation and outsourcing. The mission of the European Chapter is to educate, promote research, publish, recognize, and provide networking opportunities to foster professionalism in HR transformation and HR outsourcing across Europe. Its membership encompasses over 7,500 HR executives, including the largest 50 buyers, the top 30 providers, the leading sourcing advisors and attorneys, and the best thought leaders in HR Transformation. The HROA brings its diverse membership together to set standards and practices, provide peer networking, and maintain a robust curriculum.

For information about the HROA, visit www.hroa.org.