Sage Software Announces Sage Summit Keynote Details, Featured Speakers

IRVINE, CA--(Marketwire - September 30, 2008) - Sage Software announced today details of its keynote and featured speakers for Sage Summit, the company's annual customer conference, taking place November 17-20, 2008 in Denver. This 4-day event offers the opportunity for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) who are users of Sage Software solutions to network, gain insight to better utilize their software and services, and learn about the latest industry and business trends affecting their organizations.

Sage Summit will present a joint keynote on Tuesday, November 18th starting at 1:30 p.m. (MST) featuring Nina Smith, Sage Software president, Business Management Division (BMD), and Doug Meyer, Sage Software president, Industry & Specialized Solutions Division (ISSD), who have been chosen as two of the "Top 100 Most Influential People" in the accounting industry for 2008 by Accounting Today magazine, plus; special guest Bruce Jenner, the 1976 Olympic decathlon gold medal winner and a successful business entrepreneur.

Winners of the inaugural Sage Customer Awards Program will also be honored as part of the keynote during a special awards ceremony, which is sponsored by HP®. The winners will be based on nominations previously made by Sage Software Business Partners, Certified Consultants, Sage Software Accountants Network members, and Sage Software customers themselves. 13 winners in seven categories will be honored, including: Best Innovation, Rookie of the Year, Best End-to-End Deployment, Best Use of Customization, Community Stewardship, Best Use of Multiple Sage Software Products/Services, and a Lifetime Achievement Award. All of the winners are being chosen by an independent panel of judges, including Denis Pombriant, founder and managing principal of Beagle Research, Paul Clolery, vice president, editorial director, and editor-in-chief of The NonProfit Times, and Ramon Ray, editor of SmallBizTechnology.com, and a contributing editor for New York Enterprise Report.

Bruce Jenner earned the title "World's Greatest Athlete" with his record-shattering performance at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, Canada, winning the gold medal in the decathlon. His keynote theme, "Finding the Champion Within and Competing Successfully in Life and Business," will be highly relevant and inspirational to Summit attendees. Jenner's energy translates easily into his presentations and audiences are visibly moved by his story. Jenner relates well to business professionals because he's 'been there' himself. With humor and motivation, Jenner will outline for Summit attendees how he won the decathlon at the Olympics, and how that dedication and perseverance continues to work for him in the business world as a successful entrepreneur and president of Jenner Communications, located in Calabasas, CA.

Additional featured speakers at Sage Summit include Alexandra DeFelice, associate editor of Accounting Technology magazine; Paul Clolery, vice president and editorial director of The NonProfit Times; Rusty Burwell, vice president of data and technology for the American Lung Association; Holly Ross, executive director for the Nonprofit Technology Network (NTEN); Sharon Burns, chief information officer for The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, and; James Medlock, CPP, director of education and training for the American Payroll Association (APA).

Alexandra DeFelice, associate editor of Accounting Technology, will host a session discussing issues and challenges of business succession planning. DeFelice will share her insight on successful strategies for planning for the future, based on her interviews with several companies that shed light on what's working in today's generational blend of soon-to-retire Baby Boomers, and future business leading Gen-X'ers and Gen Y'ers.

Paul Clolery, vice president and editorial director of The NonProfit Times, will lead a panel discussion on trends in the nonprofit technology industry, featuring nonprofit industry experts. Clolery, along with panelists Rusty Burwell, vice president of data and technology for the American Lung Association, Holly Ross, executive director for NTEN, and Sharon Burns, chief information officer for The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, will share their tips and lessons learned for running a successful nonprofit organization.

James Medlock, CPP, director of education and training for the American Payroll Association, will present an interactive session to examine payroll technology best practices, and another session on the Internal Revenue Service's rules and regulations regarding company fringe benefits, examining Internal Revenue Code Section 132 - Nontaxable Fringe Benefits, plus the taxation and reporting requirements of other popular company-provided fringe benefits.

More details on the keynote speakers are available at the Sage Summit web site, http://www.sagesummit.com/agenda/keyspeaker/index.cfm.

Sage Summit 2008 kicks off on Monday, November 17th with a Fun Run/Walk at 8:00 a.m. (MST), led by Bruce Jenner.

Sage Summit is where Sage Software customers connect, offering a peer-to-peer experience where they can discover new ideas, concepts, skills, strategies, and the latest solutions to help their business from Sage Software. This year's conference offers expanded session content and more ways than ever for customers to network with peers and product experts.

Open to the nearly 2.9 million small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) in the U.S. and Canada who use Sage Software products and services, Sage Summit expects over 2,500 attendees. Registration information is available at www.sagesummit.com. Standard registration for the full 4-day conference is available now through November 7th for $995 (USD).

About Sage Software

Sage Software supports the needs, challenges and dreams of nearly 2.9 million small and medium-sized business customers in North America through easy-to-use, scalable and customizable software and services. Our products support accounting, operations, customer relationship management, human resources, time tracking, merchant services and the specialized needs of the construction, distribution, healthcare, manufacturing, nonprofit and real estate industries. Sage Software is a subsidiary of The Sage Group plc, a leading global supplier of business management software and services to small and medium-sized businesses. Formed in 1981, Sage was floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1989. Sage Group now has 5.7 million customers and employs over 14,800 people worldwide. For more information, please visit the web site at www.sagesoftware.com or call (866) 308-2378.

© 2008 Sage Software. All rights reserved. The Sage Software logo and the Sage Software product and service names mentioned herein are registered trademarks or trademarks of Sage Software or its affiliated entities.

Contact Information: Media Contact: Mark Priscaro Director, Public Relations Sage Software (925) 931-7048 mark.priscaro@sage.com