HELP DESK INSTITUTE ANNOUNCES FIRST EVENT IN ITS NEW ESSENTIAL INSIGHT SYMPOSIUM SERIES (email this article)

Colorado Springs, Colo. -- November 17, 2003 -- Help Desk Institute (HDI) (Company Profile, Past Stories, Case Studies) , the global leader for the support industry and the world's largest membership association for service and support professionals, today announced the first event in its new Essential Insight Symposium Series, "Sourcing for the Support Center." Designed for service and support managers and directors, this event will address the exploding and continually evolving topic of sourcing by exploring every available strategy -- insourcing, outsourcing, co-sourcing, and sourcing to leverage existing resources. It is scheduled for February 2-4, 2004, at the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs, Colo.

HDI's Essential Insight Symposium Series was developed to provide extensive education, a range of perspectives, and an interactive community experience to support and service managers on specific topics and trends. In turn, HDI will provide quintessential insights from each Symposium to HDI membership in continuing efforts to provide its membership with increased knowledge and understanding into the issues and important objectives for the industry.

This unique, two-day event presents attendees with a combination of one-on-one time with speakers, case studies, panel discussions, and presentations by industry leaders and expert practitioners. Attendees will learn how to research sourcing strategies, strengthen their existing sourcing relationships, and explore the scope of current sourcing practices. In addition, they will receive a planning template they can fill out while at the show in order to help them make better decisions when they return to their place of work. Michael F. Corbett, a sourcing industry expert, will present the keynote address.

"Our new Essential Insight Symposiums reach out directly to the people most impacted by the changing roles and responsibilities of the support center: the managers," commented Ron Muns. "We chose as our first topic the very timely issue of sourcing. In this symposium we endeavor to educate managers on the variety of options available and the ramifications of those choices, so they can better prepare their companies for moving towards new strategies. As a leader in technical support conferences and the largest membership association for service and support professionals, HDI is uniquely positioned to provide such education."

For more information about the Essential Insight Symposium Series and the "Sourcing for the Support Center" event, visit http://www.thinkhdi.com/sourcing2004.

For media and analyst registration, contact Jennifer McClure of A.M.P. Communications at (510) 796-1475, or email jenm@ampcomm.com. ABOUT HELP DESK INSTITUTE (HDI) Help Desk Institute (HDI) the global leader for the support industry and world's largest membership association for service and support professionals. Founded in 1989, HDI's mission is to lead and promote the customer service and technical support industry by empowering its members through access to timely and valuable industry information, including reports and publications; encouraging member collaboration through events and online forums; and establishing internationally recognized, standards-based industry certification and training programs. In addition to membership, certification, and training, HDI produces the highest-rated industry event, the HDI Annual Conference and Expo, for customer service and technical support professionals. HDI is member-focused, and remains vendor-neutral in its efforts to facilitate open, independent networking and information sharing within the association network. HDI has more than 7,500 members worldwide, (including 90% of the Fortune 500), and more than 50 active U.S. chapters. For more information, visit, http://www.thinkhdi.com.

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