We're proud to welcome aboard new AeA Member Wells Fargo Bank.

Sales & Marketing Roundtable: What Your Competition Knows and You Don’t About Marketing
Join us for the next Sales & Marketing Roundtable Tuesday, July 8, 2008, at Printronix, 14600 Myford Rd, Irvine, CA, 92606-1005, 8a.m. - 10a.m., and tap into a network of peer leaders to learn the secret strategies and techniques other technology companies are using today. RSVP by noon on Monday, July 7 to Alan Wald at Alan_Wald@aeanet.org, (949) 450-1500 x104, or click here to register online today! Space is limited to 20 registrants.

Accelerate the Knowledge Curve: If one word could define marketing at today’s technology companies, accelerate aptly applies. Senior sales and marketing executives are under more pressure than ever before to execute, with higher expectations for returns and fewer resources to swiftly handle it all. It’s no wonder that you question whether your competition knows something you don’t about sales and marketing in this pressure-cooker environment. You’re invited to find out. Join other sales and marketing executives for breakfast on Tuesday, July 8, at the AeA Sales & Marketing Roundtable.

What to Expect:
No sales pitch. No agenda. No talking heads.

Simply fresh knowledge you could apply immediately, shared by senior professionals like you who are working in the trenches.

• Expect answers, insights and connections
• You’ll hear straight talk — in an uncensored forum — about the marketing issues, trends and practices shaping technology companies.
• You’ll get practical answers from leaders just like you who are responsible for introducing products, building sales channels, creating demand and navigating today’s shifting mediasphere.
• You know it will have real value because you’ll be sharing your true insight with your peers.

This roundtable will be a revealing discussion with the influential senior sales and marketing executives who are leading technology companies in Orange County and the Inland Empire. Together, we will tackle your most vexing issues and share our best-kept secrets for success in a rapid-fire exchange.

Expected topics will cover:

• Which sales techniques are yielding the highest productivity and profitability
• Who is advancing from current trends in marketing media
• How consumer generated media is influencing buying decisions – and why B2B technology companies can’t afford to overlook social media
• Why PR is more important than ever
• What you can do to drive outstanding results from your organization
• Plus your most-important questions and answers

Come prepared to share two of your best marketing ideas and ask one question to challenge your colleagues. We’ll also want to know what program topics and speakers you want AeA to host as part of our commitment to your professional development...Register Today!

AeA member Pipeline Software Inc., the SAP Integration Experts™, recently announced immediate availability of technical support for companies using Impress Software's SAP-Primavera integration software.

Discover the secret to targeting government contracts

Did you know we have access to an expansive database that takes the pain out of searching for government contract opportunities?  Onvia provides businesses the ability to access, manage and optimize government opportunities and helps government agencies find suppliers online.

Each month, Onvia tracks more than 50,000 government bids, RFPs, and actionable sales opportunities across 55,500 federal, state, local and education purchasing offices. Your company can receive 10% discounted rates for AeA member company Onvia's services. If there is someone you would like to connect with, or for additional information, contact Alan Wald today at 949-450-1500 x104. 

Orange County Tech Industry Adds 1,300 Jobs

AeA, the nation’s largest technology trade association representing all segments of the high-tech industry, released Cybercities 2008: An Overview of the High-Technology Industry in the Nation's Top 60 Cities. This detailed report tracks trends in high-tech employment, wages, establishments, payroll, employment concentration, and wage differential at the metropolitan level.

Orange County’s high-tech industry added 1,300 net jobs for an industry total of 100,900 jobs in 2006, according to the most current metropolitan data available. The average high-tech wage was $81,900, 68 percent higher then the average private sector wage.

Computer systems design and related services was the largest tech sector in Orange County, employing 16,900 in 2006. However, defense electronics manufacturing also stood out, as Orange County ranked second in the nation by employment in this sector, with 9,400 jobs in 2006...Learn more about high-tech employment in Orange County, and Riverside-San Bernadino. 

Get Connected Today With AeA Membership!

As a member of AeA/OC expand your network, knowledge, and bottom line. Members benefit most as active participants within the organization, sitting on committees and participating in roundtables to share problems and solutions to industry issues in the depth that you require. Our roundtables are peer-to-peer based and provides for unique information to be exchanged between AeA Member companies. Our format also provides unique benchmarking with your peers, opportunities to trade thoughts and evaluations of policies and procedures with similar companies in scope and size, connections to valuable outside resources (investors, policy makers, access to millions in California state business), and strategic partnership opportunities, which often arise through developing a clearer understanding of capabilities and philosophies of peer companies.

AeA/OC Committees/Roundtables Include: Chief Financial Officer Roundtable, Executive Committee, Government Affairs Committee, HR Roundtable, International Committee, Medical Technology Committee, Membership Committee, Operations Committee, Marketing Committee, and Software & Technology Committee. Each group brings something uniquely differing to the organization, making it a dynamic peer-to-peer knowledge base of resources. AeA is where lasting partnerships are developed and some of the most hard-to-get people become a speed dial away.

An example of membership benefit: Because AeA has an incredibly active government affairs component, you are in a highly influential position as a member--especially when it comes to addressing policies and influencing laws that directly affect your business. Ask any politician, a body of voices is more likely to get heard versus one that stands alone.