The 9th Annual eTail conference will take place in Boston in August. This year's theme is "Expert Strategies for Delivering a Branded, Personalized & Profitable Multi-Channel Experience." The conference organizers will also sponsor the First Annual eTail Awards Ceremony.

Speakers will present concrete results and expert analysis of current and future projects that are shaping the ecommerce landscape. Presenters include executives from leading multi-channel retailers, pure plays and manufacturers, including Gap, Lands' End, Best Buy, Crutchfield and Ritz Interactive. Lorna Borenstein, Vice President and General Manager of eBay Fashion, will give a presentation entitled, "Maintaining An Effective Balance Between Direct Marketing Science And Entrepreneurial Skill Within Your E-Commerce Retail Organization."

eTail's awards are new this year and were established to honor, recognize and promote true best practices in Multi-Channel Retailing. The awards will honor Internet retailers in six categories: CRM, Search Optimization, Email Marketing, Web Analytics, Fulfillment and Visualization. Awards will be announced and given to the 2003 winners at the Awards Dinner Banquet held on August 12, 2003, at the Fairmont Copley Plaza, Boston, MA. The deadline for Internet retail companies to submit entries for the award is June 12.

The pre-conference day on August 11 will focus on Customer Relationship Marketing, and the post-conference event on August 14 will focus on Search Optimization. Register on the eTail 2003 Web site.

http://www.etail2003.com