Pre-Conference Sessions for Tuesday, June 2     

U Connect 101

GS1 US offers U Connect 101, a pre-conference seminar series, on Tuesday, June 2nd. This day-long seminar includes tracks for Barcodes, B2B Automation, Collaborative Commerce, Electronic Commerce, Electronic Product Code/Radio Frequency Identification (EPC/RFID) and Global Data Synchronization (GDS). These sessions offer the perfect foundation to U Connect 09 for those new to supply chain management using the GS1 System.

You may register for the pre-conference sessions alone by selecting 'U Connect 101 Only' or you may combine it with your conference registration by selecting 'U Connect Conference + U Connect 101' resulting in an additional discount. You will be asked to select a track when you register. Please select the track that you are most interested in and plan to attend the sessions with that track so we can ensure there are enough materials for all registered attendees.  To view the session times, descriptions and tracks all together, click here.

To jump to a particular Track, click the Track name shown below:

• GS1 ID Numbers and Barcode Fundamentals
• Data Synchronization – Adoption
• EPC Compliance and Benefits Essentials
• E-Commerce Fundamentals
• Data Synchronization – Implementation
• B2B Business Process Automation
• Open to all U Connect 101 attendees

8:00 AM - 8:30 AM		P1 Pre-Conference Opening Session for U Connect 101 This session will serve as a welcome to U Connect 101 attendees and will provide a brief overview of all pre-conference sessions. This will be your opportunity to ask any questions about the agenda prior to the start of your busy Tuesday. Speaker: Joe Zenobio, GS1 US, Inc.
GS1 ID Numbers and Barcode Fundamentals Track
9:00 AM - 9:30 AM		P2 Introduction to Global Location Number (GLN) The concept and practice of managing location information is important for e-commerce applications, supply chain management, and data synchronization. GS1 standards are used not only to identify products, but also to efficiently identify locations and organizations in the supply chain. Get an overview of GLNs, including benefits and real world implementations. Speaker: Al Garton, GS1 US, Inc.
9:45 AM - 11:00 AM		P3 Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) 101 The identification of products with Global Trade Item Numbers (GTINs) is the most fundamental concept within the GS1 System. There is more to understanding the GTIN than the U.P.C. This "get the basics" session is a must for all those involved in bar coding and electronic commerce. Topics covered will include: What is a GTIN? Is every U.P.C. a GTIN? What is a GS1 Company Prefix? How are GTINs constructed? What barcodes can contain GTINs? How are GTINs identified in electronic commerce? How are GTINs stored in databases? Speakers: Al Garton, GS1 US, Inc. Speakers: John Poss, Ace Hardware Corporation
11:15 AM - 12:15 PM		P4 Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) 201 Now that you have attended GTIN 101, it's time to enhance your knowledge about the Global Trade Item Number (GTIN). Join us as we explore details about GTINs in GS1 barcodes, barcode quality and numbers that act and feel like GTINs, but are not. Speaker: Al Garton, GS1 US, Inc.
1:15 PM - 2:15 PM		P5 GTIN Allocation Rules - Real Challenges in Today's Economy The GTIN Allocation Rules explain when a change in a product means a change in the product's Global Trade Item Number (GTIN). Join us to hear about the tools that take the guesswork out of GTIN management decisions and improve your success in synchronizing data. We'll teach you about the underlying principles of the GTIN Allocation Rules and show you how to use a decision grid. Don't miss this opportunity to learn how to make critical GTIN Allocation Rules decisions and to ask your questions. Speaker: Beckey James, McLane Company
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM		P6 Fundamentals of the Serial Shipping Container Code (SSCC) The SSCC is used on pallets, cases, and cartons to enable increased efficiency in logistics. Join us to learn about the current application standards, terminology, barcode symbology, various segments of the number, relationship to the GTIN®, examples of the most common shipping labels, and how SSCC's work in conjunction with the Advance Ship Notice (ASN) and e-commerce messages, such as the EDI 856 transaction. Real-world examples highlighting the benefits of the SSCC will be featured. Speaker: Joe Spreitzer, Target
3:45 PM - 4:45 PM		P27 Produce Traceability The Produce Traceability Initiative, sponsored by United Fresh Produce Association , Canadian Produce Marketing Association, and the Produce Marketing Association is designed to help the industry maximize the effectiveness of current traceback procedures, while developing a standardized industry approach using the GS1 System to enhance the speed and efficiency of traceability systems for the future. This is an opportunity to hear PTI ‘s bold vision for a course of action to achieve supply chain-wide adoption of electronic traceability of every case of produce by the year 2012. Speaker: Dan Vache, United Fresh Produce Association
Data Synchronization - Adoption Track                                             Back to Top
9:00 AM - 9:30 AM		P2 Introduction to Global Location Number (GLN) The concept and practice of managing location information is important for e-commerce applications, supply chain management, and data synchronization. GS1 standards are used not only to identify products, but also to efficiently identify locations and organizations in the supply chain. Get an overview of GLNs, including benefits and real world implementations. Speaker: Al Garton, GS1 US, Inc.
9:45 AM - 11:00 AM		P3 Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) 101 The identification of products with Global Trade Item Numbers (GTINs) is the most fundamental concept within the GS1 System. There is more to understanding the GTIN than the U.P.C. This "get the basics" session is a must for all those involved in bar coding and electronic commerce. Topics covered will include: What is a GTIN? Is every U.P.C. a GTIN? What is a GS1 Company Prefix? How are GTINs constructed? What barcodes can contain GTINs? How are GTINs identified in electronic commerce? How are GTINs stored in databases? Speakers: Al Garton, GS1 US, Inc. Speakers: John Poss, Ace Hardware Corporation
11:15 AM - 12:15 PM		P8 Getting Started with Data Synchronization and Implementation Options Come to this session for an overview of the Global Data Synchronization Network (GDSN ) and the benefits of using data synchronization in your supply chain. You will learn about the available options for utilizing 1SYNC data pool services and where you can go for assistance with your implementation. This session includes a walk through of the on-boarding process for a successful data synchronization implementation for businesses of all sizes. Speakers: Ruben Castano, GS1 US, Inc. Speakers: Raquel Pittman, GS1 US, Inc.
1:15 PM - 2:15 PM		P9 Global Data Synchronization Network (GDSN) Attributes This presentation provides an overview of the attributes required for successfully synchronizing with the GDSN. We will walk you through the attributes and their definitions, as well as review key terminology for data synchronization. We strongly encourage you to attend the preceding session for the Data Sync Implementation/adoption tracks as this session builds off of the content in the previous sessions. Speaker: Deborah Rea-Erickson, GS1 US, Inc.
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM		P10 Steps to Synchronize Data with Retailers via the GDSN During this session you will hear from retailers currently accepting supplier information via the GDSN and the steps necessary to comply with these retailer requests. This will help any supplier understand how to increase the business value of data synchronization by connecting to multiple retailers. Retailers include: Lowe’s Companies, Inc., McLane Company, SUPERVALU, Inc., Wakefern, Wegmans Food Markets. The session will conclude with a question & answer session with the retailers.
		Retailer Panel:				Michael Durning, Wakefern Food Corporation Bruce Hawkins, Wal-Mart Beckey James, McLane Company Bryan Samples, Lowe’s Companies, Inc. Sean Shaw, Army & Air Force Exchange Services (AAFES) Kathleen Welch, Wegmans, Inc. Greg Zwanziger, SUPERVALU, Inc.
3:45 PM - 4:45 PM		P7 Open Mic Session, Q&A with Presenters Come to this open mic session to ask questions about the concepts covered in the Data Synchronization Adoption or Implementation tracks. You’ll have the opportunity to hear other attendee’s questions and best practices as well as ask questions about your own implementation. Most presenters from the data synchronization tracks will be available.
		Panel:				Ruben Castano, GS1 US, Inc. Deborah Rea-Erickson, GS1 US, Inc. Donna Yeksigian, GS1 US, Inc. Raquel Pittman, GS1 US, Inc.
EPC Compliance and Benefits Essentials Track                                  Back to Top
9:00 AM - 9:30 AM		P2 Introduction to Global Location Number (GLN) The concept and practice of managing location information is important for e-commerce applications, supply chain management, and data synchronization. GS1 standards are used not only to identify products, but also to efficiently identify locations and organizations in the supply chain. Get an overview of GLNs, including benefits and real world implementations. Speaker: Al Garton, GS1 US, Inc.
9:45 AM - 11:00 AM		P3 Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) 101 The identification of products with Global Trade Item Numbers (GTINs) is the most fundamental concept within the GS1 System. There is more to understanding the GTIN than the U.P.C. This "get the basics" session is a must for all those involved in bar coding and electronic commerce. Topics covered will include: What is a GTIN? Is every U.P.C. a GTIN? What is a GS1 Company Prefix? How are GTINs constructed? What barcodes can contain GTINs? How are GTINs identified in electronic commerce? How are GTINs stored in databases? Speakers: Al Garton, GS1 US, Inc. Speakers: John Poss, Ace Hardware Corporation
11:15 AM - 12:15 PM		P11 Your EPC Compliance Checklist You've been asked to lead your company's EPC/RFID implementation --now what? This session will guide you through the steps you'll need to take to become EPC-compliant. You'll learn what questions to ask your retailer partner to make sure you understand their requirements for case and pallet RFID tagging, as well as how to organize your internal RFID team and your tagging project to guarantee success. You'll also learn what you need to ask potential hardware, software and integration partners to ensure you're properly equipped to meet your retailer partner's requirements. Speaker: Sue Hutchinson, GS1 US, Inc.
1:15 PM - 2:15 PM		P12 EPC and RFID Technology: The Building Blocks of EPC EPC, RFID, EPC IS, and the EPCglobal Network® -- what do they all mean and how do they all work together? Get an overview of the technology currently available and the impact of EPCglobal standards on the technology being developed. Learn how to use the global standards to transform your supply chain. Speakers: Sue Hutchinson, GS1 US, Inc. Speakers: Michele Southall, GS1 US, Inc.
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM		P13 Moving Beyond Slap-and-Ship Once you are able to encode tags, associate them with the proper product and place each EPC/RFID label in a suitable location, you will be in position to meet tagging requirements. The next step beyond slapping tags on cases and shipping them to your customer is to integrate EPC/RFID and real-time product visibility information into your back-end system so you can manage tagged inventory seamlessly, thereby reducing costs and improving efficiency. We'll show you what middleware you'll need, and how to manage the integration. Speaker: Michele Southall, GS1 US, Inc.
3:45 PM - 4:45 PM		P14 Standards Driven Value for Your Enterprise What are standards? How are they developed? Why are they important? Hear how multiple industries are converging thanks to new standards developed for Electronic Product Code/Radio Frequency Identification (EPC/RFID) technology. Learn about recently ratified standards and how these standards and the technology developed around them are built based on end-user requirements defined in EPCglobal's Action Groups. Speaker: Michele Southall, GS1 US, Inc.
E-Commerce Fundamentals Track                                                   Back to Top
9:00 AM - 9:30 AM		P2 Introduction to Global Location Number (GLN) The concept and practice of managing location information is important for e-commerce applications, supply chain management, and data synchronization. GS1 standards are used not only to identify products, but also to efficiently identify locations and organizations in the supply chain. Get an overview of GLNs, including benefits and real world implementations. Speaker: Al Garton, GS1 US, Inc.
9:45 AM - 11:00 AM		P3 Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) 101 The identification of products with Global Trade Item Numbers (GTINs) is the most fundamental concept within the GS1 System. There is more to understanding the GTIN than the U.P.C. This "get the basics" session is a must for all those involved in bar coding and electronic commerce. Topics covered will include: What is a GTIN? Is every U.P.C. a GTIN? What is a GS1 Company Prefix? How are GTINs constructed? What barcodes can contain GTINs? How are GTINs identified in electronic commerce? How are GTINs stored in databases? Speakers: Al Garton, GS1 US, Inc. Speakers: John Poss, Ace Hardware Corporation
11:15 AM - 12:15 PM		P15 Extensible Markup Language (XML) 101 New to XML? This session will provide you with a basic understanding of Extensible Markup Language, the language chosen by GS1 for the new business message standards. Among the topics covered will be XML's origin, document structure, tags, attributes, simple and complex elements, valid and well-formed documents, Document Type Definition (DTD), schemas, parsers and namespaces. Speaker: Hussam El-Leithy, GS1 US, Inc.
1:15 PM - 2:15 PM		P16 Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) 101 Join us for an introduction to EDI, the computer-to-computer transmission of purchase orders, invoices, and other business information used in e-commerce. We will review the benefits of establishing an EDI program, the internal business issues that need to be addressed, the trade party relationship issues that will be impacted, and the technology requirements essential to establishing an EDI program. Speaker: Steve Rosenberg, GS1 US, Inc.
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM		P17 Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) 201 This session will provide a technical introduction to Electronic Data Interchange by reviewing the building blocks of the EDI language. The following topics will be covered: transaction set, segment, data element, code values, looping, and data requirement designations. Speaker: Steve Rosenberg, GS1 US, Inc.
3:45 PM - 4:45 PM		P18 Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) 202 Come and practice your newly learned knowledge about Electronic Data Interchange! This session will include two exercises: one will focus on converting a paper business document to EDI; the other will take an EDI transaction and convert it to business information. Speaker: Steve Rosenberg, GS1 US, Inc.
Data Synchronization - Implementation Track                                         Back to Top
8:40 AM - 9:30 AM		P19 Data Synchronization Overview and Message Management Gain a better understanding of the Global Data Synchronization Network® (GDSN®) messaging terms and what a data source and data recipient are responsible for managing. We will review the publication subscription process and discuss best practices for data synchronization. We strongly encourage you to attend the preceding session for the Data Sync Implementation track as this session builds off of the content in the previous session. Speaker: Deborah Rea-Erickson, GS1 US, Inc.
9:45 AM - 11:00 AM		P3 Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) 101 The identification of products with Global Trade Item Numbers (GTINs) is the most fundamental concept within the GS1 System. There is more to understanding the GTIN than the U.P.C. This "get the basics" session is a must for all those involved in bar coding and electronic commerce. Topics covered will include: What is a GTIN? Is every U.P.C. a GTIN? What is a GS1 Company Prefix? How are GTINs constructed? What barcodes can contain GTINs? How are GTINs identified in electronic commerce? How are GTINs stored in databases? Speakers: Al Garton, GS1 US, Inc. Speakers: John Poss, Ace Hardware Corporation
11:15 AM - 12:15 PM		P20 Item Hierarchy and Packaging Configuration Overview Learn about synchronizing item hierarchies in the GDSN. We will discuss simple packaging configurations to more complex assortments and mixed configurations. We strongly encourage you to attend the preceding session for the Data Sync Implementation track as this session builds off of the content in the previous session. Speaker: Donna Yeksigian, GS1 US, Inc.
1:15 PM - 2:15 PM		P9 Global Data Synchronization Network (GDSN) Attributes This presentation provides an overview of the attributes required for successfully synchronizing with the GDSN. We will walk you through the attributes and their definitions, as well as review key terminology for data synchronization. We strongly encourage you to attend the preceding session for the Data Sync Implementation/adoption tracks as this session builds off of the content in the previous sessions. Speaker: Deborah Rea-Erickson, GS1 US, Inc.
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM		P10 Steps to Synchronize Data with Retailers via the GDSN During this session you will hear from retailers currently accepting supplier information via the GDSN and the steps necessary to comply with these retailer requests. This will help any supplier understand how to increase the business value of data synchronization by connecting to multiple retailers. Retailers include: Lowe’s Companies, Inc., McLane Company, SUPERVALU, Inc., Wakefern, Wegmans Food Markets. The session will conclude with a question & answer session with the retailers.
		Retailer Panel:				Michael Durning, Wakefern Food Corporation Bruce Hawkins, Wal-Mart Beckey James, McLane Company Bryan Samples, Lowe’s Companies, Inc. Sean Shaw, Army & Air Force Exchange Services (AAFES) Kathleen Welch, Wegmans, Inc. Greg Zwanziger, SUPERVALU, Inc.
3:45 PM - 4:45 PM		P7 Open Mic Session, Q&A with Presenters Come to this open mic session to ask questions about the concepts covered in the Data Synchronization Adoption or Implementation tracks. You’ll have the opportunity to hear other attendee’s questions and best practices as well as ask questions about your own implementation. Most presenters from the data synchronization tracks will be available.
		Panel:				Ruben Castano, GS1 US, Inc. Deborah Rea-Erickson, GS1 US, Inc. Donna Yeksigian, GS1 US, Inc. Raquel Pittman, GS1 US, Inc.
B2B Business Process Automation Track                                                  Back to Top
8:40 AM - 9:30 AM		P21 Introduction to RosettaNet Learn the basics of RosettaNet, including the history, current members, mission, technologies, value-add and future plans. Find out how to be a part of the RosettaNet initiative. Speaker: Debra Praznik, GS1 US, Inc.
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM		P22 Getting Started with RosettaNet Discover successful approaches to RosettaNet Program development, how to define your company’s RosettaNet Initiative objectives and how to design an Evangelization Plan, incorporating key Change Management strategy. Speaker: Debra Praznik, GS1 US, Inc
11:15 PM - 12:15 PM		P23 RosettaNet Best Practices Understand how leaders in the RosettaNet community effectively create real value in their supply chain. Examples of effective results include:   • Work in Progress: Save Money   • Design Win: Greater Efficiency   • Collaborative Forecasting: Improved Quality   • Order to Cash: Speed of Implementation Speaker: Pamela Webber, Cisco
1:15 PM - 2:15 PM		P24 GS1 Standards & RosettaNet A major key to RosettaNet’s success is leveraging existing codes within the standard. Of particular interest are GTINs, GLN and UNSPSC which are fully supported preferred codes within all RosettaNet XML. Speaker: Hussam El-Leithy, GS1 US, Inc.
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM		P25 Affordable RosettaNet Implementations: Reusing existing infrastructures Hear from major solution providers how by using messaging services such as AS2 and Web Services you can implement the RosettaNet Standard effectively and economically. Speaker: Hussam El-Leithy, GS1 US, Inc..
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The Exhibit Hall is open from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM, with a Welcome Reception beginning at 5:00 PM