CHICAGO, Aug. 4, 2009 -- An epic software battle will be fought at Human Resource Executive(R) magazine's 12th Annual HR Technology(R) Conference & Exposition September 30 through October 2, 2009 at McCormick Place, Chicago.

During the Second Annual Talent Management Shootout, software giants SAP (NYSE: SAP) and Lawson (Nasdaq: LWSN) will take on smaller rivals Salary.com (Nasdaq: SLRY) and Plateau, which have long contended that their applications are functionally better and more integrated than the ERPs'. The Shootout will take place Thursday, October 1, 2009 from 4 to 5:15 p.m.

During the Shootout, attendees will view back-to-back custom software demonstrations required to solve a series of typical HR and business problems managers and employees face daily. The hundreds of senior HR practitioners expected to attend will vote electronically to decide the Shootout's winner. This will be the 13(th) Shootout during the conference's history, making it the signature event, and the second to focus specifically on Talent Management.

"This year's Shootout really is special," said HR Technology Conference Co-Chair Bill Kutik. "For years, the smaller Talent Management suite vendors have sold new customers based on their contention the ERPs' applications have less functionality and integration. Meanwhile, ERPs like SAP and Lawson have been furiously updating and integrating their applications to meet that challenge. Now everyone can find out who is right."

Industry experts Leighanne Levensaler, director of Talent Management Research for Bersin & Associates, and Kutik, also technology columnist for Human Resource Executive(R) magazine, have written the script for the competition. The Shootout script focuses on the functions of performance management, compensation, goal setting, career development and succession planning, and includes learning and recruiting. Together, these applications have become known as the Talent Management suite.

"The Shootouts have always been popular because nowhere else can HR professionals compare four software systems solving the exact same problems, back-to-back, providing the only comparative in-depth view of available solutions," continued Kutik. "The impact of the global economic crisis has caused most HR departments to tighten budgets, yet all recent surveys show they are still buying new software and services. Our Shootout provides conference attendees with months of research and the information needed to support buying decisions in only 75 minutes."

More information about the Human Resource Executive(R) magazine's 12th Annual HR Technology(R) Conference & Exposition and the Second Annual Talent Management Shootout is available at www.HRTechnologyConference.com.

About Lawson Software

Lawson Software provides software and service solutions to 4,500 customers in equipment service management and rental, fashion, food & beverage, healthcare, manufacturing & distribution, public sector (United States), service industries, and strategic human capital management across 40 countries. Lawson Software is a global provider of enterprise software, services and support to customers primarily in three sectors: services, trade and manufacturing/distribution. Lawson's solutions include Enterprise Performance Management, Human Capital Management, Supply Chain Management, Enterprise Resource Planning, Customer Relationship Management, Manufacturing Resource Planning, Enterprise Asset Management and industry-tailored applications. Lawson solutions assist customers in simplifying their businesses or organizations by helping them streamline processes, reduce costs and enhance business or operational performance. Lawson is headquartered in St. Paul, Minn., and has offices around the world. Visit Lawson online at www.lawson.com

About Plateau

Plateau led the charge in transforming corporate workforces in the mid-'90s with its award-winning learning management system (LMS) platform, which streamlined the management and delivery of learning and training across some of the world's most respected organizations, including General Electric, the American Red Cross and Capital One Services. Plateau expanded its LMS platform, and in early 2000 delivered the industry's first fully integrated, J2EE-based talent management platform, which allowed organizations to link learning and training with employee performance to ensure that employee goals aligned with corporate objectives. Today, organizations around the world rely on Plateau's software and solutions to drive innovation, facilitate collaboration and connect people in ways that support the organization's most critical business objectives. Customers and industry analysts continue to recognize Plateau as a customer satisfaction leader and for its continued leadership, vision and technology innovation. Plateau is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia and has offices across the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific. For more information, please visit www.Plateau.com.

About Salary.com, Inc.

Salary.com is a leading provider of on-demand compensation, payroll and talent management solutions helping businesses and individuals manage pay and performance. Salary.com's highly configurable software applications, proprietary data and consulting services help HR and compensation professionals automate, streamline and optimize critical talent management processes including: payroll, benefits, HR administration, market pricing, compensation planning, performance management, competency management, learning and development, and succession planning. Built with compensation and competency data at the core, Salary.com solutions provide businesses of all sizes with the most productive and cost-effective way to manage and inspire their most important asset -- their people. For more information, visit www.salary.com.

About SAP

SAP is the world's leading provider of business software (*), offering applications and services that enable companies of all sizes and in more than 25 industries to become best-run businesses. With more than 86,000 customers in over 120 countries, the company is listed on several exchanges, including the Frankfurt stock exchange and NYSE, under the symbol "SAP."

The SAP(R) BusinessObjects(TM) portfolio transforms the way the world works by connecting people, information and businesses. With open, heterogeneous solutions in the areas of business intelligence; information management; governance, risk and compliance; and enterprise performance management, the SAP BusinessObjects portfolio enables organizations to close the gap between business strategy and execution.

For more information, visit www.sap.com.

(*) SAP defines business software as comprising enterprise resource planning and related applications.

About the HR Technology(R) Conference

Called "the world's best conference on HR technology" by Dave Duffield, founder of Workday and PeopleSoft, the Human Resource Executive(R) magazine's 12th Annual HR Technology(R) Conference & Exposition makes the complete conference program available at www.HRTechnologyConference.com. A $300 discount is still available to registrants prior to September 18, 2009. The "team discount" provides for a 30 percent discount after the first two full-price registrations, making the event affordable for a company's entire Human Resources team to attend.

A limited number of press and analyst passes are available for this conference. To request a press pass, please contact Jeanne Achille, The Devon Group, 732-706-0123, ext. 11, or e-mail jeanne@devonpr.com.

SOURCE HRE Conferences