PORTSMOUTH, N.H. � JUNE 18, 2003 � Newmarket International Inc. � the makers of DelphiTM and other leading group, sales, marketing, catering and banquet solutions � for the third time in three years has won a coveted Microsoft® Retail Application Developer (RAD) Award, this time for Best Use of .NET Technologies.
Newmarket International won the 2003 Microsoft® RAD Award for the development of its NetXchange^TM I-Server � a unique systems integration platform providing enterprise-wide data snapshots by connecting best-of-breed technologies. 

�This RAD Award stems in large part from several proof-of-concept applications in which our I-Server has successfully served as the connectivity bridge between best-of-breed solutions � cost-effectively placing existing technology systems and all of their users on the same page in real-time,� said Sean O�Neill, President & CEO of Portsmouth-based Newmarket International. �Our NetXchange I-Server leverages next-generation Xtensive Markup Language (XML) integration technology, empowering hotel professionals to seamlessly and completely marry existing systems, data and people across an entire global enterprise as well as individual departments within a single property.�

O�Neill said years of development and expansion, followed by record merger and acquisition activity, has made enterprise-wide and property-level technology integration a top priority for every bottom-line driven hospitality company.

�Technology�s function is to drive business, cut costs and improve communications, while enhancing the guest experience,� O�Neill said. �In our industry, all too often a myriad of disparate legacy systems are left to stand alone � restricting a company�s overall competitiveness, profitability and productivity, along with guest service. As an industry, we must continue to work together to aggressively eliminate the limitations of proprietary, stand-alone systems.�

O�Neill said Newmarket International�s NetXchange I-Server represents a significant step in the direction of open standards integration among best-of-breed solutions.
�I-Server now allows us to connect our flagship Delphi system solutions with other industry leading technologies such as PMS, POS, C-RES, CRM and Back Office,� O�Neill said. �The connectors built into the I-Server application enable hoteliers to fully leverage the data exchange among their existing IT investments, creating a true �best-of-breed� systems integration information environment. If a hotel employee using Delphi wishes to view data located in another system, such as the PMS, now they can do this right from the Delphi screens.�

Microsoft® RAD Award winners are selected by a panel of experts, including members of the press, analysts, consultants, academics and retailers. Nearly two dozen contestants were eligible for the coveted Best Use of .NET Technologies RAD Award.

�We are always extremely pleased with the tremendous participation by the leading retail and hospitality solution developers in the Microsoft® RAD Awards program. All entrants offer innovative line-of-business technology solutions that enhance a company�s business agility,� said Tom Litchford, Director of Marketing and the Channel of Retail and Hospitality Industry Solutions Group at Redmond-Wash.-based Microsoft Corp.

�In selecting this year�s RAD Award winners, we specifically looked for solutions with both technological sophistication and real-world, measurable business benefits for their retail and hospitality users,� Litchford said. �The RAD Awards program gives us the opportunity to recognize application developers such as Newmarket International for their excellence in the areas of quantifiable business benefits, best use of available Microsoft® technology, ease of adoption, and best integration and exploitation of Web services technology.�

Rich Bibbins, Newmarket International�s VP of Development, said NetXchange I-Server�s recent winning of the Microsoft® RAD Award is further testament to the company�s unwavering commitment to research and development. 

�We�re continuously investing significant time and monies, and working closely with our valued clients and strategic technology partners, to develop leading-edge solutions designed and proven to help hospitality companies realize and harness the full power of connectivity,� Bibbins said.  �NetXchange I-Server uniquely accomplishes this mission by serving as an information exchange hub seamlessly linking disparate systems, databases and people in real-time.� 

About Newmarket International
Newmarket International, �the makers of Delphi,� is the leader in delivering group, sales, catering and banquet software solutions to global travel and entertainment organizations. Hotels, Casinos, Visitor Bureaus, Meeting Houses, Convention Centers and Arenas all use this powerful technology. Newmarket International provides competitive advantages to all of its customers by enabling leads to electronically transfer across cities and around the world. By harnessing award-winning technology and support, the industry's best return on investment, domain expertise, and a commitment to the travel industry, Portsmouth, N.H.-based Newmarket International enables customers to increase efficiencies and maximize profits. Newmarket International is the only Hospitality Sales & Catering solutions provider to garner a second consecutive Excellence in Customer Satisfaction rating and its accompanying 2002 NorthFace ScoreBoardTM Award, presented by Omega Management Group. In 2003, Newmarket International won the coveted Microsoft® Retail Application Developer (RAD) Award for the third time in three years � this time for Best Use of Microsoft® .NET Technologies for its NetXchangeTM I-Server. A unique systems integration platform providing enterprisewide data snapshots, NetXchange I-Server serves as the information exchange hub seamlessly linking disparate systems, databases and people continents apart. Newmarket International also was recognized in 2003 by Investors in People (U.K.) for its training and employee development programs and its unwavering commitment to continuous improvement. For more information on the company and its business-generating, cost-cutting solutions, please visit www.newmarketinc.com.

About Microsoft Corp.
Founded in 1975, Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) is the worldwide leader in software services and Internet technologies for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software � any time, any place and on any device. The Microsoft® Retail Application Developer(RAD) Awards program was established in 1995 to showcase solutions developed by ISVs and customers that have used Microsoft products to solve technology challenges for hundreds of retail and hospitality companies, from small business to large enterprises across all industry segments, including food and drug, general merchandise, specialty retail, restaurants, lodging, gaming and entertainment. For more information on the company and it software solutions and services, please visit www.microsoft.com.