The Total Order Plus User Conference was held April 20-22, 2001, in New Orleans, LA., at the Hilton Waterside Hotel. It was held in conjunction with the MDAI Spring Forum.

Friday afternoon the group met for a training session on Total Order Plus and discussed the latest software enhancements to TOP. An evening reception was held with drinks and hors d 'oeuvres and was a shared event with members of the MDAI.

Saturday morning began with breakfast and was followed by workshops presented by Mindware Corporation on TOP and UPS Worldship software, ODBC data base, UnForm production order capabilities and TOP2002 highlights. The afternoon included table top demonstrations by John Wilson, Synergetic Data Systems, presenting UnForm software and the interface to TOP and their new product SDOffice. Michael Beaulieu, Connect Web, discussed his  web environment software and the link to marking device companies. Craig Petersen, Millennium Marking Co., presented their MaxLight system to show how quickly stamps can be processed and how TOP can export text to PageMaker in frames to be used with their system. Mindware Corporation displayed the new All-In-One Acer computer and the new Lexmark Optra Image T610xs, which is a combination printer, scanner, copier and fax machine to be used as a network printer.

Dinner was enjoyed at Ralph & Kacoo's in the French Quarter Saturday evening, followed by a stroll down Bourbon Street!

Breakfast on Sunday morning was included with round table discussions and customers comparing 'notes' on their usage of Total Order Plus, as well as having a Total Order Plus website for customers to view newsletters, TOP manuals, 'How To' information, Q&A section, etc. for technical support. TOP upgrades will also be available for customers to download to their system. This is currently under development.

Several changes to TOP were requested by our users:

- Ability to display 'Credit Hold' for customers during cash receipts entry and perhaps have a utility program with aging selections to place or remove a customers 'CH' status automatically.

- Be able to use VsiFax to send multiple copies from TOP at one time.

- Additional information be added to the UPS interface, i.e. customer UPS number, COD information, insured value, customer email address for automatic notification. 

- Option to print the O/E Open Order Report by production type.

- Ability to remove contract pricing records for a customer automatically.

- Change cash receipts posting remark to the General Ledger to include customer name, NOF name and the reason for a 'MISC' entry.

- Miscellaneous changes on the Payroll module.

- Use UnForm to print aging messages for customers over 30, 60 or 90 days past due.

Those in attendance were Tom & Myrna Jackson, FRS Marking Devices, David Atwell, Fred L. Lake & Co., Richard & Barbara McCoy, Southern Stamp & Stencil, Denis & Arlette Pellitier, Estampes Ray, David & Laurie Gay, Indianhead Specialty, Tom Child and Arlene Bryant, Des Moines Stamp Co., Jerry & Dee Jackson, Sharon Jundi and Charles Baumgartner, Texas Marking Products, Pat Staudt, Allegheny Marking Products, Vicky Glenn, Tammy Hobrecht, Lori Shackelford and Norma Reyna, Corpus Christi Stamp Works, Lewis Roeling, Rebel Stamp & Sign, Craig & Janet Peterson, Millennium Marking Co., Mike Beaulieu, Connect Web, John Wilson, SDSI, Joanne Simmons, Archie & Liz Tucker, Mindware Corporation.