Attenborough will Present Virgin Galactic’s Industry Transforming Mission and Offers Attendees Insight into Discovering New Paths to B2B Integration in the Age of Exploration

National Harbor, MD — January 2014 — GXS, a leading provider of B2B integration services, today announced that Stephen Attenborough of Virgin Galactic will lead off its annual Customer Forum event for B2B professionals. GXS Customer Forum will be held at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center from March 17-19, 2014 and features more than a dozen sessions on best practices for managing B2B integration.

This year’s event revolves around exploration and discovery. Attendees will have the opportunity to learn new ways to navigate business challenges to blaze a trail for B2B integration. Owned by Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Group and Aabar Investments PJS, Virgin Galactic is also breaking new ground in its industry. The company is on track to be the world’s first commercial spaceline. Stephen Attenborough is the Commercial Director for Virgin Galactic, joining the company as its first full time employee in 2004, with responsibility for laying the commercial foundations and framework for the organisation, including spearheading ongoing sales, business development, marketing, public relations, licensing, partnerships and customer retention initiatives.

Attenborough will provide a unique insight into how and why this amazing project first saw the light of day and chart its progress to date, including the latest from the on-going test flight program. As the business balances its dual objectives of safety and commercial viability, Attenborough will describe how success in these areas could light the fire of an industry that could help to meet some of the most pressing challenges in the coming decades. Most importantly, Stephen will explore the profound, exhilarating and life-changing promise of travelling to space with Virgin Galactic.
The conference will feature additional speakers selected from among GXS’s customer-base. Each will present case studies and best practices for dealing with the industry’s most prominent issues including international expansion, supply chain risk, corporate-to-bank connectivity and supply chain modernisation.

The 2014 GXS Customer Forum is an invitation-only event that offers attendees the opportunity to connect with their peers and learn to improve their B2B processes. Throughout the event, sessions will offer the most up-to-date information available on key trends and opportunities for B2B integration from leading supply chain experts.