June 19th, 2000

SAN JOSE, CA -- As IC design automation companies made their annual appearance at the 37th Design Automation Conference (DAC), so did digital media company Tam Communications, creating strategic media solutions for Magma Design Automation, Ultima, Altera, and LogicVision. Tam applied its visual communications expertise to develop innovative programs for its four clients, combining live presentations with custom video/multimedia pieces that played off DVD and videotape.

DAC, held from June 5-9, hosted over 250 exhibitors and 16,000 visitors at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Attended by companies seeking silicon, electronic design automation, and intellectual property solutions, the prestigious trade show was a critical promotions arena for each of Tam's clients.

Tam's presentation for Magma featured an energetic, creative theme, based loosely on Animal Planet's "Crocodile Hunter." Professional presenter Simon Vance portrayed the daredevil adventurer as he discussed the challenges of chip design and Magma’s solutions. He interacted with Tam's video/multimedia presentation, designed to emulate the Crocodile Hunter's emphatic, extreme style. The program, which included customer testimonials, provided an entertaining and memorable means of educating attendees on Magma's technology.

"As an emerging leader in EDA launching a new product, this year's Design Automation Conference was particularly important for Magma," explained Bob Smith, Vice President of Marketing at Magma Design Automation. "Despite an extremely short schedule, highly technical content and complicated multimedia mix, Tam Communications delivered a very creative, well-produced presentation for the launch of our Blast Chip silicon implementation software. As a result, we had record numbers of people in our booth and filling the aisles just to watch it."

The Ultima booth utilized a two-part program. First an eight-minute customer testimonial video introduced the company's interconnect technology and timing software. This piece featured prominent customers, including IBM and Synopsys, explaining how they depend on Ultima's products. The video was followed by an in-depth look at the products, presented by live talent Charles Martinet. Both were burned onto DVD for use at and after the show.

"Tam Communications' work helped make last year's DAC the extraordinary success it was, so there was no question that Ultima would go with Tam for this year's show," said Tony Tran, VP of North America Sales at Ultima. "They helped us determine our trade show strategy, and then produced a video and presentation that drew and kept our audience's attention. We knew the program would fulfill our objectives, but the results even exceeded our expectations! Two years in a row, Tam's work has helped us make crucial client contacts and secure key accounts at this very important exhibition."

For Altera, Tam created an attract loop and presentation that played off DVD to explain the advantages of the company's System-on-a-Programmable-Chip solution. A loop of four unique videos drew attendees into the booth, where the live presenter and multimedia presentation introduced Altera devices, tools, and intellectual property offerings. A software demo also highlighted the benefits of Altera's Quartus development software.

Tam also produced a video to educate attendees about LogicVision's embedded test solutions and intellectual property. The piece used energetic music and upcut editing to capture viewers' attention immediately, then incorporated persuasive customer testimonials and high-tech graphics and effects to communicate LogicVision's success and key messages.

Tam Communications is a leading digital media company, servicing corporate and entertainment clients by combining technical, creative, and communications expertise in the realms of video, interactive multimedia, and web. The company's expanding spectrum of original entertainment programming—developed for broadcast, cable, syndication, and other venues—airs worldwide. Tam Communications is a privately held company located in Scotts Valley, CA. Please visit our web site at www.tamcom.com.