An outage situation is one of the most bedeviling issues that utilities face- Not only is it a difficult from the perception and public relations perspective, but it also results in lost revenue when the electricity is not flowing. Depending on the extent of the outage, the revenue lost can be considerable. Electric distribution companies are under constant pressure from customers, the media and regulators to improve the reliability of their electric supply and so they turn to Outage Management Systems (OMS) to help address these demands. OMS is being utilized for the collection of information in the form of a database for emergency preparedness and will help utilities identify and restore outages sooner and more efficiently. Many electric utility companies have either implemented their OMS systems or are in the process of doing so. However, there is a need for systems and methods to efficiently facilitate the dispatching of maintenance crews in outages, sometimes during severe weather situations, and for providing an estimated time to restore power to customers. Effective restoration will also yield improved customer service and increased electric utility reliability. In addition to this, OMS systems are now required to seamlessly integrate with existing systems across the organization. Overall, spending for SCADA, EMS and OMS systems for electric utilities for the past 2 years have reached over $1.5 billion US and with the more recent enactment of smart grid legislation and various compliance reporting requirements, further growth in spending is anticipated. By attending the 8th Annual Outage Management Solutions Conference, delegates will be hearing from those working at the forefront of outage management systems and technologies. They will benefit from in depth discussion with OMS industry professionals from across North America to collaborate on developing and improving their outage management system to meet the regulatory framework and at the same time meet the ever-rising expectations of customers.