This month's meeting will be held at the
Chicago O'Hare Garden
(formerly the
Holiday Inn Kennedy/O'Hare
8201 W. Higgins Road, Chicago
just north of Kennedy Expressway (I-90) between Canfield and
Cumberland
Map to Hotel
Note for CTA riders, the hotel provides complimentary
transportation to and from the CTA Cumberland and O'Hare stations. Just
call the hotel at 773-693-2323 when you arrive at the station.
MSPC Consultants College
The "Consultants" College concept in professional
society meetings (originally conceived by Dave Taylor in 2003) was reintroduced
in May and June of 2006 with such success that we are offering the format
again.
5:00 P.M. Registration
5:20 P.M. Pre-dinner Program
The
Internet: The Next Mega Media
Presenters:
Michael Barr & Steve Bassill (QDI Strategies, Inc.)
Many look at the internet as a “guerilla”
marketing channel. QDI’s client experiences indicate this is the wrong
paradigm. The internet will be the next “mega media.” Today there are many
websites such as Myspace, Facebook and Linked-In that connect people to people.
These sites build a network of people who share common interests and ideas and
can communicate with each other through the use of a computer. Like any major
advertising media, these sites are sponsored by different advertisers, who pay
for banner ads and/or for specific placement and content on these sites. Mike
Barr and Steve Bassill will share their experience in working in this mega
media space. They will take you through a specific example to help you
understand this rapidly evolving marketing channel.
Michael
D. Barr (Principal)
has spent the last 20 years in business-to-business marketing, driving
commercialization of new technologies, product development, brand management,
pricing, communications, and channels of distribution. At QDI over the past 7
years Mr. Barr has helped companies develop strategies that drive significant
revenue and profit growth. Mr. Barr works with clients in both high-tech and
mature industries, that market products and services in North American and
Europe. Prior to joining QDI Strategies, Mike was head of marketing for the
software and services venture, Moore Advanced Services, a unit of Moore
Corporation (the world’s largest forms printer). In the late 1980s, Mike
was Director of Marketing at Scotsman, the world’s largest manufacturer of
commercial ice machines. Mr. Barr was a Managing Consultant at an
international, marketing/consulting organization, during the early 80’s. In
1980, Mr. Barr co-founded Duosoft to develop and publish computer software.
Steven
Bassill (President)
has spent the last twenty-nine years in the field of management consulting. Mr.
Bassill founded QDI Strategies to help companies achieve marketing
breakthroughs in product, channel, and brand strategies -- based on a
fundamental shift in how they see their customers, themselves, and the
marketplace. Mr. Bassill helps clients bring market and company understanding
into their strategic decisions. He combines market research and
intensive, client work sessions -- to help clients see the marketplace and
opportunities -- in a way that allows them to create a new belief set about
what is possible. He developed a breakthrough process, which uses models
and tools, to help clients move through a decision-making process that starts
with discovery and, ultimately, ends up in a commitment to an agreed-upon,
strategic direction. Mr. Bassill's client base consists of a combination of
Fortune 500 companies and new business ventures. Mr. Bassill has a BSBA and an
MBA in marketing and finance from Northwestern University.
6:15 P.M. Announcements/Introductions
6:30 P.M. Networking
7:00 P.M. Dinner
8:00 P.M. After Dinner Program
The Great Equalizer: Using the Internet to
Create Big Company Buzz on a Little Company Budget
New clients can’t see, touch, or try a
consultant’s services before they buy. This naturally makes them hesitant to
engage an unknown entity for a project whose outcome could have significant
implications for their company or their career. So, how does a small firm or
an independent consultant become a known entity? More importantly, how do
they do it without a seven-figure marketing budget and a big staff? In this
session, Ed will share practical tips on how to use online resources to
increase your visibility in the market and attract new clients. He will also
show how these same resources can be used to create new revenue streams to
compliment your consulting engagements.
Presenter:
Ed Erickson (Erickson Market Research)
Ed Erickson
(Principal) has spent more than a decade consulting on marketing and market
research. Ed’s experience with many leading Fortune 500 businesses, as well as
work with agencies and entrepreneurial start-ups have provided him a broad
perspective on the application of market information to business issues. Prior
to founding Erickson Market Research, Ed served in Account Management and
consulting positions with several small market research and statistical
consulting firms, where he often found himself competing with larger, better
capitalized, more well known companies. He has been an active member of the
American Marketing Association and the Business Marketing Association. He is
also a past winner of the AMA/EXPLOR award for innovation in online research.
His writing has been published by Quirk’s Market Research Review and
MarketingProfs and he has been a speaker on marketing and research methods at
marketing conferences in the U.S and Europe. Ed received a B.S. from
Northwestern University and a Masters of Business Administration from the
University of Chicago.
Reservations
Registration fee includes dinner and programs.
Early registration must be made by NOON the Monday before the scheduled meeting:
Late registration or at the door:
To make a reservation call 312-201-0596, fill out and
fax our reservation
form, or email to
reservations@mspc.org.
- Please specify:
Your name(s)
Choice of dinner entrée(s)
Payment information (check/visa/mastercard)
And a callback number
