The Southwest & Northwest Joint Vegas Conference Recap!

The event started on Tuesday, February 10 with a fun, laid back reception. It was a great opportunity to connect with old friends and clients while meeting new faces. M/A/R/C Research sponsored the Wednesday morning breakfast to kick start a day of learning and networking. Robert Moran, Partner of Brunswick Insight, started the speakers off in full swing- Vegas Style. He was engaging, funny, educational and entertaining. During his session the audience learned about the future role of a corporate researcher and how they will continue to add value to their organization. We also learned about the future trends of marketing research and the driving forces behind the changes. Robert is a natural speaker and I suggest you find an opportunity to listen to his presentation via our website if you missed the event. It’s worth your time. John Busbice, Managing Partner of Keen Strategy, also did an excellent job. His presentation focused on analytics. He took us through a specific case study that demonstrated the process of integrating analytics and judgment and the benefits achieved. This is a remarkable presentation for analytical minds! Art Rome, Associate Vice President of GFK, did an amazing job getting the audience back into education mode after lunch. He taught the group how to use multiple sources of data in conjunction with short surveys to get better research results. A great presentation for today’s environment with access to data from different modes of technology and the need for shorter surveys to keep respondents engaged. Wednesday afternoon also included interesting speakers like Steve Seiferheld, SVP of Turnkey Intelligence. He is a dynamic speaker that discussed customers, brands, passion and how it all relates to sports research. He provided thoughts on how to approach different verticals differently in order to add value to the client while answering the important business questions. Gina Fleming, Senior Analyst of Consumer Insights at Forrester Research, provided a case study on expectations from customers and what impacts a positive experience. For many, her presentation validated their approach to research with their clients. Sean Scott, CIO/VP of Ameritest and Ellen Pieper, Account Executive for Lightspeed/GMI closed out the day with an energetic presentation about social media listening and how words and pictures can tell a more robust story.

Thursday was another exciting day of diverse and educational speakers. Frank Schab, CEO of Six Degrees, provided a review of the value add of sensory stimuli in brand research and how it can help brand success. Vaughn Mordecai, President of Discovery Research Group, executed an upbeat presentation about how to understand and gain insight from conversational text. Vaughn always does a great job of entertaining, telling jokes and educating. Chris Kelly, CEO of Survata, ended the day with an interesting presentation about how to start a company. The information he shared was beneficial for those interested in being an entrepreneur or starting a new division within a large organization. I encourage you to visit our website to review the presentations if you missed the event or one of the sessions at the conference. Again, it is worth your time.

Jeff Spitzer, President of the NWMRA Chapter, was an irreplaceable resource to help ensure the conference was a success. Jeff, thank you for all of your help and making sure everyone did their part. I’m so thankful that I had you as my conference partner this year. Not only do you know what you are doing, but you are a joy to work with. Thank you, and a BIG thanks to the entire SWMRA and NWMRA Chapters. You guys did an amazing job with the conference this year.

Another BIG thanks to all of the sponsors. We wouldn’t be able to host educational and networking events without your support.

Conference Sponsors included Fulcrum, Research Now and Instant.ly. Special Events Sponsors included Dallas by Definition, Critical Mix, Think Virtual Fieldwork, MSG & Soapbox, M/A/R/C Research and Consumer Opinion Services. Platinum Sponsors included G3 Translate and LA Research. Gold Sponsors included Ft. Worth Research, Galloway Research Service, Information Alliance, Nichols Research, Survey Technology & Research and Tammadge Market Research. Please thank each of these companies. Many have been long time supporters of the SWMRA and Vegas conference. Again, we couldn’t do it without them!

In addition to great speakers and networking opportunities we had the opportunity to raise money for a great charity, Relief Nursery, via the Vegas Raffle. Thank you to all the companies that donated cash and items to the raffle, and to all of those that purchased tickets at the event. We raised over $1,100 to help abused children. To learn more about the charity visit http://www.reliefnursery.org/

Webinar Recap

Just in case you missed the latest webinar on April 8, 2015, visit the “Events” tab to hear Paul Kirch of Actus Sales Intelligence teach us about the art of following up with both warm and cold sales leads.

Educational Forum Event in Austin, Texas

The Southwest Marketing Research Association is looking forward to seeing you August 6-7 at the Hilton Garden Inn Downtown Austin. The SWMRA.org website will be updated with the current event information soon, however you can be assured we will have a talented list of speakers, great networking opportunities and a lot of fun!

Communication

As you all know, one of the ways the Chapter continues to improve is from listening to you. I want to know what you are interested in learning about this year. Please call, email or click on “Reply” and tell me what is important to you. Think BIG- because we are.

Because I’m Texan & It is Part of the SWMRA Tradition- Chuck Norris Joke

Chuck Norris can never fill out an online form…because he can never submit.

Have a great quarter!

Jami Pulley
Southwest Chapter President
[email protected]
469-712-1136