Online Community Events

June 23–24, 2008Financial Services Forum for Marketing and Strategy ProfessionalsThe Grand Hyatt, New York, NY

CASE STUDY: HEARING THE “VOICE OF MY CUSTOMER” WITH PRIVATE ONLINE COMMUNITIES
Ted Schadler, Vice President, Consumer Technographics, Forrester Research
June 24th 1:45-2:30pm (45 min)

This session will bring together a consumer financial services company and a research company that specializes in helping companies build online communities. This new way of bringing the “voice of my customer” into the research portfolio gives market researchers and marketing leaders a new tool for analyzing market opportunities and bringing qualitative information to product planners and channel strategists.
- What are private online communities?
- What best practices have emerged in how to harness the voice of the community?
- How can you incorporate private online communities into your research portfolio?
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May 22, 2008Social Media: Turning the Social Technology Groundswell to Your AdvantageCommunispace, Watertown, MA

Please join the Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council (MTLC) for an eye-opening presentation by Josh Bernoff, VP, Principal Analyst at Forrester Research and co-author of the newly published book Groundswell.

Be among the first to hear about how social technologies like wikis, YouTube, blogs, and online communities have created a permanent, long-lasting shift in the way the world works — this is the groundswell — and learn how you can turn this phenomenon to your advantage. Touted already as a must-read for all executives and marketers, Groundswell illuminates the new dynamics of social media. Josh will share first-hand his perspective and practical advice developed from his extensive research of the 25 case studies profiled in the book, co-authored with Charlene Li, VP, Principal Analyst, and social computing guru at Forrester Research.

Don't miss this opportunity to meet Josh Bernoff at Communispace. Register now.

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May 19–21, 2008Front End of InnovationBoston World Trade Center and Seaport, Boston, MA

CAMPBELL’S “M’MM M’MM GOOD” INNOVATION ENGINE – HOW 500 CONSUMERS’ NON-STOP IDEAS ARE FILLING THE INNOVATION PIPELINE FASTER
Adrian Bing-Zaremba, Director of Marketing Research & Innovation
Campbell Soup Company

What to do when “M’mm M’mm good” now means dining out, and branching out, of the traditional soup-based meal mindset the Campbell Soup Company invented in 1869? Soup is half of Campbell’s $7.5 billion in sales. So how can Campbell’s generate breakthrough ideas faster for aging and new customer segments who are redefining what a meal is? In this session Adrian Bing-Zaremba, Campbell’s Director of Innovation, outlines how his innovation team and a private online community of 500 consumers are changing the thinking, techniques and organizational approach to product innovation in Campbell’s soup, V8, and Pace and Prego sauce brands.

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May 12–15, 2008Community 2.0 ConferenceRed Rock Casino and Resort, Las Vegas, NV

Harness the power of community to build consumer advocates, drive smarter brand decisions and propel business growth. Come learn from the experts about creating effective community strategies.

Communispace clients have a lot to share about leveraging community to fuel innovation and make customer-centricity real.

BIG AND PUBLIC OR SMALL AND PRIVATE? UNITED AIRLINES EXPLORES FREQUENT FLIER ONLINE COMMUNITIES
Dan Comenduley, Manager, Customer Metrics and Insights, United Airlines
Manila Austin, Ph.D., Director of Research, Communispace

B2B STRATEGY STARTS IN THE 2.0 COMMUNITY: INSIGHTS FROM SMALL BUSINESS SOCIAL NETWORK
Andy Hessabi, Senior Marketing Manager, Market Insights, Network Solutions

Register now. Enter code SPONM2005CO for a 25% discount.

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May 08–09, 2008Word of Mouth Marketing University (WOMM-U) InterContinental Hotel, Miami, FL

WOMM-U’s commitment is to further WOMM education. It is a great learning opportunity for WOMM newbies and long-time WOM advocates alike. The WOMM-U conference is a series of small, topical, highly interactive breakout sessions that will be held throughout the program. These discussions will provide attendees an opportunity to participate in intensive WOMM-conversations with 10-14 of their marketing peers.

WOMM-U Faculty members will facilitate and direct these conversations and will provide an expert point of view to the discussion, allowing participants to dig a little deeper and expand on the topics in more dynamic ways. Join Leslie Forde, VP Strategic Alliances, Communispace and other gurus to learn more during this comprehensive and interactive educational experience.

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April 24–26, 2008SOCAP InternationalWestin Boston Waterfront Hotel, Boston, MA

Customer care experts from a variety of industries will gather at the SOCAP 2008 Symposium for in-depth discussions and case study presentations on how globalization, data and reporting and consumer trends are transforming business and the critical role that customer care plays in this transformation. Additionally, the SOCAP Symposium will include special Industry Learning Labs organized around some of today’s hottest industries, along with a special workshop on blogging and social media.

SOCAP is pleased to offer Communispace clients and partners a special discount to attend. Simply let SOCAP know that you saw this listing and save $400. The Symposium will offer tremendous opportunities to share and exchange new ideas with peers on business issues impacting the customer care profession. Diane Hessan, Communispace CEO, discusses global communities with SOCAP’s Executive SANG.

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April 15–17, 2008ad tech: san franciscoMoscone Center, San Francisco, CA

PANEL: CONSUMER INSIGHTS II: MOBILIZING AND LEVERAGING CUSTOMER INSIGHT - BEST PRACTICES FOR THE DIGITAL AGE

Moderator: Jeff Flemings, SVP, Account Planning, Digitas
Panelists:
- Stacy Hammond, Director, Schwab Investor Services, Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.
- Diane Hessan, President & CEO, Communispace
- Shawna Landers, Director of Marketing, MapQuest
- Doron Wesly, VP Media Practice, Millward Brown
We've never had as much access to real-time, in-depth data about what customers think and how they behave in an increasingly multi-platform, integrated world as we do today. And despite this increase in data, consumers have never seemed so elusive nor has it ever been more challenging to translate data about those consumers into insight and apply that insight to decision-making that translates into in-market results. Leading customer insight practitioners will share how they are handling key customer insight challenges including:
- What new quantitative and qualitative data-mining techniques are dynamically uncovering breakthrough insights?
- What specific insights are most relevant and helpful?
- What are the emerging best-practice techniques for tightening the connection between insight and decision-making?
- What insights do marketers want and need but can't yet get?
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February 27, 2008WOM Wednesday Teleconferences
Dial in, and learn from the experts! United Airlines' Dan Comenduley will be joined by Manila Austin and Julie Wittes Schlack of Communispace to share findings from a recent comparison of a large, public community and a small private one during a WOM weekly teleconference.

MEETING BUSINESS NEEDS BY MEETING SOCIAL NEEDS: HOW UNITED AILRLINES USED THEIR ONLINE COMMUNITY TO GENERATE INSIGHTS AND GENUINELY CONNECT WITH THEIR CUSTOMERS
Dan Comenduley, Project Management, Customer Metrics and Insights, United Airlines
Manila Austin, Ph.D., Director of Research, Communispace
Julie Wittes Schlack, SVP Innovation & Design

What are the best uses of large, public social networks and communities vs. small, exclusive ones? In this session, United Airlines and Communispace will share findings from a recent comparison in terms of the quality of information, honesty of posts, helpfulness of information to both community members and the hosting organization, frequency of posts, quantity of posts, and value of community input for actionable business decisions.

Register now ...

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February 07–08, 2008Brite '08 CMO Summit: Branding + Innovation + TechnologySatow Room, 5th Floor, Lerner Hall, New York, NY

BRITE ’08 will bring together big thinkers from business, technology, media, and marketing to discuss how technology and innovation are transforming the ways that companies build and sustain great brands.

SOCIAL NETWORKS AND ONLINE COMMUNITIES

Moderator: Leslie Forde, VP Strategic Alliances, Communispace
- Mike Hemingway, Global Managing Director, Ogilvy
- Paul Ingram, Kravis Professor of Business, Columbia
- Banz Ledin, Creator, Managing Director, Spotme
- Craig Newmark, Founder, Craigslist
- Diane Ty, Director of Strategic Market Development, AARP
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February 04–06, 2008THE Conference on Marketing 2008Naples Grande Resort & Club, Naples, FL

Designed to perpetuate the exchange of truly great ideas, THE Conference on Marketing gives you what you need to make better, more profitable connections with your cutomers. This year's event tackles all aspects of marketing: THE People; THE Brand Experience; THE Mix and THE Proof.

HEARING THE ECHO BOOMERS LOUD AND CLEAR: COX ENTERPRISES' ONLINE COMMUNITY APPROACH HARDWIRES THIS GENERATION INTO ITS $13 BILLION CORPORATE DNA
Winston Warrior, Director of Marketing Services, Cox Enterprises.

It's no secret that Echo Boomers- the generation of 80 million born between 1977 and 1994- are becoming a marketer's biggest opportunity and employers' most difficult talent to recruit. How can you get inside Echo Boomers' heads to understand what makes them tick? Learn from our client, Cox Enterprises, how they successfully leveraged an innovative 24/7 private online community approach to connect them with this generation in a way that informs and shapes content, product marketing, sales, and human resources strategies.

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January 17, 2008CMO Leadership ForumNew York, NY

Argyle Executive Forum is pleased to present its 2008 CMO Leadership Forum. The event, to take place in Manhattan, will bring together the marketing leadership of approximately 130 - 150 public and private large-cap and mid-cap corporations, as well as complementary areas of executive leadership (CEOs, CFOs & COOs). Please note that seating for members of the advisory community is offered first to those that are supporting the event as sponsors.

NEW WAYS TO HAVE MEANINGFUL CONVERSATIONS WITH CUSTOMERS

Panel
Leslie Forde – SVP of Strategic Alliances at Communispace Corporation
Andrew Hally, VP Segment Marketing, Unica Corporation
Paolo Gaudiano, CTO, Icosystem Corporation
Robin Johnson, CEO, Financial Times Search

Moderated by FT Search CEO Robin Johnson, this panel will discuss and explore the real financial values of customer conversations via social networking. Additional topics to be discussed during the 40 minute session include enhancing the customer experience, viral marketing and inluencer vs. non-influencer models.

This event is by invitation only, and an invitation code is required. If you did not receive an invitation but would like to inquire about attendance, please click here.

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December 06–07, 2007Engaging Communities for the Company and the BrandBoston University, Boston, MA

Co-chaired by Professor Susan Fournier of the Boston University School of Management, this exclusive conference will explore cross-disciplinary thinking on the nature and process of community, and leading edge practice in engaging communities for the benefits of the company and the brand.

GENERATING BREAKTHROUGH INSIGHTS VIA HIGH PARTICIPATION COMMUNITIES
Michelle Adams, Director, Strategy and Insights, Frito-Lay and Mollie Gerber, Sr. Community Consultant, Communispace

Communispace and their client, Frito-Lay, have been invited to demonstrate how private, branded online consumer communities have emerged as an enterprise-wide asset, generating rich insights, surfacing unmet needs, and galvanizing company disciplines around the continuous voice of the customer. This presentation will show how one major company thinks about and uses these “high participation” communities, and detail the most valuable business benefits beyond traditional research methods and online customer panels. It will conclude with several basic principles and best practices to generate customer-centric business insights and innovative organizational changes to get corporate buy-in.

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December 05, 2007CBI Webinar
PURPOSE, PRIVACY, AND PASSION: MAKING SOCIAL NETWORKING WORK FOR PHARMA AND HEALTHCARE

Julie Wittes Schlack, Sr. Vice President of Research and Design

Social networking is transforming how bio/pharma companies engage with customers and gain deep insights for developing and marketing products and services. But sponsoring free-wheeling, fast-talking communities of consumers tends to frighten marketers, especially in the highly-regulated pharmaceutical and healthcare industries.

Julie Wittes Schlack, Sr. Vice President of Research and Design at Communispace, will show how engaging customers — pharmacists, physicians, and/or consumers — through private online communities is viable and valuable to the pharma/healthcare industry. This presentation will cover best practices for implementing online communities to achieve concrete business objectives, and do so in a way that overcomes unique industry challenges and how different organizations like GlaxoSmithKline, Novartis, and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network have leveraged private communities to deeply and continuously connect with consumers in ways that provided surprising insights and helped drive product innovation from OTC FDA approval to store shelves. The presentation will conclude with an illustration of how to leverage the passion of engaged consumers throughout your organization, delivering on the often elusive CEO goal of creating truly customer-centric companies.

Register Now

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November 14–15, 2007 Word of Mouth Marketing SummitRio All Suite Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, NV

More than 50 expert speakers will gather at the 3rd annual event for the word of mouth marketing industry to address all of the hot topics, current issues and latest trends that WOM marketers need to know. Learn from the biggest brands practicing WOM today, and collaborate with other serious marketers interested in learning how WOM can work for your organization.

PANEL: BRAND FANS: YOUR BEST ASSET OR A TRAIN WRECK

Moderator: Rob Key, CEO, Converseon
- Christine Hight, Director of Consumer Research, Hilton Hotels
- Jeff Sinelli, CEO, Which Wich
- Angela Vargo, Manager of Product Development, Southwest Airlines
Brand Fans
- Jamie Clear, Brand Fan, Alli
- Ken Davenport, Owner, Davenport Theatrical Enterprises, Inc.
Find out what it means to be a brand fan and which brands have fans! Learn how to activate passive customers, compelling them to talk about your brand and engage others, while measuring and reporting your success. Hear from our client, Hilton Hotels, about how their high-participation private online community creates enthusiastic and passionate members who naturally spread the good word-about the community experience, the way they feel about the Hilton brand and what they are doing about it. And hear a Brand Fan of our client, alli, talk about her experience in the 'alli first community'.
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November 13, 2007 Word of Mouth Research SymposiumRio All Suite Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, NV

The 3rd annual WOMMA Research Symposium provides a unique opportunity for listening to and speaking with many of today's leading thinkers [or thought leaders?] on word of mouth marketing. Co-located with the Marketing Summit, this symposium delivers proof of WOM's value, and helps supply the tools with which to sell WOM to senior management. This year, the Research Symposium will also feature a session focusing on the impact of the "influencer", and will explore various means to identify, connect with, and leverage their powerful advocacy.

EXPLORING PERSPECTIVE IN PRIVATE CUSTOMER COMMUNITIES
Julie Wittes Schlack SVP, Innovation & Design, Communispace

Whether members are influenced by passion, goodness, or their personal knowledge of someone else's expertise, relationship is the dominant factor in consumer-to-consumer influence. Communispace's Sr. Vice President of Research and Design will present new research on how businesses can create or leverage word of mouth influence by creating their own relationships with consumers, and by visibly and selflessly fostering consumers' relationship with one another

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November 11–14, 2007FuturetrendsRitz-Carlton, Key Biscayne, FL

Futuretrends brings together visionary business leaders, trend spotters, corporate thinkers, and news makers to discuss "what's next, and what matters." This event promises to provide new perspectives on translating trends for competitive advantage.

HEARING THE ECHO BOOMERS LOUD AND CLEAR: COX ENTERPRISES' ONLINE COMMUNITY APPROACH HARDWIRES THIS GENERATION INTO ITS $13 BILLION CORPORATE DNA
Winston Warrior, Director of Marketing Services, Cox Enterprises.

It's no secret that Echo Boomers- the generation of 80 million born between 1977 and 1994- are becoming a marketer's biggest opportunity and employers' most difficult talent to recruit. How can you get inside Echo Boomers' heads to understand what makes them tick? Learn from our client, Cox Enterprises, how they successfully leveraged an innovative 24/7 private online community approach to connect them with this generation in a way that informs and shapes content, product marketing, sales, and human resources strategies.

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October 14–18, 2007The Market Research EventHyatt Regency Century Plaza, Los Angeles, CA

COMMUNISPACE EXHIBITOR: MEET OUR TEAM!

The Market Research Event is the annual destination for executives in the industry seeking best practices and innovations in
- Branding, Marketing & Advertising
- New Product Development
- Insight Driven Innovation
- Achieving Customer-Centricity
Come meet Jeff Meleski, Senior VP, Sales and Susan Cress, Director, Strategic Accounts and learn how online communities virtually hardwire the voice of your customer to your organization and impact every aspect of your business-generating critical insights, driving faster development, and increasing marketing effectiveness. Stop by our booth to learn how major corporations like Unilever, Frito-Lay, Hilton, Charles Schwab, HP, Cox Enterprises, and GlaxoSmithKline are uncovering some truly breakthrough ideas that have helped them redefine business,create wildly successful new product lines, out-market their competitors, and avoid potentially big failures.
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October 09–10, 2007Travel Distribution Executive Conference 2007Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, NV

This annual meeting brings together the top innovators in travel distribution, sales, and marketing from the world’s most profitable travel companies to learn about the future of travel distribution. Topics address how to engage customers and gain insights and the value of user-generated content and social networking, through a series of keynote speakers and informative panel debates.

PANEL: A TRAVEL INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE ON USER GENERATED CONTENT
- Philip Charles-Pierre, Director, Interactive Marketing Starwood Preferred Guest, Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide
- Christine Arnholt, VP Marketing Services, Carnival Cruise Lines
- Howard Lefkowitz, CEO, VEGAS.com
What impact will social networking sites have on travel research and distribution? How is user-generated content transforming valuable travel resources? These are some of the questions that will be addressed in this panel debate. Hear from our client, Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, about how they used a private online community to deepen their understanding of their customers and how members feel about, and act on, making the community their own.
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September 23–26, 2007Marketing Research ConferenceWynn Hotel, Las Vegas, NV

COMMUNISPACE EXHIBITOR: MEET OUR TEAM!

The Annual Marketing Research Conference is one of the AMA's largest and most popular professional development forums for the market researcher. New tools, techniques and best practices are shared and uncovered, providing an in depth and practical understanding on how consumer and market research is changing.

Stop by our booths 514 and 516 to meet our team and discover how, by using Communispace, our clients like Starwood, Hallmark, Unilever, HP, Mattel, Reebok, and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network are able to tap into deep insights, get answers to questions they never would have thought to ask, help make more informed decisions, develop intense customer relationships, test anything, and create loyal advocates.

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September 17–19, 2007Customer Relationship Management SummitThe Westin Diplomat, Hollywood, FL
PANEL: HOW TO GAIN A COMMERCIAL ADVANTAGE FROM A SUPERIOR CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

Moderators:
Ed Thompson, Gartner
Joe Wheeler, Executive Director, The Service Profit Chain Institute

Guest Panel:
Cynthia Beckwith, VP Customer Experience, AAA California State
Diane Hessan, CEO of Communispace
John Romano, Hyatt Executive Director of Gold Passport Customer Service
Graham Weston, Executive Chairman, Rackspace

This customer panel discussion will explore best practices in designing a customer experience that achieves a competitively superior value for customers that is leveraged over operating costs.

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September 16–18, 2007First Annual PMRG InstituteDowntown Marriott, Philadelphia, PA

The traditional fall conference has been redefined as the PMRG Institute to deliver educational content that will help all members provide technically skilled, strategically wise, and clearly communicated insights to PMRG's organizations.

The theme: Ideas That Thrive

THE ANTI-MYSPACE: HOW GLAXOSMITHKLINE USED PRIVATE ONLINE COMMUNITIES TO LAUNCH ALL

Julie Wittes SVP, Innovation & Design, Communispace

In this hybrid case study and instructional session on Monday, September 17, 2007, Julie Wittes Schlack, Senior Vice President, Innovation & Design, Communispace, will explain how GSK Consumer Healthcare's 24/7 private online customer communities are filling a critical market research void-how to gather authentic consumer insights iteratively throughout an entire market development and launch process. Attendees will learn what it takes to build a "high participation" community, how they work, and the most valuable business benefits. Julie will also present original research-drawn from a study of over 26,000 online community members across 66 communities-that demonstrates the motivation behind private community participation that is 5-10 times greater than traditional quantitative tools.

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July 12, 2007WOM: Learn It, Do It Series92nd St. Y, New York, NY

WHAT IS YOUR BEST WOM IDEA AND AUDIENCE Q&A
Phil Lutz, Senior Editor, GfK Roper Consulting
Dana Weissman, Director, Audience Development & Community Outreach, 92nd Street Y
Pete Blackshaw, CMO, Nielsen BuzzMetrics
Ed Keller, CEO, Keller Fay Group
Malcolm Faulds, VP of Media Services, Bzzagent
Leslie Forde, VP, Strategic Alliances, Communispace Corporation
Rob Key, CEO, Converseon

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June 06, 2007The Art and Science of Forming Successful Online Communities
Webinar,

THE ART AND SCIENCE OF FORMING ONLINE COMMUNITIES
Rohit Bhargava,Vice President, Interactive Marketing, Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide
Gina Bianchini, CEO and Co-founder, Ning, Inc.
Craig Cmehil, Community Evangelist, SAP AG
Julie Wittes Schlack, Senior Vice President, Innovation and Design, Communispace Corporation

Blogs, social networking sites and other Web 2.0 functionalities have forever changed the consumer online experience. Now that these online communities are translating to the business world, they can be powerful tools for B2B marketing.

For a live Q&A roundtable, featuring industry experts from Ogilvy Public Relations, Ning, SAP AG and Communispace go here. A panel will discuss their experiences with building online communities, and the potential applications for business-to-business marketing.

Here is what you can expect;
  • Gain a better understanding of what you can expect to accomplish through online communities
  • Learn how other companies have developed successful online communities
  • Get insight into specific tools that can help you promote, grow and maintain online communities

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May 08–11, 2007Front End of InnovationThe Sheraton Boston, Boston, MA

Exhibitor: Meet our team!

The Front End of Innovation (FEI), or discovery portion of the innovation process, remains to be the source for major growth in corporations. Most companies have developed very efficient development processes for bringing incremental innovations to the market. In contrast, few companies have an efficient front end for developing the next generation platform products. What does a robust FEI look and feel like? What are the latest tools and techniques used by companies to achieve success? How do these companies achieve repeatable success in today's virtual and global community? Learn from thought leaders and through case studies…how success is accomplished. Listen and exchange ideas with innovation champions for creating products that will stay “top of mind” today and for years to come.

Come meet Jessica DeVlieger, Director of Strategic Accounts and Judy Walklet, Director of Strategic Accounts and learn how online communities virtually hardwire the voice of your customer to your organization and impact every aspect of your business—generating critical insights, driving faster development, and increasing marketing effectiveness. Stop by Booth 26 in the Exhibitors’ hall to learn how major corporations like Unilever, Frito-Lay, Hilton, Charles Schwab and HP are listening to, and deeply engaging with, customers using Communispace.

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March 29–30, 2007The Women’s CongressBoston Convention & Exhibition Center, Boston, MA

Panelist: Diane Hessan, Communispace CEO

TWC is the country’s largest, most dynamic two-day business conference and marketplace for women. The conference provides unique educational opportunities for entrepreneurs, corporate management, and non-profit/philanthropic leaders. Conferees will have ample time to network with their peers and visit hundreds of booths on the show floor while taking away indispensable information to grow their businesses, improve leadership skills, and create the career and work environment that best serves individual needs.

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March 19–20, 2007THE Conference on MarketingThe Venetian, Las Vegas, NV

USING ONLINE COMMUNITIES TO APPLY VOC INSIGHTS TO MARKETING

Karen Mitchell, Director of Marketing, Welch’s
Debi Kleiman, Senior Community Consultant, Communispace

The Conference on Marketing is all about giving you what you need to make better, more profitable connections with your consumers. Learn how Welch’s is hardwiring the voice of the customer to every aspect of business using online communities—turning consumer insights generation into a strategic marketing asset. Hear how listening to, and engaging with, customers is integrated in the marketing and product development process and how it impacts understanding consumers, the category, your brand, optimizing programs and identifying new growth opportunities.

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March 15, 2007Emerging Enterprise Center at Foley HoagWaltham, MA

Citizen Marketers: When People are the Message
Best-selling author, Jackie Huba

A solitary citizen today with a broadband connection and a few inexpensive tools has a substantially better chance of influencing the public perceptions of billion-dollar corporations than ever before. Furthermore, the "social media" of blogs, podcasts and social networks are fusing pop culture with traditional marketing, and that's causing all manner of disruption.

Jackie Huba provides some clarity and insight into the fast-moving world of social media. Her new book, "Citizen Marketers: When People are the Message", examines the early history of social media and why it's taken root so quickly. You'll learn about the various types of citizen marketers, their motivations, how to work with them, and how they are influencing purchase decisions for products, brands and companies.

The Wall Street Journal hailed "Citizen Marketers" and encouraged its readers to "drop everything and read this book".

Besides "Citizen Marketers", Jackie is also the co-author of "Creating Customer Evangelists: How Loyal Customers Become a Volunteer Sales Force" and the popular "Church of the Customer" blog.

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March 14–15, 2007The Ad Club SymposiumThe Harvard Club, Boston,

6 things in 6 (6 things you should know about 6 companies in 6 minutes each)

Jim Nail, Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer, Cymfony
Julian Aldridge, President, Ammo Marketing
Diane Hessan, President & CEO, Communispace Corporation
Don McLagan, President & CEO, Compete
Chris O'Hara, VP Sales, mediabistro.com
John Zahner, Senior Vice President, Business Development of PermissionTV

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March 14, 2007Community 2.0 ConferenceRed Rock Hotel, Las Vegas, NV

PANEL: Communities as the DNA of Customer-Centric Business Strategy

Moderator: Lois Kelly, Founding Partner, Foghound
Panelists:
Andy Hessabi, Senior Manager, Market Insights, Network Solutions
Lynne Kreger, Director of Research, Chicago Tribune
Tanya Maurer, Customer Experience Program Manager, Hewlett-Packard

Communispace clients share how they are using their private customer/prospect communities in ways that are providing surprising insights and ideas for their business strategy, and making customer-centricity real. They will discuss why they opened communities, what it takes to get people really involved and engaged, how to leverage communities beyond marketing and throughout an organization, and examples of how community members have helped create successful business strategies.

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March 06, 2007Digital Marketing ConferenceThe Roosevelt Hotel, New York, NY

PANEL: This Year's Frontiers: Future-casters talk about the digital trends set to become realities in 2007

Moderator: Mike Chapman, Editorial Director, eMarketer
Panelists:
Curt Hecht, EVP, Chief Digital Officer, GM Planworks
Diane Hessan, President & CEO, Communispace
Lori Schwartz, SVP, Director of Emerging Media, Interpublic Emerging Media Lab

If 2005 was the year of MySpace and 2006 was the year of YouTube, what's 2007 going to be? This panel will address some of the hot digital trends (user-generated content, community) and talk about how they will evolve in the next twelve months. And what's beyond? Attendees will hear about what emerging technologies hold the most promise for marketers and the challenges marketing and agency execs face in figuring out what to use - in a sea of rapid change. Panelists will share tips and tools of the trade.

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February 26–28, 2007Return on Marketing InvestmentTrump International Sonesta Beach Resort, Sunny Isles, FL

THE ANTI-MYSPACE: MAKING PRIVATE SOCIAL NETWORKING WORK FOR MARKETING

Leslie Forde, Vice President of Strategic Alliances, Communispace

Today, companies that are involving consumers in their business are realizing BIG payback. Online communities, forums and blogs are increasingly being seen as must-have marketing assets. In order to successfully use communities in the marketing mix, you must understand the differences, and the impact of public and private communities. The first step is to figure out your goal and then determine the value or ROI. Private communities are more intimate and create greater trust and personal accountability among members with similar interests. So if you care more about the quality of the information- authenticity- and want more control over the participation, private communities may yield the greater return. Hear real-world examples and learn about the best practices in creating communities.

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February 04–06, 2007CMO 2007Four Seasons Resort Aviara, Carlsbad, CA

Leslie Forde, Vice President of Strategic Alliances, Communispace
Stephen DiMarco, Vice President of Marketing, Compete
Joe Perez, Executive Vice President, Marketing & Product, Demand Media
Lois Kelly, Founding Partner, Foghound
Peter Friedman, Chairman & CEO, LiveWorld

From search to blogs to impressions, the value of online marketing has fluctuated more than the NASDAQ over the past six years. Most industry experts say we are now "back to reality," however this ever changing marketplace is not known for its stability and new mobile and location based technologies look to continue to fragment this complicated industry.

This roundtable will identify the trends of the last ten years and what is to come in the next ten.

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January 30, 2007Women's Executive ForumBoston Harbor Hotel, Boston, MA

Panel: CrazyBusy - Luncheon keynote panel

Anne Marie Aigner, Co-Host, Boomer Broads with Attitude
Susan Esper, Partner, Deloitte & Touche LLP
Diane Hessan, President and CEO, Communispace
Janet Prensky, Co-Host, Boomer Broads with Attitude
Kathy Sherbrooke, President and Co-founder, Circles

Let's face it, there is no such thing as work/life balance. Sometimes work wins, sometimes life wins. CrazyBusy is not just a by-product of high-speed, globalized modern life. It has become its defining feature - BlackBerries, cell phones, and e-mail 24/7; longer workdays, escalating demands, and higher expectations at home. It all adds up to a state of constant frenzy that is sapping us of creativity, humanity, mental well-being, and the ability to focus on what truly matters.

But as Dr. Hallowell argues, being CrazyBusy can also be an opportunity. Just as ADD can, if properly managed, become a source of ingenuity and inspiration, so the impulse to be busy can be turned to our advantage once we get in touch with our needs and take charge of how we really want to spend our time.

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January 21–24, 2007Executive Insights ConferenceMarriott’s Camelback Inn, Scottsdale, AZ

Exhibitor: Meet our team!

Research leaders are challenged every day by new technological advances, a changing financial climate, cultural shifts and social swings. Learn how these developments affect your business world and more specifically your business paradigm. Develop navigation skills that allow you to steer through the haze of change and deliver clear actionable intelligence that contributes to the success of your company.

Come meet Jeff Meleski, Senior VP, Sales and Susan Cress, Director, Strategic Accounts and learn how online communities virtually hardwire the voice of your customer to your organization and impact every aspect of your business—generating critical insights, driving faster development, and increasing marketing effectiveness. Stop by Booth 18 in the Exhibitors’ hall to learn how major corporations like Unilever, Frito-Lay, Hilton, Charles Schwab and HP are listening to, and deeply engaging with, customers using Communispace.

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December 11–13, 2006Word of Mouth Summit & Research SymposiumThe Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, Washington, DC

Communities: Creating Them and Working in Them
Leslie Forde, Vice President of Strategic Alliances, Communispace

Communities -- discussion groups, message boards and chat rooms -- are all about word of mouth. That's because they're populated by regular consumers talking about the stuff they love.
- Learn the right way to create communities
- Understand the appropriate techniques and etiquette for working inside existing communities
- Know the rules for properly identifying your team
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November 08–10, 2006Marketing Research Annual Fall ConferenceSheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort, Phoenix, AZ

Listening is the New Killer Marketing App-How Private Online Communities Boost Customer Engagement and Increase Trust, Word-of-Mouth, and Purchase Intent

Leslie Forde, Vice President of Strategic Alliances, Communispace

As more companies commit to becoming truly customer-centric, it's critical that business innovation start with new ways to get at customer insights and needs. Today, companies that are involving consumers in their business are realizing big payback. Leslie Forde will share Communispace's experiences and challenges creating online customer communities for major corporations. She will discuss the increasingly strategic role this type of consumer research plays in successful customer engagement and how it should be integrated in the marketing and product development process.

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November 06–08, 2006Interactive Marketing ConferenceHilton, New York, NY

Why You Should Create a Corporate Social Media Platform - Incorporating Community, Blogs, Podcasts and WIKI's into Your Customer Interactions

Moderator: Diane Hessan, President & CEO, Communispace
Michelle Adams, Senior Group Manager, Consumer Strategy & Insights, Frito Lay
Betsy Weber, Chief Evangelist, TechSmith Corporation
Ross Ozer, Interactive Marketing Registered Investment Advisor Group
Scott K. Wilder, Group Manager, Interactive Marketing Intuit
Martin Green, SVP Community CNET Networks

Mediapost reports that spending on blogs, RSS and podcasts is expected to increase another 145% in 2006 to $49.8M. The driving force behind this upward trend is the "perceived ineffectiveness of traditional advertising, and the desire to reach the elusive 18-34 year-old demographic." Spending in this area grew by 198% in 2005. The big question is not whether companies should be involved in blogging and RSS but HOW you should involve your brand and your company. This session provides an overview of how various companies are leveraging the power of blogs, podcasts, RSS feeds and WIKI technology to support their marketing goals.

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November 06–08, 2006Future Trends ConferenceRitz-Carlton, South Beach Miami, FL

A Brave New World: Putting Social Networks to Work. How to engage customers in private online communities to generate insights, intense loyalty and innovation.

Deb Benovitz, Director, Consumer Insights, Cadbury Schweppes
Beth McCarthy, Senior Community Consultant, Communispace

Just a short while ago, market researchers used communities as a faster and cheaper alternative to other available methods. Today, Communities are fast becoming a strategic business-building tool, where intimate high-involvement groups are generating insights, driving revenue and creating intensely loyal customers. In this session Deb Benovitz of Schweppes along with Communispace's Beth McCarthy will discuss why communities are one of the fastest growing trends as more companies realize the potential in deeply engaging with, and listening to, customers in a private, branded experience.

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October 22–26, 2006The Market Research EventHyatt Regency Century Plaza, Los Angeles, CA

CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT: LESSONS FROM AN ONLINE COMMUNITY TRAILBLAZER

David Shearon, Consumer Insights Manager, Trends & Strategic Platforms, General Mills
Siobhan Dullea, Vice President, Client Services, Communispace

What does it mean to deeply engage your customers and listen, really listen? In this session General Mills' David Shearon along with Communispace's Siobhan Dullea will explore how today's marketers and market researchers use online customer communities to invite and involve consumers, treat them like advisors and generate on-going strategic insights that impact growth, innovation and customer loyalty. You will learn how communities work, understand best practices in getting the most from communities and why they are fast becoming the must-have asset.

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October 15–18, 2006SOCAP 2006 Annual ConferenceWestin Harbour Castle Hotel, Toronto, Canada,

Developing Positive Word of Mouth Through Customer Communities

Leslie Forde, Vice President of Strategic Alliances, Communispace

There are a multitude of approaches being used today to induce customer advocacy and WOM. But, it is important to consider how customers become advocates. We believe listening and involving customers may be one of the most powerful means to create relationship capital with a company or a brand. In this session, Leslie Forde will be sharing best practices and real world examples about how building a relationship with customers in private, branded communities gives rise to customer advocates.

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October 04–05, 2006The Power of EngagementSan Francisco, CA

Panel: Embracing Partners and Customers in Co-Innovation

Moderator: Diane Hessan, President & CEO - Communispace
Nam Vo, VP Marketing - Health Systems - Cardinal Health
Nancy Bhagat, VP of Marketing - Intel
John Dragoon, SVP, CMO - Novell

The need for co-innovation is legend in the technology sector where platforms, architectures, standards, protocols, and categories are contingent on driving partner, developer, or channel alignments and support. Embracing customers and other key constituencies into the process reduces the risk of market rejection, hastens adoption rates, and improves customer satisfaction, loyalty and retention. Brand leaders in customer co-innovation will lead this discussion drawing on real-world examples of where and how communities are changing the way companies research, identify and modify their product ideas and innovations.

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October 04–05, 2006Collaborative Innovation SummitTrinity Repertoire Company, Providence, RI

Diane Hessan, CEO, Communispace

Innovators from across the country are redefining the rules of innovation and transforming how value is delivered in every arena. Executives and organizational leaders responsible for growth, strategy and innovation will connect to explore the who, what and how of business model innovation.

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October 04–05, 2006Travel Distribution Summit North America ‘06Holiday Inn Mart Plaza, Chicago, IL

How to Build an Effective Online Community

Siobhan Dullea, VP, Community Consulting

Learn how to successfully fulfill your quest to connect with customers by integrating online communities into your marketing and product innovation strategies. Communities, when properly designed and facilitated, provide deep insights that impact satisfaction, loyalty and innovation. The session will cover the best practices in creating effective customer communities and uncover some innovative ways to tap customers.

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September 21, 2006ITSMABabson Executive Conference Center, Wellesley, MA

Marketing in the New Digital Channels: Blogs and Beyond

Workshop with digital marketing experts:
Siobhan Dullea, VP Community Consulting, Communispace
Paul Dunay, Director of Global Financial Services Marketing, BearingPoint
Lois Kelly, Founding Partner, Foghound
Rachelle Spero, Vice President, Digital Influence Group
Larry Weber, Chairman, W2 Group

Smart marketers are realizing that they can use the new digital channels to help company thought leaders connect with customers and market influencers in much more constructive and interactive discussion. But before they invest fully in digital marketing's next generation, many are looking for guidance around how to best leverage new online tools such as blogs, podcasts, RSS, online communities, and more. This interactive workshop is designed to provide you with the tips and techniques, case study examples, and insight into organizational challenges you need to put together a viable digital marketing plan. Friends of Communispace can sign up for this event at the ITSMA member rate. Use promotion code G17MBAN when registering online.

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September 17–20, 2006Congress 2006: Foresight - The Predictive Power of ResearchThe Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, Westminster, London, UK,

Online Customer Communities: Lessons from the Frontline

Moderator: Diane Hessan, CEO, Communispace
Alison Zelen, Unilever, USA
Paul Caswell, Walt Disney World Disney Parks and Resorts, USA

The changing face of the consumer requires a more profound level of customer engagement-one that allows on-going, two-way conversations, penetrates how customers truly think and feel, and regularly generates input and feedback about what they experience. In this session, Disney and Unilever will share their experiences and challenges creating online customer communities. They will also discuss the increasingly strategic role of this type of consumer research and how it is integrated in the marketing and product development process.

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September 10–13, 20062006 Marketing Research ConferenceSheraton Hotel & Towers, Chicago, IL

Communispace Exhibitor: Meet our team!

The Annual Marketing Research Conference is one of the AMA's largest and most popular professional development forums for the market researcher. Unilever's AXE was the recipient of the 2005 EXPLOR AWARD and Communispace 's guys' community was a key driver. Stop by the Exhibitors hall to learn more about how our online customer communities help deliver deep customer engagement and what it could mean for you.

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June 22–23, 2006The 2006 Marketing Research ConferenceHyatt Regency McCormick Place, Chicago, IL

Online Research: What's Happening; What's New

Christyne Dzwierzynski, CMI Futures and New Capabilities, Unilever
Joyce Ann-Lindbloom Salisbury, Manager, Interactive Research Tool Development, General Motors Corporation

Our clients from Unilever and GM will be sharing their pov and their tools and techniques from their online research toolkit. This session looks at some of the latest trends in the online arena and the future of research on the web. This session also looks at discussion monitoring, communities, market models leveraging advisor consumer data, and traditional online panels.

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June 20–21, 2006Word of Mouth Basic Training 2Hilton, San Fransisco, CA

Online Customer Communities: Lessons from the Frontline

Leslie Forde, VP Strategic Alliances, Communispace
Kathy Baughman, Principal, ComBlu
Ted Wright, Partner, Liquid Intelligence

Your existing customers are your best advocates and idea-generators. Learn to take your existing customers and get them to share information, connect as a community and spread the word about your company. This panel will help you understand the essential steps in getting them active, involved, sharing and speaking.

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June 08–09, 2006The 2006 Innovative Marketing ConferenceColumbia Business School, New York, NY

Panel: The New Toolbox for Marketers:
The rise of search marketing, mobile marketing, buzz marketing and online communities

Moderator: Francois Gossieaux, President, Corante
Kevin Lee, Co-Founder & Executive Chairman, Did-it.com
Heidi Lehman, VP, Third Screen Media
Max Lenderman, Creative Director, GMR Marketing LLC
Bill Tancer, General Manager, Global Research, Hitwise
Diane Hessan, President & CEO, Communispace

Looking at the challenges facing marketers today, this panel will focus on the new possibilities—understanding the emergence of a powerful and exciting new set of tools for marketers to use in their quest to connect with customers.

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March 27–29, 2006Youth Marketing Mega EventHyatt Huntington Beach Resort & Spa,

General Session Chairperson:
Diane Hessan, President and CEO, Communispace Corp.

Come hear Diane kick-off the Youth Marketing Mega Event and introduce a cadre of Youth trend and marketing gurus including Tom Peters.

College Track Chairs:
Diane Hessan, Communispace CEO
Rocky Prozeller, Youth Community Facilitator

Clients like Axe's Unilever, Reebok, Wrigley and Coty engage their customers in private, branded online customer communities. Come meet a Communispace team who connects with the youth market every single day. These expert community managers will share what it means to invite and involve this fickle, cynical, and hard to reach group. Check out Communispace’s original research in the Youth Culture Report

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March 22–26, 2006Rethink 2006: The 52nd Annual ARF Convention and ExpoNew York Marriott Marquis, New York, NY

Panel: Word of Mouth Marketing

Moderator: Jack Myers, Editor & Publisher of MediaVillage.com and of Jack Myers Media Business Report
Jonathan Carson, CEO - Nielsen BuzzMetric
Peter Blackshaw, CMO - Nielsen BuzzMetric
Diane Hessan, President & CEO - Communispace Corp.
Ed Keller, CEO - The Keller Fay Group
Jim Nail, Chief Marketing Officer - Cymfony
John Sheehan, Account Director - Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners

“Haven’t you heard… word is that this will be the best discussion during the Convention! Hear the latest on what’s happening in Word of Mouth marketing. Find out what techniques are working, what’s legal, and what’s yet to be tried. Add your questions to the conversation exploring the compelling issues surround this "new" communication tool in the marketing arsenal.”

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March 08–09, 2006Symposium: The Changing Face of Marketing The Harvard Club, Boston, MA

Marketing: From the Inside Out Here’s the Secret to Totally Engaging Your Customers

Diane Hessan, President and CEO, Communispace
Tom Brailsford, Manager of Advancing Capabilities, Hallmark Cards

It’s a wild, wild, evolving marketing world. But amid the chaos of change, Communispace has discovered a radical, but practical way to make brand insiders and influence growth, innovation and loyalty. In other words, they’ve cracked a chunk of the code on how to deeply engage consumers and deliver the Voice of the Customer.

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February 01–02, 2006The 2006 Growth and Innovation Conference: New Business Models for InnovationNew York Mariott East Side, New York, NY

Panel: The Customer as Key Partner in Innovation

Moderator: Diane Hessan, President and CEO, Communispace
Mark J. Barrenechea, EVP Technology Strategy, Chief Technology Architect, Computer Associates
Murray Martin, President and Chief Operating Officer, Pitney Bowes
Joseph Anthony, Founder and CEO, Vital Marketing
Frederick L. Kitson, Ph.D., VP & Director, Applications, Content & Services, Research Center, Motorola Labs Chief Technology Office

“As more and more companies commit to being truly customer-centric, it becomes critical to ensure that innovation is based, at least in part, on a deep understanding of customers: their needs, wants, preferences and dreams. In this session, executives will explore how a few companies are ensuring that customers have a loud and clear voice in innovation. What role does market research play? What are the new technologies available to understand customers’ desires? Hear some examples of ways companies are using customers to shape products and technologies never before conceived.”

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January 22–25, 20062006 AMA Executive InsightsCamelback Inn, Scottsdale, AZ

“Marketing research professionals are challenged to do more with fewer resources while being asked to provide deeper insights and new approaches—all in a world that continues to get more complex. This year’s conference will focus on how companies are responding to these challenges and winning in the marketplace.”

Jeff Meleski, VP Strategic Accounts and Susan Cress, Director, Strategic Accounts will be attending and on hand to discuss how Communispace delivers deep customer engagement for our clients. Stop by the Exhibitors hall to learn more.

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