EVENT RECAP

Robert Wolcott, Kellogg School of Business and author of Grow from Within: Mastering Corporate Entrepreneurship and Innovation

Sandy Schwartz, Phoenix Marketing International

George Terhanian, Harris Interactive Inc.

From left, Jim Follett, Authentic Response; Michael Brereton, Maritz; and John Gongos, Gongos

CASRO's first Management Conference was widely praised by attendees for providing high-level strategic and tactical insights in all key areas, including operations, finance, and sales. The conference, which was held Wednesday, June 16 and Thursday, June 17 at the W Lakeshore in Chicago, featured C-level executives from market research firms of all sizes and specialties, who shared candid assessments of their current state of business, their operational challenges and future outlook.

In his keynote address, Robert Wolcott, Executive Director of Kellogg Innovation Network, cited theory and examples from his book, "Grow From Within: Mastering Corporate Entrepreneurship & Innovation". Wolcott challenged attendees to scrap traditional views on innovation which tend to focus on the what, and to also consider the how, the who and the where. He showcased the "Innovation Radar", a tool he developed that provides a 360-degree view of innovation and helps companies visually take stock of their strengths, weaknesses and potential for new value creation.

Sanford Schwartz, President of Phoenix Marketing International, and George Terhanian, President, Global Solutions, at Harris Interactive Inc., shared details of the inner workings of their businesses in two presentations that featured engaging Q&A.

During a CEO panel discussion, Michael Brereton, President of Martiz Research Inc.; Jim Follett, CEO of Authentic Response; and John Gongos, President & CEO of Gongos Research Inc., acknowledged they have shifted to shorter planning timelines and that clients continue to transfer more tasks in house. One strategy noted was a focus on various specialties and key "differentiator" offerings rather than promoting aptitude as a "full-service" provider.

Jack Honomichl, Inside Research

Bill Guerin, Cambiar

Other sessions included insights on such topics as contracts and procurement, ISO certification, and a sneak peek at the 2010 Honomichl Top 50 and a look behind the top-line numbers from Jack Honomichl, Founder, Inside Research

Weaving in data from a new CASRO member survey on current business and future expectations, Kevin Menk, Managing Partner at Strategic Resource Partners, presented "Survival to Growth: What it Takes to Make the Transition".

Research execs from Microsoft, PepsiCo, and General Mills provided insight into their organizations and advice for research agencies seeking to enhance their value proposition. Among the ideas: move toward holistic approaches; incorporate real time, continuous learning; master the art of storytelling; don?t be sold on a specific process, but seek to address the underlying need in the best way.

Critical financial and operations leadership issues were addressed by Tyler McMullen, Senior Vice President of MarketVision Research, Harold Busack, CFO of Throroughbred Research Group, and Mark Hardy, COO of Survey Sampling International, in an interactive panel discussion.

Why do sales programs under perform? The company's value proposition isn't clear or compelling; the sales orientation is reactive/responsive; and there is a lack of consistency and discipline in planning and managing sales performance - those were three of several correctable reasons cited by Bill Guerin, Partner, Cambiar. Bill's interactive session provided numerous easy-to-implement takeaways to improve sales and was described as "the perfect ending for the conference."

Special thanks to our exhibitors and sponsors and to Conference Chair Rahul Sahgal, CEO of Annik Technology Services.

From left: Moderator Dan Coates (Globalpark), Steve Schwartz, Microsoft; Kent Bassett, PepsiCo; and Eric Taylor, General Mills

From left, Conference Chair Rahul Sahgal, Annik; Tyler McMullen, MarketVision Research; Harold Busack, Thoroughbred Research Group; and Mark Hardy, Survey Sampling International