The 26th Annual Joint Chapter Conference

April 11th – 13th, 2012   |   Planet Hollywood, Las Vegas

[Click Here to Register Online]

Early Bird Deadline: Wednesday, March 14th, 2012

All early bird registrants will be entered into a drawing for a chance to win a 2012 SWMRA Educational Forum Registration. Register early at Planet Hollywood (877-244-9474) and receive the conference rate of $99 per night! Use Room Code SMSMR2.

REGISTER NOW | Register by November 28th, 2011

Where: Lake Union Café, 3119 Eastlake Ave. E., Seattle , WA 98102 (map)

The NorthWest Chapter of the MRA and the PSRF are co-hosting the annual Holiday Party. This year, the festivities will be held at the Lake Union Cafe.  Each MRA sponsor will be given two tickets to the Chocolate Box’s Seattle Winery Tour to give away to a lucky attendee.

This is a great opportunity to catch up with the MRA and PSRF community members and make new acquaintances.

A limited number of sponsorship opportunities are available at $250! Gain access and exposure to both the NorthWest MRA and PSRF groups. Contact Kelle Rupp today.

Parking: Parking is free in the LUC parking spots in the lot next to the Lake Union Café (3119 Eastlake Ave E, Seattle WA 98101)

Attendance rates:
Cost: $30 for PSRF/MRA Members and $45 for Non-Members.
All members may bring one guest (non member) for the member price of $30.
Guests of non-members are also welcome to attend at the $45 non member rate.

Each registration also includes a drink ticket and heavy appetizers.

REGISTER NOW | Register by Nov 28, 2011

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Sponsored by

Join the Northwest MRA at the Parlor Live Comedy Club in Bellevue

for an excellent opportunity to meet your market research colleagues and

enjoy a hilarious night of comedy, an open beer and wine bar and unlimited appetizers!

The evening’s entertainment will be NBC’s original winner of

Last Comic Standing: Dat Phan.

COST: Free for MRA Members, $25 for Non-MRA Members

TIME: Thursday August 11th,

6 PM to 7:30PM – Unlimited Happy Hour/Appetizer Social

7:30 PM to 9 PM – Comedy Show Begins

Location

You must register here before 10 PM August 8th to join our group.

Although we ask for your credit card info,

we will only charge it for the appropriate amount after the show.

Any no shows will be charged the full cost ($50) of attending.

There will be no registration at the door.

We request all attendees arrive before 6:30 PM.

2011 Joint Chapter Conference

March 2 – 4, 2011    |    Paris Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas

Registration :    ONLINE   |  OFFLINE (PDF)

Conference schedule now available! (PDF)

 Brought to you by :

Topic and speaker preview:

Topic: Once Upon A Time…Using Research To Tell A Story

Speakers: Andrew Campbell, Lead, Consumer and Small Business Insights, Dell, Inc. &  Keith Kozak, Director of Consumer and Small Business User Experience and Insights, Dell, Inc. 

Learner Outcomes: By the end of this learning session, participants will be able to:

Understand the shift in consumer research happening at Dell; why its happening; where its headed; and what this means for the future of research vendors.

Topic: So What Does All This Social Media Nonsense Have To Do With Real Research?

Speaker: R. Scott Evans Ph.D, Social Media Thought Leader, Microsoft

The presentation offers a brief overview of the issues surrounding social media research and some of the technological advances that are making this approach a viable and legitimate method for understanding market trends. The discussion covers both the strengths and weaknesses of social media approaches and what market researchers need to understand before venturing down this path. This is linked to what clients often look for in pitches that include a social media component. Finally, there is a review of some of the important successes within Microsoft and how social media research has informed our understanding of influence in PR and the impact on marketing strategies.

Learner Outcomes: By the end of this learning session, participants will be able to:

1.  How social media is being used to supplement and sometimes replace traditional research;
2.  Understanding how social media and conventional market research offer complimentary points of view
3.  How to use social media analysis to move from descriptive reporting to business insights

Topic: “The Commoditization of Research”

Speaker: Brian Cooper, VP Technology, TNS

Preview: As researchers, our industry is undergoing a rapid change in how vendors are delivering services to clients and how clients are delivering research to their internal colleagues. With the plethora of online tools, both qualitative and quantitative, beginning and intermediate researchers can pick up the research skills quite quickly and cost efficiently. Feasibility is no longer an issue with research. Given that the tools and the technology put all researchers on an equal playing field, researchers must adapt to the situation.

Learner Outcomes: By the end of this learning session, participants will be able to:

1. Understand how the industry is changing
2. Learn what techniques people are currently doing to deal with the Commoditization of Research
3. Develop 3 skills that will help the audience overcome the Commoditization of Research

Topic: “20 years in the field - The Ethnographic Journey”

Speaker: Jim McAlexander, Professor Oregon State University

Dr. McAlexander will discuss the emergence of marketing-focused ethnographic consumer research and its impact in both the “academic” and “applied” research fields.

As a pioneer in the use of ethnographic research, he will discuss the ways in which ethnographic research has evolved and how that evolution has influenced market research processes. He will also convey some of the challenges associated with conducting and reporting ethnographic work in ways that fit the requirements of client teams. 

Learner Outcomes: By the end of this learning session, participants will be able to:

1. An understanding of ethnographic research contributions to marketing in academia and in practice
2. Knowledge of the evolution of ethnographic research methods and reporting
3. An appreciation of how ethnographic methods can complement traditional quantitative research methods

Topic: Understanding the Next Generations

Speaker: Jane Buckingham, Trendera, Inc.

Ms. Buckingham is the world’s foremost expert on Generations X, Y, and V. Generations are changing faster then ever, and that means your consumers and your employees are changing faster then ever. To appeal to them, market to them, manage them, and compete with them, you need first to understand who they are.

Gen X? Gen Y? Gen Z? Who are these mixed-up alphabets of generations? And why do they matter? Generations are changing faster then ever, and that means your consumers and your employees are changing faster then ever. To appeal to them, market to them, manage them, and compete with them, you need first to understand who they are.

This hour-long presentation will define each generation, providing clear examples every audience can relate to and see themselves within. It will also examine methods for targeting your appeal to each generation individually or, conversely, constructing a unifying message to reach all three. The presentation will touch upon both macro and micro trends that will emerge from these generations and affect all generations in the next 2-5 years. In short, you’ll emerge understanding your parents, your kids, your siblings, your employees AND what will happen next!

This event is brought to you by:

Sponsorship

Special Event & Program Sponsorship opportunities start at $750 | download PDF form | Sponsorship benefits (PDF)

Conference Sponsor and Raffle Info – opportunties start at $25| download PDF form

More links

Conference flyer (pdf)

Read about the 2010 conference

Fun photos from the 2010 conference