Events and Training

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Date :	25th January 2008
Speaker :	Ruth P. Stevens
Topic :	What's Working in B-to-B Direct Marketing Today!

This year we will be kicking off our programs with a very special treat. Ruth Stevens, Chair of the Direct Marketing Club of New York, and international direct marketing educator currently teaching at Singapore Management University will be coming to Hong Kong in January. Ruth graciously agreed to a rare public appearance for the HKDMA and will address her specialty, B-to-B direct marketing. Ruth's presentation is usually given to invitation-only gatherings in the US, so this is one you will not want to miss!

Direct marketing continues to play a major role in the world of selling to business, from sales lead generation, to database management, to e-commerce, to customer relationship management.

You will hear the latest in marketing tools and tactics available to business marketers-both online and offline, plus the Number One most powerful offer that is driving response among business buyers. Ruth will explain how B-to-B marketing differs from consumer, as well as their points of intersection. She will also share some cautionary stories about what's NOT working-to help you select the most likely strategies to focus on first. Finally, Ruth will provide insights into the tried and true of B-to-B - the techniques that have stood the test of time, and are still working for business marketers today.

Ruth P. Stevens is a New York based consultant and professor of marketing at Columbia University's graduate school of business. She is teaching at Singapore Management University for the spring semester 2008.

So reserve your seat now and you will definitely take home with you some great ideas of driving your business.

100 Million years ago large plant eating dinosaurs roamed the earth, thriving on a strategy based on huge mass and scale. Today all of these animals are extinct and smaller more versatile creatures called mammals now dominate the earth.

Direct marketing is at an interesting juncture in its evolution, there is a competing mix of large-scale campaigns and smaller more nimble targeted marketing. Customer data is the key, but how do you use it and avoid your marketing going the way of the dinosaur?

You will learn new approaches to grow and evolve your business. Direct marketing trends, data mining techniques, campaign scaling, customer modeling, usage of digital printing in small and large marketing campaigns will be discussed. You will gain an understanding of what is driving the changes in direct marketing. And what you need to do to thrive in the new environment.

Our speaker, Regan Yan, is a career database marketer. He is currently MD at Digital Alchemy, a marketing leading Database Marketing Service Provider that provides data strategy, segmentation, propensity modeling and marketing automation solutions to some of the largest direct marketers in Australia and Asia Pacific.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

This year's Annual General Meeting will be held prior to the luncheon, from 11:00 - 12:30. All members are invited to attend. We will be electing new officers at this meeting so your attendance is very important. If you are interested in serving the HKDMA as an officer, please contact us.

Last year our Chairman, Randall Davidson for the first time attended the DMA conference representing HKDMA, held in San Francisco. Randall will share his experiences, thoughts, and important takeaways from his DMA experience including items that may have a direct impact on HKDMA members in the near future. Randall will also present HKDMA 2006, year in review, for the members.

Gene Raitt, HKDMA board member and DMA board director will then present the very best of the DMA, but with a twist. This year, Gene will dissect the ECHO award winners in the top two categories, the Diamond ECHO for the best overall direct marketing campaign, and the Gold Mailbox award for best direct mail campaign. You will be surprised and delighted to see how direct mail at its highest level can be used to turn a potential disaster into a fabulous success. How? Well you will just have to attend this entertaining session to discover for yourself.

Similarly, when you see the Diamond ECHO campaign, you will understand what the term "involvement device" means, and that if it is used properly, the prospect will become so involved in your copy/art that before they even realize what is happening, they have gone from prospect to customer.

Most importantly, you will hear from both presentations information you can take right back to the office and use. International direct marketing trends, legislative trends and developments, creative breakthroughs, and strategic marketing planning all come together at this year's presentation.

The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) in conjunction with the HKDMA will launch the Professional Diploma in Direct Marketing Program for the Spring 2007 semester. This program is based upon a curriculum that will ensure graduates have reached a level of competency as direct marketing practitioners that qualify them as "professionals". Program material includes facilitation from CUHK distinguished professors as well as cases sharing from outstanding direct marketing professionals from the HK business community.

The HKDMA conducted a luncheon presentation that included a mini session from Professor Andrew, C F Chan, JP from CUHK, along with a practical sharing from Gene Raitt, Executive Vice President, Direct Marketing, AIG..

Staffs who graduate with the Professional Diploma in Direct Marketing from The Chinese University of Hong Kong will have an important additional credential, and employers whose staff graduate will have the added comfort level that proven, measured and validated competency bring to any organization.

How do you run a successful direct marketing business in a market with no history, lack of physical and financial infrastructure, and do it as a "foreign guest" in China?

Don't miss this chance to learn about Direct Marketing in China .

Paul Condrell founded Healthy Household (小康之家) with his wife in 1993, after working in China as a consultant. Having come to China in 1983 to study Chinese, Paul has had the longest running direct marketing business in China .

Learn about trials, success and challenges from one of the pioneers in China .

Healthy Household's mission is to be China 's most trusted distance-seller and promote a "healthy" lifestyle. Based in Guangzhou , HH sells over 800 household,  health, beauty and collectible products via catalog, website ( www.xiaokang.com ) and telesales to 500,000 consumers throughout China .

Anyone who is interest ed in exploring the vast Chinese market, taking advantage of new wealth, access to credit and the consumer culture th at is developing there, should attend this event.

One of the best ways to learn about CRM is to study other companies who use it profitably. Our June speaker program examines how customer data can be used by marketers to better understand their customers and to develop new ways to communicate with them.  

Harrah's. A Success Story in CRM!

Learn how Harrah's (owners of Bally's, Ceasers Palace, Rio, Flamingo and many others...) increased market share and profitability through its "Total Rewards" program. We will see how actions (marketing activities) and reactions (customer responses) work in close proximity and learn something about the gaming industry!

Ms. Ro King has more than 15 years of experience in the areas of direct marketing, customer contact management, and strategic planning. Ro's clients span financial services, hospitality, retail, and pharmaceuticals. He most recent work focuses on customer data strategies, direct marketing process redesign, e-marketing and direct mail project planning.

Hospitality is Booming in the PRD! Get Ready to Compete!

Some of the most successful hospitality and leisure companies in the world are building in Hong Kong and Macao . Come and learn what programs you can expect from these players and take away the knowledge you need to make your organization competitive, no matter what your industry.

Hong Kong will soon have comprehensive legislation to tackle the growing tide of SPAM email, SMS, and automated voice calls. What will you have to do to ensure that your organisation is ready?

Come and learn how the legislation could impact your business, and learn how other marketers are already adopting global best practice standards to ensure compliance

Examine the details of the proposed legislation with Dominic Powers, Managing Director, Asia Pacific, for DoubleClick Email Solutions. Based in Hong Kong , Dominic is responsible for leading the day-to-day operations of the business throughout the region.

The following representatives who would share with us their perspective views from the Government; Service Providers; Consumers' right as well as from Industry Leaders:-

Mr. Tony Li, Principal Assistant Secretary; Communications and Technology Branch; CITB, HKSAR

Mr. Stephan Gervois of Premiere Global Services
Ms: Pamela Chan CEO, Consumer Council

Mr. Greg Crichton and Mr. Johnny Cheung, General Counsel of AIG

The proposed legislation has far reaching affects for all direct marketers, including emailers, mailers and outbound call centers.

How in the world did Octopus convince over 1,000,000 of its anonymous cardholders to divulge enough information to make even the most jaded direct marketer drool with envy?

Learn for yourself the amazing story of Octopus. See for yourself how one of the most successful ventures ever launched in Hong Kong (if not SEA) developed and executed a strategy to convert anonymous stored value cards into automatically recharged cards and learned everything they needed to know about their best consumers at the same time.

Discover the "secrets" of basic direct marketing and the huge payoff they bring as Eric Tai, CEO of Octopus Cards and chief architect of its incredible success teaches you about media strategy, offer positioning and creative execution. Hear Eric tell you how fulfilling the "brand promise" positions Octopus ideally to offer additional products and services as a strategic partner.

Don't miss this important spring event as the HKDMA kicks off the activities for 2006.

Please join us for some lunch, some "holiday cheer", some networking, some fun, and especially some useable KNOWLEDGE on all the latest trends in direct marketing from the US .

Gene Raitt, Executive Vice President, Direct Marketing for AIG Companies worldwide will be making this year's presentation. Gene is also a member of the board of directors of both the HKDMA and the US DMA. Gene is on the Executive Committee of the DMA as well as the Education and Training Committee.

Gene's presentation will focus on some very surprising trends in the direct marketing industry. These trends include media usage, direct mail, and telemarketing. He will also speak on some exciting new developments concerning future affiliations between HKDMA and the US DMA. You will leave this session with information that you can immediately take back to your company and USE...that's our commitment to you!