Interaction 2008’s Contemporary Focus and Direction

Success in the highly competitive and diverse marketplace of the future will require that your firm develop a carefully conceived process that is capable of formulating a unique business concept that is adept at gaining access to narrowly defined markets through uniquely designed pathways.

In the new emerging experience/knowledge/service economy, the most relevant unit of business competition is not your company or your product lines; rather it is your concept of how to conduct business in a fashion that is uniquely advantageous to your firm and all of its stakeholders.

Tomorrow’s marketplace is an ever changing collection of market segments, market niches, micro-markets, and even markets of one.  All are demanding a more customized and personalized interactive buying experience.

No longer will you be able to approach prospective and existing consumers through a single, independent, stand-alone market channel. Your future communications and distribution channels must be borderless.

What’s Changed Since Our 2006 and 2007 Events

The program for INTERACTION 2008 is a departure from the previous two years. Results of surveys and focus group studies of previous INTERACTION conference participants have revealed a number of different ways in which the conference and its programming could be improved.

One need stood out among all – the need to be able to not only know “what to do” [theory and concept] but also know “how to do it” [practice and application].

The result will be a conference program that is truly unique in both content coverage and experiential learning methodologies. We believe that this conference program will be different from and superior to any conference you have experienced previously. This bold claim is

1. Lecture sessions are devoted to the study of the basic content knowledge that describe “what” you need to know in order to perform a specific direct marketing function or carry out various marketing activities. Examples of these functions and activities include:
   • Producing an infomercial

   • Conducting a focus group research study

   • Editing and debugging a Web site

   • Developing an in-house list

   • Writing creative copy

   • Navigating the world of direct mail

   • Establishing a search engine optimization strategy

   • Writing a strategic marketing plan

2. Laboratory sessions will be focused on applying “how to do” what you have learned in the morning sessions. These involvement sessions will provide you with the practices, applications, processes, methods and other practical tools for putting your new found knowledge to work. A major outcome goal for the conference is that every participant will leave with several practical and applied “take-aways” that they can put to immediate use.

3. The conference venue is the new and exciting learning environment of the Taylor Institute for Direct Marketing; it is unrivaled by any other academic or business educational facility in the world. Located on the top floor of a newly renovated department store building in downtown Akron on the campus of The University of Akron, the Taylor Institute offers a collection of modern classrooms and laboratories that are totally devoted to direct marketing education and research. The fun, funky and comfortable atmosphere of the Taylor Institute is supported by state-of-the-art learning technologies. A short list of some of the special facilities includes:
   • Marketing analytics laboratory

   • InfoCision call center

   • e-marketing laboratory

   • Direct response laboratory

   • Infomercial studio

   • Creative marketing laboratory

   • InfoCision In the Round seminar room

   • Focus group research room

   • Internet Usability Laboratory

   • Direct marketing library

   • Innovation ‘war” rooms

   • Up-scaled seminar rooms

   • Interactive classrooms
     
     

4. Conference presentations and interactive learning laboratory experiences will be conducted by an intermingling combination of business practitioners and academic educators - a truly meaningful and practical     blending of theory and practice – the best of both worlds.

5. The personal interactive character of the conference is strengthened by the small size of many of the learning venues. Most of the program tracks are restricted by the limited size of the laboratories used in the afternoon application experiences. Smaller classroom sizes encourage interaction between all participants and provide more opportunities to address specific issues raised by participants. We are a conference of more dialogues and fewer monologues.

6. Conference programming offers a variety of content tracks consistent with needs expressed by previous attendees and topics that have emerged as “hot-button” issues as identified by the trade press. The INTERACTION 2008 program is viewed as a foundation upon which future conference programs willbe constructed. The most popular programs will be repeated and complementary programs will be developed.