Join more than 90 distinguished practitioners, academics, and thought leaders who are gathered to share their best practices and business solutions at more than 70 sessions over three days...
Brian K. Abrams, Esq., CPA, President and CEO, Corporate Imaging Concepts
Peer-to-Peer Panel: Make a Client for Life: Using Promotional Products to Develop Client Relationships & Show ROI
Brian is the founder, President and CEO of Corporate Imaging Concepts, Inc. located in Northbrook, IL. Corporate Imaging has been named Vendor of the Year by Allegis Group and American Honda’s Premier Partner. Last year Corporate Imaging received over 25,000 online orders while Brian, personally, generated $5 million in sales. In addition to Brian, Corporate Imaging has 15 sales professionals.Daniel Abramson, CTS, President, Staffdynamics
Selling Smart in Tough Times by Understanding the Four Personality Types
Daniel Abramson, CTS, President of Staffdynamics is an accomplished author of two books, sought-after sales trainer and business coach. He has focused on sales performance strategies and “raising the bar” for over 25 years.Elizabeth Albright, Director, Account Services, MarketSense
Facebook, LinkedIn & Twitter (oh my!): Taking the Fear out of Social Media
Beth has more than 20 years of strategic marketing experience, enabling her to produce an extensive array of revenue-generating programs that have increase awareness, profits and market share for her clients. Beth has held senior management positions in sales, product management and marketing for several international manufacturing organizations and a marketing consulting company. In 2005 she joined MarketSense as Director of Client Services, where she is responsible for overseeing the account teams that develop and implement thousands of marketing programs for the firm’s B2B and B2C clients every year.Louise Anderson, President, Anderson Performance Improvement Company
Accelerate Strategic Initiatives with Online Recognition Tools: Case Study with Wolters Kluwer
Ms. Anderson leads an award-winning organization that designs and implements reward and recognition programs for large companies. Louise has 25+ years experience in the performance improvement and incentive industry. She has helped her clients (to name a few industries—telecommunications, banking and financial services, manufacturing, and transportation) achieve accelerated growth by developing and implementing performance improvement programs for employees and third-party distribution. Her company consistently delivers Returns on Investment (ROI) that exceed 200% for clients.David L. Andre, Founder and Chairman, Mall Networks
Extending & Enhancing Traditional Loyalty Programs with Loyalty Shopping
An experienced entrepreneur and executive with more than 20 years’ experience building and growing successful Internet and technology businesses, David Andre co-founded Mall Networks in 2005. A recognized expert in Internet search and e-commerce, David was founding CTO of Upromise, the largest and most successful coalition loyalty program in the United States. At Upromise, David was responsible for one of the company’s most critical business processes – the development and evolution of Upromise’s technology platform. At Upromise, David also managed ongoing business, technology and partner operations. He developed and implemented the business model for Upromise Online Shopping, one of the Internet’s most successful online e-commerce sites.Rick Blabolil, CPIM, President, Marketing Innovators
Incentive Sales in a 2.0 World: What It Means for You
FORUM: The Three New Rules for Leadership: It's about People, People, People
Rick Blabolil is president of Marketing Innovators (MI), one of the most respected full-service people performance management companies in the U.S. Providing thought leadership to the industry, Rick is past president of the Forum for People Performance Management and Measurement, past president of the Incentive Marketing Association, vice president of the Incentive Research Foundation, and member of the Performance Improvement Council and Incentive Federation. A Certified Professional of Incentive Management (CPIM), Rick is a respected expert and speaker at major events across the country. He holds an MBA from Northwestern University, J.L. Kellogg School of Management.Michelle Bonterre, Vice President, Marketing, AchieveGlobal
Generation Motivation
As vice president of marketing, Michelle Bonterre is responsible for the development of a strong understanding of the AchieveGlobal (www.achieveglobal.com) marketplace and customer base, for brand recognition and market penetration, and for designing marketing programs to grow sales and profits and to increase retention and repeat business. She is a member of the American Marketing Association and earned a Bachelor of Arts, Honors degree at The University of London.Ellen Campbell-Kaminski, Vice President Solution Marketing, LexisNexis
Innovative Programs that Drive Customer Relationships, Retention & Sales Growth: Case Study with LexisNexis
Ellen Campbell-Kaminski is Vice President Solution Marketing for the Research, Litigation and Business Information Solutions line within U.S. Legal Markets. In this role she has primary responsibility for customer experience and product marketing to ensure that our solutions best meet customer needs. Ellen previously held the position of Vice President Marketing for U.S. Legal Markets where she had primary responsibility for product and customer marketing programs for all solution lines and legal markets. She supervised a team of over 100 marketing professionals working on demand generation events, advertising, public relations, trial campaigns and unassisted sales efforts.Ann Canonica, CMP, CMM, Regional Manager – Latin America Meetings & Incentives
Strategic Hotel Sourcing: Domestic & International
Born and raised in the south of France, Agnès also lived in Argentina and St. Martin prior to coming to the United States in 1981. She is fluent in French and Spanish with a working knowledge of Portuguese. Her professional background includes running her own international incentive company and extensive experience in pharmaceutical meeting planning. In her current position, she leads a team that executes the company’s Latin American programs. Prior to joining Meeting & Incentives, she was an Account Manager at George P. Johnson (GPJ) and a Director at Krugman Group International (KGI), where she managed the company’s global meetings LifeSciences portfolio. Lou Carbone, Author, Clued In - How to Keep Customers Coming Back Again
Get Clued In to Experience Management: How to Keep Customers Coming Back Again & Again
Recognized as the leader who launched the experience movement in the early 1990s, author of "Clued In" (Prentice Hall 2004, 8th printing), Lou Carbone delivers a thought provoking program on how to connect emotionally with customers.Christine Castle, Director, Global Sales Operations, Incentives & Engagements, Cisco Systems, Inc.
The Importance of Face Time & Other Key Strategies for Motivating a Sales Force: Case Study with Cisco Systems
With more than 18 years of experience at Cisco Systems in a variety of roles in both marketing and sales, Christine Castle has an industry-wide proven track record for developing and communicating Cisco’s global strategy for sales incentives, recognition, and events in the company’s major sales theaters including Asia Pacific, European Markets, Emerging Markets, Japan, US and Canada.Chris Ceravalo, Director of Compensation, Coca-Cola Bottling Company Consolidated
Secret Formula Revealed - A New Approach to Measurable Incentive Impact: Case Study with Coca-Cola Bottling
In his current role Chris is responsible for aligning compensation with the goals and objectives of the organization and its subsidiaries. A significant portion of his work focuses on the successful design, implementation, measurement and communication of Compensation, Incentive, and Recognition programs. To increase performance and employee engagement, Chris works with all levels of the organization to provide competitive reward and recognition programs leveraging technology, internal branding and communications.Timothy Cook, Director, Interactive Services, MarketSense
Facebook, LinkedIn & Twitter (oh my!): Taking the Fear out of Social Media
Tim has more than 15 years of in-house and agency-side marketing and communications experience for a broad range of companies including Convergys, Intel, SAP, AT&T, Charles Schwab, HP and Sun Microsystems. In both capacities, Tim has led and implemented multi-channel marketing programs that drive awareness, influence perception and generate revenue. In 2007, Tim joined MarketSense as Director of Interactive Services, where he is responsible for overseeing interactive strategy and development for the firm’s clients.Kevin J. Cronin, Vice President of Recognition and Reward Solutions, Perks.com and President, Recognition Professionals International
Merger Anyone? How to Effectively Merge Engagement & Recognition Programs
Maximize Your Training Results by Integrating with Your Reward Strategy
Developing Sales Incentive Programs with Impact
With Perks.com, Kevin provides incentive and motivation solutions that enable companies to maximize employee engagement in driving business results. He currently serves on the board of Recognition Professionals International, a non-profit association of executives focused on recognition innovations and education to enhance organization performance and employee engagement in the workplace. Donna Cutting, President and CEO, Donna Cutting Presents
Create the Celebrity Experience: Insider Secrets to Delivering Red-Carpet Customer Service
Donna Cutting, CSP is the author of “The Celebrity Experience: Insider Secrets to Delivering Red-Carpet Customer Service,” published by Wiley. President and CEO of Donna Cutting Presents, Inc., she is a full time keynote speaker on the topics of employee engagement and red-carpet customer service. Her company also provides training and consulting programs to assist people in keeping the red-carpet experience alive in their organizations. Rob Danna, Director Performance Improvement Technologies, ITAGroup, Inc.
How Your Technology Choice Can Make or Break Program Success
Rob is committed to motivating individuals to achieve higher levels of performance by increasing engagement, communication, recognition and reward in the workplace. Rob has leveraged his 20 year background in technology and sales management to bring real-world performance improvement solutions to hundreds of large companies.Audrey Davies, Senior Manager, Events Management, The Home Depot
Rewarding Green: Unique Perspectives on Being Eco-Friendly: Case Study with Home Depot & Ritz-Carlton
Peter Davis, President, Vesdia Corporation
Using Customer Loyalty Programs to Increase Top Line Sales: Regardless of Channel; with Hammacher Schlemmer, Claim Jumper Restaurants & Sunglass Hut/Luxottica Retail
During his professional career Pete has held progressive leadership positions with both Fortune 500 firms, as well as various entrepreneurial endeavors. Through Pete's leadership Vesdia Corporation has become a widely recognized leader in the mutual fund and credit card industries, and enjoyed average annual revenue growth of more than 300 percent during the past five years. For his efforts, Pete has received recognition as a nominee for the coveted Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award and was recently named to both the Grant Thornton "Catalyst 50" list of Atlanta's most influential entrepreneurs, as well as to the Atlanta Business Chronicle's list of "50 Under 40" list of up-and-coming executives. Kate Demarest Lastinger, CMM, CMP, Owner, Metaphrasis Group – Strategic Meetings Management Consulting Firm
Thought-Leader Panel: Strategic Meetings Management in Challenging Economic Times
With more than 19 years in event marketing, Kate is a well seasoned corporate strategist. Her deep experience managing events of all types and sizes, marketing of special events and developing financial strategy provides a unique perspective of the corporate meetings environment. During her many years working with and in Fortune 500 corporate meeting departments, she identified a need for consulting services aimed at the successful purchase and implementation of Strategic Meetings Management. Currently providing a literal translation of meeting consolidation offerings, Kate supports both her corporate clientele and the providers of services and technology in coming together to build successful programs that bring results.Brant Dolan, CPIM, Director of Sales, The Certif-A-Gift Company
Principles of Results-Based Incentive Program Design for Promotional Consultants
"Get in the Game" of Selling Incentives for Promotional Consultants
Having over 25 years of incentive marketing experience, Brant’s knowledge base covers a wide spectrum of incentive product applications, as well as program design, logistics and implementation. Brant’s consultation with end user companies, as well as industry suppliers, typically involves subject matter relative to; merchandise fulfillment, branded gift cards, debit cards, incentive travel venues, meeting applications, program design, communication campaigns, online platforms to track metrics and program analytics. He is highly experienced in direct sales, channel sales, product development and business to business marketing.Hilary Dreiling, Sr. Manager, Recognition, Meetings & Events, T-Mobile USA
Doing More with Less: Adapting a Reward & Recognition Strategy to Meet Economic Challenges: Case Study with T-Mobile
Hilary has worked for T-Mobile in many roles since 1999. Currently, she creates and manages diverse programs that reward front line employees for exceeding key performance metrics, drive business results, and reinforce T-Mobile’s values. Deeply committed to recognizing the successes of its more than 40,000 hard-working employees, T-Mobile has gained a well-deserved reputation for its far-reaching and effective rewards and recognition program network.Carlos Dunlap,, Practice Director, Loyalty Consulting, Kobie Marketing
Strategies & Implementation of Loyalty Programs: Enterprise, Engagement & Economic Considerations
Carlos Dunlap Peggy Eddens, Executive Vice President, Director, Human Capital Management
Build a Culture of Engagement & Improve Your Bottom Line: Case Study with WSFS Bank
Peggy Eddens is a Pittsburgh native and relocated to Wilmington to become the Executive Vice President and the Human Capital Director for WSFS Bank. Peggy joined the Bank in August 2007, where she oversees all aspects of Human Capital including: Learning and Development, Benefits, Compensation, Associate Relations, Payroll, Recruiting, Human Sigma and the Associate Idea Program.Kelly Everhart, Managing Partner, Strategic Management Solutions LLC
Thought-Leader Panel: Strategic Meetings Management in Challenging Economic Times
Kelly Everhart is the Managing Partner of Strategic Management Solutions, LLC. Leveraging twenty years of experience in legal and operational management, Kelly works with her clients to apply creative solutions to address the combined needs of risk protection, cost reduction and financial management for meetings, travel and sourcing clients. Kelly has worked with a number of enterprises implementing Strategic Meetings Management solutions and regularly consults with global enterprises on strategic contract management initiatives. Kelly is a member of the NBTA Global Risk Management Committee and the SMM Certification Task Force.Kevin Flynn, CAS, Director of Sales, TBK Promotions, Inc.
Peer-to-Peer Panel: Make a Client for Life: Using Promotional Products to Develop Client Relationships & Show ROI
Kevin Flynn, has been a Promotional Professional since 1993 but being a second generation promotional products professional, literally grew up in the business. Kevin is current President of the Promotional Professionals Association of Chicago.Lorri Freifeld, Editor-in-Chief, Training and Sales & Marketing Management
Generation Motivation
Lorri Freifeld is the editor-in-chief of Training and Sales & Marketing Management magazines, owned by Nielsen Business Media. A writer/editor for the last 17 years, she has held editing positions at a variety of publications, including License! Global, Global Cosmetic Industry, BFiA, KPMG Consumer Markets Insider online news service, EyeWear magazine and Chief Executive magazine. She holds a bachelor’s of science degree from St. John’s University and a master’s degree in journalism from New York University.Chris Gaia, Vice President, Marketing, Maritz Travel
Mitigating Reputational Risk in Meetings, Events & Incentives
As Vice President of Marketing, Chris Gaia is responsible for marketing strategy, product development, media relations, events strategy and virtual meetings. His 25 years of marketing experience includes senior level positions with Citigroup, PriceWaterhouse Coopers and the Farm Credit System, where he was responsible for increasing sales through the introduction of new products and the creative application of sound marketing and sales management principles.Sean Geehan, CEO and Founder, Geehan Group
Innovative Programs that Drive Customer Relationships, Retention & Sales Growth: Case Study with LexisNexis
Sean Geehan is CEO and Founder of Geehan Group, the leader in connecting executives to their most important customers to drive loyalty, sales, and long term market alignment.Richard Goldman, COO, Birkman International, Inc.
Generation Motivation
Richard Goldman is the COO of Birkman International, Inc. (www.birkman.com), which provides a unique assessment tool that accurately measures internal needs, behaviors, occupational preferences, and organizational strengths. The Birkman Method has been used for more than 50 years by 2 million-plus people and 5,000 organizations worldwide to guide their hiring, retention, motivational, and organizational development activities.Tamara Gordon, Director-Travel, Meetings, Fleet, Boston Scientific
Thought-Leader Panel: Strategic Meetings Management in Challenging Economic Times
During her 21 year career in travel, Tamara Gordon has been fortunate to work in several areas of the travel industry. As the Global Travel & Meetings Manager for UnitedHealth Group, Tamara has responsibility across UnitedHealth Group’s seven businesses for purchasing and operations of corporate and group travel with an annual volume $150 million.Steven Green, Founder and President, PollStream Inc.
Leveraging Social Networking to Increase Engagement & Retention: Case Study with TD Canada Trust
Steven is the founder and President of PollStream Inc., a leading provider of interactive engagement and community building solutions. Steven built PollStream with the intention of helping global companies to engage their customers and employees in measurable and meaningful two-way dialogue.Todd Hanson, CRP, CPIM, President and Founder, Catalyst Performance Group, Inc.
Holistic Strategies that Turbocharge Customer Loyalty
To Meet or Not to Meet: Is That Your Question?
Todd offers 20 years of experience helping organizations achieve people performance goals. Todd began his career as an award winning sales representative for a global leader in agricultural chemicals. Next, he was a top performing sales executive, a manager of sales professionals and a key management executive and owner of a top ten performance improvement, incentive and meeting planning provider with sales exceeding $100,000,000.Matt Harris, Vice President, Marketing, American Express Incentive Services
Leverage the Latest Research to Improve Your Incentive Program
Matt Harris leads AEIS marketing’s strategic initiatives for promotions, product, quality and research. Harris brings a unique understanding of motivation, incentives and loyalty philosophy to the prepaid space. Nancy Hays, President and CEO, Nancy Hays Entertainment, Inc.
Entertain Me: Why Entertainment Is a Value-Added Necessity
Nancy Hays is President and CEO of Nancy Hays Entertainment, Inc., a national entertainment firm committed to providing innovative ideas and quality entertainment programs for private events. Nancy received her Masters degree from Northwestern University in Communications in 1984 and worked for the Jack Morton Company from 1984-1993. She founded Nancy Hays Entertainment, Inc. in 1993, whose clients include fortune 500 companies, associations and charitable groups of all sizes. Nancy Hays Entertainment, Inc. manufactures, produces and promotes The Romance of Dance line of Video, DVD and CD products on ballroom and line dance available in retail outlets nationwide. The company also sells "packaged" corporate entertainment options including the James Bond Theme Awards Program, All that Jazz Chicago Program, Nancy Hays Country Music Program and The Romance of Dance Ballroom Dance Program. Nancy currently serves as past and present Chairman of the IACEP (International Association of Corporate Entertainment Producers) Emerging Talent and Trends Committee.Stefan Herzl, President, Panorama Tours & Travel
Protecting Your Program & Budget through Your DMC Partner
Panorama Tours & Travel is one of the leading DMCs in Austria and Hungary, founded in 1988, specializing in groups, incentives, meetings and conventions. Stefan Herzl is a member of the tourism section of the Chamber of Commerce, Chairman of the Salzburg Convention Bureau as well as Chairman of the Board of the Salzburg Ticket Service.Linda Heyse-Highland, President and Founder, LinJen Promotions, Inc.
"Get in the Game" of Selling Incentives for Promotional Consultants
Linda Heyse-Highland is president and founder of LinJen Promotions, Inc. She has been in the Promotional Products industry for more than 30 years. Linda transformed her promotional products career early on with incentive and recognition programs in quality, safety and productivity. She continues to work with midsize companies up to and including fortune one hundred companies in these areas as well as: employee service awards, sales recognition, employee incentive programs and more.Martin Hood, Vice President, Partnership Sales, American Express Incentive Services
The Value of Loyalty Programs in a Changing Economic Climate
Martin Hood is responsible for the strategy and new business development of both the reseller and agency groups. These groups serve a range of distribution partners in the performance improvement, promotional, financial services, advertising and loyalty sectors. Jonathan T. Howe, Esq., President/Senior Partner, Howe & Hutton, Ltd
Fasten Your Seat Belts - It's a Bumpy Flight: How to Survive so You Can Thrive
Jonathan Howe is the President/Senior Partner of Howe & Hutton, Ltd., a law firm with offices in Chicago, St. Louis and Washington, D.C. He has written hundreds of articles, papers and books, and has spoken to organizations all over the world on all manner of legal issues. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree majoring in diplomatic history and international political science with honors from Northwestern University and his Juris Doctorate from Duke University where he was first in his graduating class.Claire Howells, Vice President Engagement and HR Communications, Zions, Bancorporation
Win the Battle for Customers' Hearts & Minds: Case Study with Zions Bancorporation
Zions Bancorporation is a SP500 listed, multi-bank holding bank holding company and national leader in SBA lending and public finance advisory services (NASDAQ: ZION, $53b assets). Additionally, under local management teams and community identities, Zions operates more than 500 full-service banking offices and more than 600 ATMs in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Utah and Washington.Matthew Hunt, CRIS, Vice-President, Hunt Insurance Agency, Inc.
Peer-to-Peer Panel: Make a Client for Life: Using Promotional Products to Develop Client Relationships & Show ROI
Hunt Insurance Agency has been an independent, family-owned insurance agency since 1957. The mission statement of the agency best summarizes their approach to every customer relationship: “Raymond J. Hunt founded Hunt Insurance Agency, Inc. in 1957 based upon the principals of professionalism and integrity. Three generations later, the mission of Hunt Insurance continues to reflect those same time honored values.” The agency currently employs more than 20 individuals, with offices located in Illinois and Wisconsin, and specializes in providing customized insurance solutions through a consultative approach. Leo Jakobson, Senior Editor, Incentive Magazine
Leverage the Latest Research to Justify and Improve Your Incentive Program
A lifelong resident of New York's East Village, Leo joined Incentive in 2003 despite having no clue that the industry it covers even existed. In his 16 years as a journalist, he has written extensively about local and national politics, the Internet boom and bust, and healthcare in venues including Fortune Small Business, CNNMoney.com and Silicon Alley Reporter magazine. He enjoys going to the theater, Italian motorcycles and his four-block commute.
Mark Johnson, President and CEO, Loyalty 360, Loyalty Expo, Loyalty Management
Customer Loyalty: Voices & Insights Drive Successful Programs
Mark has significant experience in selling, designing and administering prepaid, loyalty/CRM programs, as well as data-driven marketing communication programs. Mark’s idea for Loyalty Expo and Loyalty 360 was to improve the efficacy, efficiency and dissemination of information in the loyalty marketplace, and to provide a best-practices forum for users (merchants, banks, restaurants, brands and entertainment companies) and loyalty providers/ consultants to engage and share in an open forum.Jennifer Kallery, Vice President, Marketing, Maritz Loyalty Marketing
Defend & Extend Your Incentive Dollars
As division vice president, marketing, Jennifer leads the marketing and business development team for Maritz Loyalty Marketing. In this role, Kallery and her team work to develop client-focused solutions, innovative rewards, and marketing campaigns to generate awareness and interest in Maritz services and rewards. Kallery ensures Maritz tailors solutions, rewards, and communications to best fit the clients’ needs and culture, enabling them to achieve more through their people and their programs.George Kriza, Chairman and Founder, MTCPerformance
Drive Channel Sales in a Slow Economy
George Kriza is Chairman and Founder of MTCPerformance, an INC500, VAR Business 500, Crain’s Fast Fifty incentive company located in Schaumburg IL. Mr. Kriza’s career began in retail, where he learned first hand about the inner workings of retail operations. He followed this with many years of representing premier manufacturers such as Sony, Panasonic, Apple Computer and many others in sales and sales management capacities, to their channel members. He has called on virtually every major channel of retail trade, from the smallest mom and pop retailers to the largest national chains.Shaun Krusmark, Director of Gift Card Sales, Claim Jumper Restaurants
Using Customer Loyalty Programs to Increase Top Line Sales: Regardless of Channel; with Hammacher Schlemmer, Claim Jumper Restaurants & Sunglass Hut/Luxottica Retail
Shaun Krusmark has spent the last eight years spearheading the growth and development of Claim Jumper Restaurants’ gift card program. Her dedication and commitment has enabled her to exceed Claim Jumper’s sales and marketing objectives predominately in the incentive, gift card and prepaid markets. Shaun is an innovative thinker whose willingness to take risks and seek out opportunities has positioned Claim Jumper as a nationally recognized brand in the gift card arena. Shaun is an active and involved member of the IMA and IGCC and attributes the success of Claim Jumper Restaurants B2B program to the contacts she has made and the partnerships she has developed through these organizations.Thomas Lacki, Ph.D., Senior Advisor, Peppers & Rogers Group Faculty
How Mature is Your Customer Experience? Grow up to Competitive Advantage
The common theme throughout Dr. Lacki’s career is creating, adapting and applying data to achieve marketing results – knowledge often rooted in the rigorous traditions of psychology and statistics – that rely on a keen understanding of consumers, both behaviorally and analytically.Janet Lapp, Ph.D., R.N., Author, Speaker, Psychologist, Nurse
MPI-CAC Luncheon Plant Your Feet Firmly in Mid-Air: Thrive During Fast Change
Janet Lapp is a nurse, psychologist, an accomplished pilot and is involved in a serious effort to bring healthcare to a remote section of Mexico. For the past ten years Janet has run a clinic in El Carrizo, Mexico for the Flying Doctors of Mercy which serves a community deficient in the health care delivery offerings. Originally from Canada, she has been a Registered Nurse, University Professor, licensed Clinical Psychologist with a Ph.D. in Psychology from McGill University, and author of three popular books. Creator of the CBS series Keep Well, she has appeared in her own health education shows on PBS and INN-affiliates. One year rated by Toastmasters International as among the top three speakers worldwide, Dr. Lapp has been inducted into the Speakers Hall of Fame, the "Oscar" of professional speaking. She has spoken in all continents to more than 2,500 organizations that are serious about creating radical and bold leadership and a successful and optimistic future.Aiden Livingston
Generation Motivation
Aiden Livingston was born in 1983 meaning he is actually part of Gen Y. He opened his first business at 20 and currently is the director of Gen Y Consulting (www.genYconsulting.com), which advises companies on the newest techniques on managing, recruiting, and marketing to Generation Y.Rhonda Marko, CMP, CMM, DMCP, President and CEO, Destination Nashville
Protecting Your Program & Budget through Your DMC Partner
Rhonda has a unique approach to people and destination management, and a vision for Destination Nashville to be a dynamic company that combines extraordinary creative ability with careful attention to detail. Her early career includes hotel convention services coupled with nine years with three of the country’s leading Destination Management Companies.Lisa Massiello, CRP, Employee Engagement and Recognition Leader for the Operations and Technology Group (OTG), Wachovia
Merger Anyone? How to Effectively Merge Engagement & Recognition Programs
Lisa Massiello is the Employee Engagement and Recognition Leader for the Operations and Technology Group (OTG) at Wachovia, A Wells Fargo Company, in Charlotte, NC, and has been with the organization over eleven years. The OTG division has more than 28,000 employees around the world. Her role is responsible for the successful design and implementation of employee recognition programs, consulting and educating various levels of management on the best practices for employee recognition and motivation, working with key leaders on their role in employee engagement within their own departments, managing expense control and authorization for all division employee related activities, and managing all senior leadership regional site visits and town hall meetings. Lisa is the President of the Recognition Professionals International (RPI) organization, and most recently the Conference Chair for the 2009 RPI Annual Sharing Conference in Naples, FL. Lisa has earned her Certified Recognition Professional (CRP®) designation from RPI and was a recipient of the RPI Recognition Champion Award in 2006.Angie Martin, Sunglass Hut Marketing Manager, Luxottica Retail
Using Customer Loyolaty Programs to Increas Top Line Sales: Regardless of Channel; with Hammacher Schlemmer, Claim Jumper Restaurants & Sunglass Hut/ Lxottica Retail
Angie Martin is the leading partnership program expert for the premium sunglass audience, on track to triple the program sales volume at Sunglass Hut within 5 years. She has 10+ years of marketing and branding experience in retail and consumer packaged goods, along with an M.B.A and B.S. in Design. Last year, she led the development of the new point-of-sale donation process that has collected over $350,000 for international OneSight Charity. Angie believes in giving back to the community, as she is a Cincinnati Youth Collaborative mentor and YMCA youth basketball coach. Her dedication and passion to push expectations have awarded her the pleasure to work on billion-dollar brands and for global multi-channel companies, and earn international design honors and domestic design awards. Angie understands the power of connecting the right product and service with the right consumer at the right time – this is what builds lasting relationships.
Mike May, President, Spear One
"Campaign in a Box": How to Pack a Punch with Integrated Marketing
Mike May is President of Spear One, a full-service performance improvement company based in Dallas, Texas. Under his leadership, Spear One has tripled in size, added many new Fortune 1000 clients, and broadened its expertise. Mike’s strengths include channel marketing incentive programs, strategic meetings management, promotion design, and targeted communications strategy.Tom McMullen, Vice President, Head of Reward Services, North America, Hay Group
Wednesday Morning Keynote Finding the Right Combination: How the Most Effective Companies Unlock Reward Effectiveness
Tom McMullen is the leader of Hay Group's North American Reward Practice, based in Chicago, Illinois. He is accountable for leading Hay Group's innovation, thought leadership and capability development initiatives for the reward practice. His client consulting work focuses primarily on developing and implementing total reward program design, including reward strategy development, incentive plan design and aligning reward and performance management systems. Tom is a frequent speaker on reward and human resource issues and he has authored a number of publications including the book The Manager's Guide to Rewards. He has BS and MBA degrees from the University of Louisville.Larisa Mendenhall, Director of Individual Awards, ITAGroup, Inc.
Rewarding Green: Unique Perspectives on Being Eco-Friendly: Case Study with Home Depot & Ritz-Carlton
As Director of Individual Awards for ITAGroup, Larisa is responsible for leading her team in sourcing product and developing award vehicles that drive performance and produce measurable results for clients and participants. Larisa has worked at ITAGroup for over 5.5 years. Prior to joining ITAGroup she spent seven (7+) years in Shopping Center Development, concentrating on marketing and retail relations and five (5+) years as a product manager for Target Corporation’s proprietary credit cards.April Mescher, Executive Director, Excellence In Motivation, Inc.
Save My Meeting! Ten Ways to Cut Costs and Retain Quality
April Mescher is Executive Director of Travel at Excellence In Motivation, Inc. (EIM). She is an operationally-focused executive with more than 17 years of practical experience. In her 13 years with EIM, April has successfully managed large travel accounts and has been responsible for heading EIM’s call center as well as EIM’s purchasing division. In addition, she has spearheaded many process improvements and technology initiatives contributing to the services EIM provides to clients and client participant satisfaction.Tom Miller, CRP, President of the Miller Company and Immediate Past PResident of RPI
RPI Fall Summit Luncheon - Engineering Recognition to Your Corporate Culture
Tom Miller founded The Miller Company in 1992. Prior to starting his own company, Tom spent six years
in the performance improvement and recognition industry. While driving The Miller Company's rapid growth,
Tom has maintained a passion for staying on the front edge of industry trends such as internal branding,
the creation of recognition systems, and the development of peer-to-peer recognition programs. Tom is
a member of Recognition Professionals International and has served in various leadership capacities and
is currently serving as Immediate Past President of the Board of Directors. He is a co-founder of
The Recognition Council, a Strategic Industry Group within the Incentive Marketing Association.
Tom is a 1983 graduate of Baylor University, a Certified Recognition Professional, and is currently
enrolled in a Masters program at England's Oxford University, which is jointly run with HEC Executive
Education at the HEC School of Management, Paris. He now lives with his family in Colleyville, Texas.
John Mills, Executive Vice President, Business Development, Rideau Recognition Solutions
One Size Does NOT Fit All: Recognition in a Down Economy
John Mills has been the EVP of Business Development at Rideau Recognition Solutions for over 8 years. With over 15 years of industry experience, John has helped develop recognition programs for a wide array of Fortune 500 companies in the areas of employee service, incentive and performance, and corporate merchandise.Pete Mitchell, Director, B-to-B Sales, Samsonite Corporation
Intro to Selling Incentives
Slaying the Myths: What You Need to Know About Selling Retail Brands
Pete Mitchell is Director of B-to-B Sales for Samsonite Corporation. A 20-year veteran of the Incentive and Promotional Products markets, he has served as Vice President, Corporate Markets for Swiss Army Brands and Tumi, and has been a consultant to many Branded Products Suppliers during his career. A frequent speaker at industry events, Pete brings a humorous approach to his presentations, entertaining and informing his audiences at the same time. He has served for five years on the Board of Directors of the Incentive Marketing Association (IMA), and is currently Chairman of the PPAI Events Committee. He is the facilitator of Special Markets Dialogues, a market "think tank" that attracts industry leaders for a discussion of trends and issues facing Incentive and Promotional Products stakeholders.Denise N. Naguib, Corporate Director, Environmental Programs, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C.
Rewarding Green: Unique Perspectives on Being Eco-Friendly: Case Study with Home Depot & Ritz-Carlton
Denise was born in Cairo, Egypt where she lived for half of her childhood before moving to Michigan, Minnesota, and finally Oregon. While spending much of her youth vacation time either on the Mediterranean coast or at the Red Sea, Denise fell in love with the sea. She attending the University of Oregon, originally pursing a medical degree, but was pulled back to her love for the environment and graduated with a Bachelors of Science in Geography with an emphasis on biological and human impacts on the environment. After graduating, Denise became involved with Jean-Michel Cousteau’s Ocean Futures Society as a Program Director, implementing environmental education programs at various locations since 1998.John O’Brien, Division Vice President, Employee Performance Group, BI
Recognition Strategies that Create Engagement & Drive Results
John has worked in the performance-improvement industry for 25 years, focusing primarily in the employee-involvement, and sales-incentive areas. John currently serves as Division Vice President of BI’s Employee Performance Group. As a part of the Employee Performance Group team, John is responsible for the management of the design and project management associates. The primary focus of his team is to develop creative solutions that change the behaviors of customer’s employees.Michael O'Connor, President, Chicago Is... Inc.
Protecting Your Program & Budget Through Your DMC Partner
Michael is a 15 year veteran of the Destination Management Industry. Chicago Is... produces special events, tour programs and custom transportation for Chicago meetings and conventions. Chicago Is... is a founding member of Global Events Partners and recently celebrated its 30th anniversary as a leading Chicago DMC.Paul Osbourn, Founder, Loyalty Nation
Doggone Loyalty: A Fun & Effective Means to Create your Action Plan for a Loyal Following
Paul Osbourn is a different business writer and speaker with uncommon credentials. He is more like a baseball manager of old, having played the game of business, relating well to what front-line managers face. Osbourn is a graduate of Duquesne University and resident of Flower Mound TX.Ira Ozer, CPIM, CEO, Motivation Partners, Inc.
Intrinsic Motivation: Find the Missing Link in Incentive Programs
Principles of Results-Based Incentive Program Design for End Users
Ira Ozer, CPIM, is President of Motivation Partners, Inc. an incentive consulting, solutions and innovations company. Ira has 26 years of incentive industry experience in sr. sales and marketing roles at Sony, BI, USMotivation and Meridian and is a frequent speaker about incentives, motivation and innovation.Kurt Paben, Senior Vice President, Engagement & Events, Carlson Marketing
Get the Best out of Your Stakeholders in a Down Economy
Kurt Paben is part of the Engagement & Events Executive team for Carlson Marketing Worldwide. Kurt and his team are committed to developing memorable and unique events that help Carlson Marketing clients engage, inspire and motivate their employees, channel partners and customers.Robert Passikoff, Founder and President, Brand Keys, Inc.
Ten for 2010: Loyalty & Engagement Trends
Robert Passikoff, Brand Keys’ founder and president, is a sought-after speaker and thought leader on engagement and loyalty. He has pioneered work in the area of loyalty and engagement, creating the Brand Keys Customer Loyalty Engagement Index, the Brandweek Loyalty Leaders List, the Sports Fan Loyalty Indexâ, and the Women’s Wear Daily Fashion Brand Engagement Indexâ. His first best-selling book, Predicting Market Success, provided marketers with a 21st century perspective on predictive loyalty metrics, and his newest book The Certainty Principle: How to Guarantee Brand Profits in the Consumer Engagement Marketplace examines a predictive approach to Integrated Marketing ROI. In 2007 New York University’s communication school declared Dr. Passikoff “the most-quoted brand consultant in the United States.”Don Peppers, Founding Partner, Peppers & Rogers Group
Wednesday Luncheon Keynote The Compelling Economics of Enterprise Engagement
Recognized for well over a decade as one of the leading authorities on customer-focused relationship management strategies, Don Peppers is an acclaimed author and a founding partner of Peppers & Rogers Group, the world’s premier customer-centered consultancy.Lauren Pulido, CRP, Director of Total Recognition, Michael C. Fina
FORUM: Profitability Through Salespeople: Two New Studies Build the Case for the Value of Engaged Employees
Lauren Pulido is the Director of Total Recognition for Michael C. Fina, a leader in developing recognition programs that not only engage employees, but help foster a culture of goal oriented performance. Her experience in marketing, technology and behavior science has played an integral part in designing recognition strategies and marrying them to the most appropriate technology. Lauren is board member of the Forum for People Performance Management & Measurement and is a member of World@World, RPI & SHRM.Mark Repkin, Vice President, Certif-A-Gift
Principles of Results-Based Incentive Program Design for Promotional Consultants
"Get in the Game" of Selling Incentives for Promotional Consultants
Based upon over 15 years of experience helping a broad range of companies in the methodology, design and implementation of incentive and recognition programs, Mark Repkin, Vice President of The Certif-A-Gift Company, is recognized as an industry leader and consummate mentor. Located in Arlington Heights, Illinois, the corporate headquarters for Certif-A-Gift, Mark develops programs to inform and educate professional resellers and their clients, in best practices for human performance management and strategic program execution. Mark currently serves on the Board of Trustees for the Incentive Research Foundation and is actively engaged in the Incentive Marketing Association's strategic industry group, The Recognition Council. Gary Rhoads, Ph.D., Co-Founder & Allegiance Loyalty Expert
Win the Battle for Customers' Hearts & Minds: Case Study with Zions Bancorporation
As chief loyalty expert, Dr. Rhoads works closely with product development teams to convert leading loyalty and engagement principles into product offerings. He consults with Allegiance clients to help them set the right goals, interpret their data and optimize their opportunities.Jennifer Rosenzweig, CPT, Research Director, Forum for People Performance Management
FORUM: Finding Hidden Gold in Your Organization: Riding out the Recession by Mining the Talent of Your People
FORUM: Profitability Through Salespeople: Two New Studies Build the Case for the Value of Engaged Employees
Jennifer Rosenzweig is a consultant who works with organizations to improve employee engagement and business productivity. She uses leading edge concepts in positive change, and designs solutions that benefit the customers as well as the employees. Her projects range from selling skills and customer service capabilities to more strategic organizational change initiatives. In addition to her work with Fortune 100 organizations, she also conducts research and is published in various academic and industry journals and books.Mark Royal, Senior Consultant, Hay Group
Wednesday Morning Keynote Finding the Right Combination: How the Most Effective Companies Unlock Reward Effectiveness
Mark Royal is a Senior Consultant with Hay Group Insight, Hay Group's employee and customer research division. His particular areas of focus include linking survey data to business performance measures and using survey results to guide organizational change initiatives. Mark also plays a leading role in directing Hay Group's annual research with Fortune magazine to identify the World's Most Admired Companies and uncover the business practices that make these companies both highly regarded and highly successful. Mark holds Ph.D. and MA degrees in sociology from Stanford University and a BA in sociology from Yale University.Mike Ryan, Senior Vice President, Marketing and Client Strategy, Madison Performance Group
The Web "You.0": The Next Digital Wave in Employee Recognition
Winning in a Down Economy: How Targeted Recognition Can Get Your Sales Force Back on Track
As the Senior Vice President, Marketing and Client Strategy for MADISON Performance Group and the Editorial Director of Conduit®, a web-based blog devoted to the discipline of employee motivation, Mike is an authority on the latest trends and issues surrounding the design and development of employee recognition programs. Mike works with leading executives to define program strategies that minimize costs, deliver a higher level of motivational impact and planning flexibility, while offering the financial controls and returns that sponsoring companies demand. Patty Saari, Vice President, Client Services, Engagement & Events, Carlson Marketing
Engage Your Audience: Grow Your Business: An Engagement Primer
Patty Saari leads the sales and delivery aspects of engagement programs focused on rewards and recognition. Her expertise stems from her years building Carlson Marketing’s market-leading prepaid card portfolio and has expanded to include the broader rewards and recognition market. She is a primary thought leader and strategist regarding the application and delivery of rewards in the employee, channel and consumer space. David Sachs, Director/Global Sourcing Services, Meetings & Incentives
Strategic Hotel Sourcing: Domestic & International
David has been in the meetings industry for more than 20 years having worked in both the association and corporate marketplace. David has also worked for some of the industry leading third party management firms and spent eight years working on the adoption of technology into the meetings industry. Currently David is the Director of Global Sourcing for Meetings & Incentives managing a team of Buyers and the procurement process for all our clients. Roy Saunderson, CRP, President and Founder, Recognition Management Institute
ROI3: Making the Recognition Numbers Sing
Roy Saunderson, CRP is President and founder of the Recognition Management Institute, a consulting and training company specializing in showing organizations how to give "Real Recognition (TM) for Real Results". The Recognition Management Institute was founded by Roy more than 13 years ago to help managers learn how to give more effective and meaningful recognition to their employees. Roy has given keynote and workshop presentations across North America to clients such as Boeing, Ceridian, Disney, RBC Centura, 3M and Siemens as well as government organizations and professional and trade associations. Roy is the author of GIVING the Real Recognition Way and has been quoted in, and written, many articles on the topic of employee recognition. He is a judge on RPI's Best Practice Awards committee and a Certified Instructor of RPI's CRP certification courses. The Recognition Management Institute was acquired by Rideau Recognition Solutions in 2006.Barbara Scofidio, Editor, Corporate Meetings & Incentives
Thought-Leader Panel: Strategic Meetings Management in Challenging Economic Times
Barbara joined Corporate Meetings & Incentives in 1991 and has served as its editor since 1994. She is an active member in many meeting and incentive industry associations, including serving on the education committee for the 2007 SITE International Conference, judging the SITE Crystal Awards for the past 10 years, and serving on the media committee for SITE's 35th Birthday Celebration at the 2008 Motivation Show. A frequent speaker at industry events, Barbara is a past winner of journalism awards from SITE, ASBPE, and Folio. Before joining Penton Business Media, she was managing editor of Computer Design magazine, and a staff writer for Spotlight magazine (now Westchester Magazine), in New York. She graduated with honors from Binghamton University in 1984.Michael Sengstock, Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Clark National
To Meet or Not to Meet: Is That Your Question?
Michael was promoted to Vice President of Sales Marketing for Clark National in December 2005 from Regional Vice President and Chicago Division President. Mr. Sengstock is a member of Clark's Executive Council and oversees sales and marketing at Clark's nine packaging/jan-san houses and three broadline distribution centers.Amy Shea, Executive Vice President, Brand Keys, Inc.
Leveraging Emotions to Leverage Loyalty
Amy Shea's unique background in brand communications encompasses both creative development and brand research. Her expertise in the category of branded entertainment is similarly extensive. Her early work with Pioneer producing branded programming, helped create and define the branded entertainment category. On the research side she has lectured globally on her published study of the BMW films —considered by many to be the gold standard of branded entertainment.Bruce Silcoff, President, Fairlane Group
Optimize Customer Loyalty: Talk to Their Listening
Bruce Silcoff holds an MBA in marketing and entrepreneurship and is widely recognized as being an expert on performance management and loyalty. Bruce founded The Fairlane Group of Companies in 1991 following successful marketing stints at Procter & Gamble and Kraft General Foods. Today, The Fairlane Group is a global leader in the development and administration of loyalty programs with nine locations around the world. As a former lecturer of Organizational Behavior at McGill University, Bruce has successfully incorporated proven strategies for motivating people into helping clients achieve bottom line results.Gary Slavonic, Partner, Premier Incentives
Intro to Selling Incentives
Gary Slavonic is managing partner of Premier Incentives, a Manufacturers Representative Agency based in Carrollton, Texas, specializing in the representation of name brand products to the special markets industry. He has been in the incentive industry for over 20 years, starting out in the special markets division of RCA Records. He founded Premier Incentives in 1990. Gary has served on numerous Trade Association boards within the industry. Among these are the Incentive Manufacturers & Representatives Alliance (IMRA), the Incentive Marketing Association (IMA), and the Promotional Products Association Southwest (PPAS). Gary is the immediate past President of IMRA.Michelle Smith, Vice President, Business Development, CPIM, CRP, O.C. Tanner Recognition Company
FORUM: The Three New Rules for Leadership: It's about People, People, People
FORUM: Finding Hidden Gold in Your Organization: Riding out the Recession by Mining the Talent of Your People
Named as one of the Ten Best and Brightest Women in the Incentive Industry, Michelle is a respected authority on human capital management, internal branding, and engagement. A highly rated international speaker, writer, and consultant; Michelle has published and presented more than 300 articles and lectures and has advised many of the world’s most successful organizations on how to optimize their performance improvement initiatives to gain maximum return on investment.Grant Snider, President, JPdL Destination Management - Toronto
Protecting Your Program & Budget Through Your DMC Partner
Grant is a veteran of the hospitality industry with more than 25 years experience. Seven years in hotel operations, sales and marketing were followed by the move to the DMC world in 1989. He assisted in the growth of JPdL into Canada’s largest and most-respected Destination Management Company with more than 50 employees in five offices throughout Eastern Canada. Grant became a full partner in 1997 and is now in charge of the JPdL Toronto office. Michael T. Spellecy, Corporate Vice President and Managing Consultant, Solution Consulting Group, Maritz
Learn to Produce Results in any Economy
As Corporate Vice President and Managing Consultant, Mike Spellecy is responsible for leading the Solution Consulting Group at Maritz. With 30 years of experience, Spellecy helps clients achieve objectives by developing programs that address the behavior of the people who impact results. He has broad expertise in a number of industries and has contributed to the development and delivery of points of view and performance improvement programs for such companies as Konica Minolta, Coca-Cola, AT&T, HP, Dell, Anheuser-Busch, and HON/Allsteel. Marc Spiwak, Corporate Sales Executive, Hammacher Schlemmer
Using Customer Loyalty Programs to Increase Top Line Sales: Regardless of Channel; with Hammacher Schlemmer, Claim Jumper Restaurants & Sunglass Hut/Luxottica Retail
As a 15-year sales professional, Marc has enjoyed success as both a sales executive and sales manager. Through his years at Republic Tobacco, Marc continuously took on new responsibilities that led to the continued growth of one of the nation's largest independent tobacco companies. Marc brought his knowledge of sales leadership to Hammacher Schlemmer's corporate sales division almost two years ago. Since then, the department has experienced unprecedented growth. Marc earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Florida International University.Karey Stanley, Senior Manager, Employee Spirit and Recognition, TD Canada Trust
Leveraging Social Networking to Increase Engagement & Retention: Case Study with TD Canada Trust
Karey manages the employee spirit and recognition portfolio for TD Canada Trust, the retail branch and call center distribution network for TD Bank Financial Group, North America’s seventh largest bank by market capitalization. In 2008, Synovate named TD Canada Trust as number one in service among the top five Canadian Banks for the third consecutive year and J.D. Power rated ranked TD Canada Trust as the highest in customer service for the second consecutive year. Rodger D. Stotz, CPIM, CCP, CPT, Chief Research Officer, Incentive Research Foundation
It's No Longer Just Personal - It's Business: Driving Significant Business Results through Incentives
How Well Do You Know Your Market? What 2008/2009 Incentive Travel & Rewards Trends Mean for Your Business
Leverage the Latest Research to Improve Your Incentive Program
A speaker, author and business consultant to major corporations, Rodger Stotz is the Chief Research Officer with the Incentive Research Foundation, following a three decade career in the Incentive Industry. He is also the Chair of the Industry Leadership Council, an advisory council to the Incentive Federation. Brett Strauss, Founder and President, Media Defined
Maximize Your Training Results by Integrating with Your Reward Strategy
Media Defined is the maker of NetExam, a SaaS, full-service Learning Management System. With Media Defined, Brett spent the last 12 years working with, and consulting for, companies like IBM, McAfee, Adobe, Dell, Seagate and Texas Instruments on developing and delivering advanced training solutions for their worldwide distributed Sales Channels.David Tanis, Health Promotion Specialist, The Kellogg Company
Rewarding Healthy Behaviors Promotes a Healthy Bottom Line: Case Study with Kellogg's
David is a graduate of Western Michigan University with a degree in Exercise Physiology and Community Health. He has been employed by Kellogg Company for 10 years, working on the health promotion of the United States population of salaried, union, and non-union employees. Just recently the Business Group on Health awarded Kellogg with the Platinum award for our growing work in making Kellogg Company a healthy place to work.Sue Tinnish, Principal, SEAL, Inc.
Entertain Me: Why Entertainment Is a Value-Added Necessity
Sue Tinnish possesses a cross-disciplinary approach that has served her well in her 25+ years experience in business. Her interests span business, sociology, psychology, technology, neuro-cognition and organizational behavior. Sue is a well-respected consultant and speaker focusing on issues of change, learning and motivation – both on the individual and organizational level. She is also a full-time faculty member at Kendall College in Chicago. Cindy Ventrice, Employee Loyalty Consultant, Speaker & Author, Make Their Day! Employee Recognition that Works
Think Recognition's too Expensive? Learn to Build a Program with Real ROI
Recognition expert Cindy Ventrice consults with organizations across many industries including: technology, nonprofit, government, health care, service, trade, education and tourism. She has worked with human resources, program administrators, trainers, and managers to create a workplace where employees feel valued. Through training and coaching she has helped managers worldwide, from team lead to Senior VP, who wanted to establish recognition practices that reduce turnover and improve productivity. Her clients have included MIT, State Farm Insurance, Cisco, Polycom, and the California Department of Education.Brent Watters, Director of Marketing / Analyst, Prepaid Advisory Service, Mercator Advisory Group
Leverage the Latest Research to Justify and Improve Your Incentive Program
Chris White, Chairman and CEO, Global Events Partners
Protecting Your Program & Budget Through Your DMC Partner
Chris White is the Chairman and CEO of Global Events Partners (GEP). Launched in 1999, GEP is a unique partnership of destination management companies worldwide. Headquartered in Washington, DC, GEP's portfolio includes more than 65 top DMCs in primary destinations spanning the globe.