Earlier this year, after the nation of Haiti was devastated by a catastrophic earthquake, the GNY Board of Directors voted to donate $1,000 to the relief efforts as part of our newly created Philanthropy Program. We chose Habitat for Humanity for this donation, specifically due to their focus on the recovery and rebuilding efforts in Haiti in the wake of the devastation.  

Habitat for Humanity has worked in Haiti for 26 years and is aiding the recovery process by providing emergency shelter kits, helping with debris removal from home sites and providing transitional shelter, new home construction and home repairs. Habitat is increasing its program in Haiti to also help people learn construction skills, which provides on-the-job house construction training that creates additional employment opportunities for those in need of work. 

Please see the letter we received from Habitat for Humanity, thanking our Chapter for our contribution to the international relief efforts.  It is your member funds which make charitable donations such as this possible and the Board thanks all of our members for their continued support of initiatives such as this one.

Habitat for Humanity letter

Having recently left the Board of the Greater New York Chapter of the MRA, I find myself reflecting over the many years of change I have experienced during my long tenure on the Board.

First I will share a few early recollections:

Lynda Manning of Data Development approached me at an ARF and asked if I would be interested in getting more involved with the MRA.  I, of course, knew of the organization, but perceived it as a group of data collectors and field services who mainly worked from their homes.  Please remember this is MANY years ago. And so, I gave it a try and came to a few meetings which were then at the Princeton Club.  The rather sterile atmosphere and stilted evening lectures did not do much to encourage my interest but I did meet a few members who strongly suggested I give the organization more of a chance.

My first conference was in Atlantic City.  Knowing very few people made this a bit daunting. It did not take more than a few minutes before Ilene Kaplan and Ruth Ann Chesnoff, literally strode across the crowded meeting room and greeted me and my business partner with such warmth and enthusiasm that we immediately became part of what heretofore seemed like an ‘in-crowd’. The proverbial ice had been broken!

There were others who were key in my becoming more involved.  Mary Wang, SPSS/IBM, who although already a personal friend, furthered my involvement by asking me to volunteer for a task force which revised the Code of Ethics,  Standards and Best Practices.  And so I became familiar with one aspect of the organization –Task Forces – which are formed to deal with periodic activities, such as By-Law updates or other initiatives that come up with less regularity. 

Then at an End-of-Year installation event, I wound up in conversation with Steve Gerzovich of KantarHealth, who was then the President of our Chapter.  He spent the time to talk to me about the benefits of becoming more involved.  I then got truly  ‘hooked’ and never spent a minute regretting it.

The process continued:

I slowly learned about the structure of the Chapter, how the Board functions with many Committees to steer the activities which make us achieve our goals of educational and networking events, publishing a quarterly newsletter, organizing a Joint Chapter event with the Philadelphia Chapter, to name a few.  There are Board liaisons who work with Committee Chairs and their Committee members to keep communication going and to execute the various activities throughout the year.

This is all possible through VOLUNTEERS.  The most wonderful volunteers at that. 

The best part:

Besides the rewarding aspect of being part of the Chapter’s Board as a Director-at-Large for more than 2 terms and as President, there was an amazing benefit that I had not anticipated. I hope I have engaged your interest enough so that you will follow me to the end of this journey.

As an integral part of the Chapter, I saw the changes over the last decade. We have grown into a truly professional organization with educational events that make one proud.  We publish on online newsletter that is informative and sophisticated. We run events that have more networking time since our Membership Survey has shown us that is what members want.  We have a better relationship with the National organization and we interact with other Chapters. We have evolved into an amazing organization and we also have fun!

There was a lot to learn and a lot of effort was made to bring us to where we are today. I, for one, have a great feeling of pride in our Chapter and the MRA. We have truly ‘come a long way, baby’.

For me, it has been a life enhancing experience.  I learned the joys of volunteering. My business has been remarkably increased by developing many more associates through the organization and now for the VERY BEST PART—

I have made the most wonderful friends whom I hope and trust will be lifelong ones.  This was the hidden treasure of my experience and one I wanted to share above all others.  And lucky for all of you (and for me), one of them is your new President, Janet Baldi of RTI Research.  She is an absolute joy and her energy, warmth, intelligence, dedication and her constantly bright glow all attest to the wonderful year you will have ahead.

I will stay involved and encourage all of you to do the same. Don’t be shy. Contact me if you need a little nudge.

This is a GREAT organization. Try it. You will definitely like it!!

Rhoda Brooks

IPC

(212) 213-3303

rbrooks@ipcgroup.us

“Chapter Matters”

About CHAPTER MATTERS
CHAPTER MATTERS is a quarterly newsletter publication of the Greater NY Chapter of the Marketing Research Association. Articles or other content may be copied from CHAPTER MATTERS only if CHAPTER MATTERS Newsletter of the Greater NY MRA Chapter is attributed as the source. Anyone who would like to contribute to CHAPTER MATTERS is encouraged to contact Kevin Sheehan, Editor, at 203-428-2422. The opinions expressed in CHAPTER MATTERS are the views and opinions of the writers, and not necessarily supported by the Greater NY Chapter of the MRA.

Tuesday, June 22nd
6:00 pm-9:00 pm
Open bar and passed Hors d’oeuvres

LOCATION:
LaPomme
37 West 26th Street
(Between 6th and Broadway)
(212) 725-3860  www.lapommenyc.com

$60 to register by June 3rd *$70 to register by June 17th * $70 for all walk ins 

Cancellations will not be refunded after June 17th

Click here to download the event flyer!

Reservations:
Chrissy Anderson, Schlesinger Associates
(732) 906-1122 x 226 chrissy@schlesingerassociates.com
You can also register and pay Via PayPal on the website.
All credit card payments (including AMEX) need to be submitted via PayPal

 ”Chapter Matters”

About CHAPTER MATTERS
CHAPTER MATTERS is a quarterly newsletter publication of the Greater NY Chapter of the Marketing Research Association. Articles or other content may be copied from CHAPTER MATTERS only if CHAPTER MATTERS Newsletter of the Greater NY MRA Chapter is attributed as the source. Anyone who would like to contribute to CHAPTER MATTERS is encouraged to contact Kevin Sheehan, Editor, at 203-428-2422. The opinions expressed in CHAPTER MATTERS are the views and opinions of the writers, and not necessarily supported by the Greater NY Chapter of the MRA.

The 12th Annual
Marketing Research Association
Joint Chapter Spring Conference

“Healthcare & Privacy & Economics, Oh My!”

Click here for a downloadable format 2010 Joint Conference at a Glance 

8:30am to 10:00 am Registration and Morning Refreshments
10:00am to 10:15am Welcoming Remarks
10:15am to 11:15am  Merrill Dubrow, M/A/R/C Research – 12 Different Strategies to Move Your Business Forward! PRC – TBD
11:15am to 11:30am Morning Break
11:30am to 12:30pm Terence McCarron & Tamara Burke, All Global – Healthcare Research, International, Pricing & Reimbursement,
Qualitative Research & European Payors PRC – 1 Hour in Research
12:30pm to 2:00pm Lunch
2:00pm to 3:00pm Steve Levine, Strat360, LLCMarketing Research: Back to the Future © PRC – 1 Hour in Research
3:00pm to 3:15pm Afternoon Break
3:15pm to 4:30pm Healthcare Panel Moderated by Bette Ann Champion
Featuring Panel Members: Susan McDonald, National Analysts Worldwide, Polly Speros, Epocrates, Inc., Ivona Kopanja, Dey Pharmaceuticals, Andrea Hutson, Independence Blue Cross
PRC – TBD
4:30pm to 4:45pm First day wrap up/announcements
5:30pm to 7:30pm Cocktail Party

8:00am to 9:00am Breakfast – Announcement of Philadelphia chapter scholarship winners
9:00am to 10:00am Joan Hoenninger, Wawa –  Research Makes a Difference PRC- TBD
10:00am to 11:00am Peter Milla, Consultant - New Developments in Privacy for Online Research PRC- 1 Hour in Legal
11:00am to 11:30am Morning Break
11:30am to 12:30pm LaToya Rembert-Lang, MRA National – Pharmageddon: New Challenges in Healthcare Privacy for Survey Researchers PRC – TBD
12:30pm to 1:30pm David Sheatsley, US Travel Association - The Changing Face of Travel PRC – 1 Hour in Business
1:30pm to 3:30pm Lunch /Raffle /Wrap-up

To be honest, I have been a passive member of several organizations for over 25 years. I read the publications to keep informed, attend the evening educational and networking events and represent my organization at trade shows, but I never considered how all of these opportunities got pulled together. I took for granted that the events that I enjoyed for years just happened. Then one day last year, I received a call from an industry colleague who enthusiastically told me that my name had come up in the nominating committee for a position on the NY MRA board. First reaction – flattered. Followed immediately by interest. Followed by competitive nature – would I win – and then frankly worried about how I could fit yet another commitment into my already full schedule.

I took the opportunity – ran for NY MRA office and viola, I now sit as one of the new Directors at Large. Now that I am involved, I wonder why I never took a more active part before. There is such a need for volunteers at all commitment levels – committee assistance, committee chairs, and one-off project help – something for every person. Truthfully, no prior experience is needed – just a desire to share your passion for our industry with veterans and novices alike.

I arrive at the first board meeting thinking I was an outsider for sure. Thankfully, the entire board does not turn over every year, so there are veterans mixed in with the new members. It was a welcome relief that I actually knew 90% of the board members – new and old – from my career. Each and every person involved is ardent about making a positive difference in our market research community. And to be honest, their enthusiasm is contagious. Each board member donates a bit of their time and energy to secure speakers who educate us. They create networking opportunities so that we can meet with others in the industry and trade business cards (hopefully to generate new business). They provide content that keeps us informed of changes in research and they are involved in the long term strategic direction of the market research industry. I have found the entire experience tremendously rewarding. On a high level, I have always understood the challenges that market research has faced, but ground level, I actually have the ability to create programs that can alter the tides. And personally, I have made several professional connections that have secured business for my organization. It is a benefit to work with people you know and trust.

It is easy to sit back and presume that since no one is directly asking, help is not needed. But I want to encourage you to act. Get involved. If attending events is all you can do for now, great. But if you can carve out a couple of hours a month, consider a higher level of participation. Help is still needed for this year. Ask around – participating and volunteering makes a difference not only to the industry, but to you, as a market research professional as well.

To get involved contact me or any member of the NY MRA board.

Tuesday, March 23rd
6:00 pm-9:00 pm
Cocktails and Hors d’oeuvres

LOCATION:
Rosie O’Grady’s
Times Square Location
149 West 46th Street
(Between Broadway and 6th Ave.)
(212) 869-0600

$75 to register here or at the door

Click here to download the event flyer!

Reservations:
Chrissy Anderson, Schlesinger Associates
(732) 906-1122 x 226 chrissy@schlesingerassociates.com
You can also register and pay Via PayPal on the website.
All credit card payments (including AMEX) need to be submitted via PayPal
Cancellations received after March 19th, and all no-shows, will be billed and must be paid

The New York chapters of the MRA and AAPOR present a joint opportunity

Sports Marketing Research:
An Evening with the Directors of Research
For MLB, NBA, NFL and NHL

Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Refreshments and mingling “kick-off” at 5:30 pm
“Game Time” begins promptly at 6:15 pm ending at 8 pm

State University of New York, State College of Optometry
Joseph and Roberta Schwarz Theater
33 West 42nd Street (between 5th and 6th Avenues)

We present a unique panel discussion with the Directors of Marketing Research for the four major professional sports leagues in the United States – baseball, basketball, football and hockey. Learn how each league uses marketing research to reach its target audience. The discussion will be followed by a time for questions for our panelists. This is a great opportunity to get a behind the scenes look at some of America’s most enduring and high profile cultural institutions.

Panelists:
Dan Derian, Vice President of Research and Strategic Planning, Major League Baseball
Jason Kaufman, Director, Market Research, National Basketball Association
Alicia Rankin, Director of Research and Fan Insights, National Football League
Mark Erlichson, Director of Market Research, National Hockey League

Moderator:
Jon Last, President, Sports & Leisure Research Group

This event is Free to NYMRA & NYAAPOR members.
Non-members – $20.00 (cash or check only, payable onsite)

PRC “sanctioned” event

Space is limited. You MUST RSVP to NYMRA for security access to the building – no Walk-Ins
Registration deadline: February 19, 2010

Reservations
Chrissy Anderson, Schlesinger Associates
(732) 906-1122 Ext. 226 Chrissy@SchlesingerAssociates.com

Click here to download the event flyer.

“Chapter Matters” PDF

About CHAPTER MATTERS
CHAPTER MATTERS is a quarterly newsletter publication of the Greater NY Chapter of the Marketing Research Association. Articles or other content may be copied from CHAPTER MATTERS only if CHAPTER MATTERS Newsletter of the Greater NY MRA Chapter is attributed as the source. Anyone who would like to contribute to CHAPTER MATTERS is encouraged to contact Kevin Sheehan, Editor, at 203-428-2422. The opinions expressed in CHAPTER MATTERS are the views and opinions of the writers, and not necessarily supported by the Greater NY Chapter of the MRA.

Follow us along the red cobblestone streets of Philadelphia on April 22nd & 23rd, 2010 to the Crowne Plaza Hotel at 18th & Market Street.

We’ll give you the courage of convictions, get to the heart of what matters, and fill your brains with actionable information! New location with great pricing to make it affordable for all. There’s no place like the MRA for networking and education!

Please contact the 2010 Co-chairs regarding sponsorship and volunteer opportunities: Paul Posluszny of Marketing Systems Group at PPosluszny@M-S-G.com and Margaret Roth of Group Dynamics at mroth@groupdynamics.com

Hotel Accommodation: Hotel rate is $169 per night. April 6th cut off for special rate. Book today! To book a room, contact the Crowne Plaza at 1-866-618-0410 and reference MRA Spring Conference.

Please use the following link to register for the conference: www.easternresearchsurveys.com/mra/

If you have any questions regarding registration, please contact: Mary Ellen Fasano of Eastern Research Service, Maryellen.Fasano@easternresearch.com, 610-543-0575 ext 301 or Mary Wang of SPSS, an IBM Company, mtwang@us.ibm.com, 646-536-8500.
Become a 2010 Joint Chapter Sponsor!
Joint Chapter 2010 Flyer

M-A-R-K-E-T R-E-S-E-A-R-C-H

 Mentors  –   Where would I be without my mentors?  This is the perfect place to thank those who have inspired me to become the person I am today.  I couldn’t possibly list everyone here, but there are a few incredibly special people who have truly shaped me. 

Of course I have to start with my Dad, Joe Baldi, who taught me that you can achieve anything as long as you set your mind to it. He taught me how to build strong relationships and how to constantly nurture them and to be honest, ethical and fair no matter what the circumstance.  

Audrey Ross was the first field director I worked for when I entered the industry 20 years ago at FRC Research.  She had a tremendous influence over me both professionally and personally.  From Audrey, I learned the importance of quality in data collection and how to remain true to myself.  

Bette Anne Champion has been a role model I’ve looked up to since we met through the MRA five years ago.  I worked closely with Bette Anne while co-chairing the New York/Philly Joint Chapter Conference program.  She is a great thinker and showed me how to analyze a situation from all angles before making any decisions. 

I’ve lived a very full life so far, and there are countless others who have impacted me dramatically, but I’m only on “M” and have 13 letters to go! 

Attitude  -  Anyone who knows me will agree that I have plenty of attitude!  But seriously, we all know how challenging this industry is, so it’s critical to have the right attitude.  We have to stay positive even when a project has a seemingly impossible deadline, when a questionnaire requires programming that doesn’t even exist yet, and when a 50% incidence actually comes in at 5%. 

Relationships  -  This is truly one of the greatest aspects of my job.  I value each and every relationship I’ve built over the years.  Some have been incredibly rewarding while others have been challenging, but I have learned from all of them.  When I joined the MRA, I had no idea how many amazing people I would meet and I quickly made many lifelong friends.  Every day I make a point to reach out to someone I haven’t spoken to recently, or to check in on a friend or colleague who I know is going through a difficult time.  My relationships are what I value the most in life. 

Karma  -  This one is easy.  Treat other people the right way and they will reciprocate. 

Ethics -  As I mentioned earlier, my Dad told me that I’d often be presented with different choices and the only way to know I’m making the right decision is to go the ethical route.  It’s always tough to tell a client that a deadline will be missed or that a mistake has occurred, but it’s critical to maintain our integrity – and our clients respect us for that. 

Tenacity –  To succeed in the Research industry, we must have an incredible drive to accomplish our goals.  It might be as simple as sitting on the floor of your office surrounded by mounds of questionnaires that need red-checking, or as complicated as shepherding a multi-country tracker through a year-long field period.

Resourcefulness-  We have to know who to reach out to when we need help.  Thanks to my incredible relationships, I know exactly who to call when I have a question about a test kitchen or about the feasibility of interviewing Fortune 500 CEOs on their spending behavior. 

If you practice good karma and maintain strong ethics, you’ll never lack resources to help you! 

Excellence -  Never settle for anything less than excellence.  From yourself or from anyone around you. 

Self-Confidence -   The more I’ve learned and grown in my career, the more my self-confidence has improved.  I know that I’m great at my job and I am often amazed at what I can accomplish in a day.  I’ve fought against my fear of public speaking, which will be strongly tested this year and next as I take on the role of President of the NY Chapter.  Pushing myself to conquer things I’m uncomfortable with has boosted my confidence tremendously. 

Exercise -  Without the gym, I would not be the person I am today.  I started forcing myself to exercise so that I could improve my health, but it means so much more to me now.  Exercise allows me to stay focused, keeps me calm in the busiest of times, and also helps to balance out those post-conference drinks and dinners! 

Adaptability-  Anyone in our industry knows that our daily to-do list is generally out the window by 9:30 am.  Re-prioritizing is a way of life as things get delayed, deadlines get tightened, methodologies change, etc.  As an industry, we’ve certainly had to adapt as new methodologies have emerged, technology has changed our timelines forever and procurement departments have squeezed all of our budgets. 

We must roll with the punches to do our jobs well. 

Respect -  Like karma, respect is only achieved when you respect others.  As the field director of a full-service research supplier, I’m considered a client by the malls, facilities, phone rooms and online providers that I work with.  And my clients are my internal project staff.  

I treat everyone with the same respect because it’s the right thing to do.  We’re all just people trying to do a good job.  Likewise, I don’t appreciate it when I am not respected. Disrespect reflects poorly on the disrespecter.  Given the choice between these two types of people, who would you work harder for?  

Collaboration-  None of us could do our jobs without our colleagues and partners.  And if we work in a vacuum, we are wasting the knowledge and skills of the people around us that would help us deliver a better service.  At RTi, we often send emails around the office asking who has done a certain kind of test or how they handled a tricky issue.  Why re-create the wheel if someone has already come up with a great solution? How many times have you asked the entire office to lend a hand packing up a job in order to make the last Fedex pickup? 

And what is a better example of collaboration than the MRA?  It’s an entire organization dedicated to getting people from all disciplines to work together to deal with current issues and also to shape the future of our industry.

Humor-  The only way I get through my grueling schedule (have I told you about my commute?) is to always have fun and laugh.  My colleagues often stop by to share a joke or tell a funny story.  We could be talking through specs for a new bid and I’ll remember something crazy that happened over the weekend and immediately interrupt.  I love to post strange questions or song trivia on my Facebook page.  During even the most intense meetings, we are sure to have at least a few laughs.  And I’m sure you’ve all heard me laughing away during our cocktail hours! 

So I’ve shared my list.  Now it’s your turn to share yours!  I invite you to post your acrostic below.

It’s been an interesting time to be Treasurer of the Greater NY Chapter these past 18 months. As the largest of the Chapters in our national organization, the Greater NY Chapter has been fortunate to have had a level of financial security over the years. This has allowed us to grow and build on our local event programming platform and expand on our other member-focused offerings – all of which are subsidized by your membership funds. Now, with over 400 Chapter members, our Board has been faced with the task of continuing to effectively manage these funds in the most difficult economic climate we have ever seen without cutting back on our member services.

You may be wondering where exactly these member fees come from, so let me explain. The National organization distributes to each Chapter $35 annually for every member who chooses that Chapter as either their primary or additional Chapter at the time of membership activation or renewal. So, when you choose to become a member of the Greater NY Chapter and/or renew your commitment, we receive $35 from your membership dues to be used for your local member services. These dues are then allocated by your Chapter Board to fund the various services we provide to you as a local Chapter member.

We are a not-for-profit organization and our mission is not to “make money” but instead to invest the money we do have wisely in order to continue to offer our members the highest level of services we can at the lowest cost possible.

For those of you who are less familiar with our member services offerings, here is an overview of the annual services the Greater NY Chapter offers to our members:

• 3 Local Networking Only events – one in March/April, one in June and one in December
• 2 Local Education/Networking events – one in October and one in February. All Education is PRC Certified.
• 1 Joint Chapter Conference co-hosted with the Philadelphia Chapter in April. All Education is PRC Certified.
• 4 Chapter Matter Newsletters
• Chapter Member Roster
• Chapter Website – including presence on LinkedIn and Facebook. This is your go to place for the most current information about the Chapter.
• Scholarship Program – $2500 donation to the Educational Endowment Fund. The future of the research profession is dependent upon strong, well-educated professional researchers. To meet the needs of our growing profession, this fund was created by the MRA. Every dollar collected is used to award scholarships or to educate future researchers.
• Lunch and Learn events – these are free events for our Members, in order to provide additional opportunities for continuing education.

Every June we publish a financial report in our Chapter Matters newsletter, which gives our members an overview of our financial health and outlines where and how we spend your membership dollars. If you read this report in our June 2009 newsletter, you would have noticed a revenue loss for the 2008 fiscal year. And perhaps you wondered why that loss occurred, after so many years of financial gain.

First of all, 2008 was an interesting year for our Chapter in that we were the host Chapter for our National Conference in June. The host chapter is asked by National to sponsor an event on the Thursday evening of the Conference – the point of which is to offer some “local” flair. Our National Conference Event committee worked extra hard to organize this evening of dinner and dancing at the famous Tavern on the Green. Over 225 attendees spent the evening with us at the quintessential NY eatery and we were happy to see that everyone had a great time. But, that event was a heavy expenditure at a time when the economic slump was just starting and our surplus of funds was used to cover a percentage of costs in order to keep the ticket price at a reasonable level for the attendees.

In addition, we had lower attendance numbers than expected at our annual Holiday event in 2008. This was definitely an eye-opener to our Board and forced us to take a hard look at how and where we were spending our money. For those of you who are not aware, we typically subsidize a percentage of the cost of each of our events with our surplus funds in order to keep the out of pocket costs as low as possible to our members. This is why our members have experienced relatively few price increases, and even some decreases, to the various events that we host throughout the year.

So, you may be thinking to yourself – what exactly has your Board done to equalize this situation? I am proud of our Board for rallying together to streamline our expenditures over the past months – especially in a climate of falling membership numbers – and for making the hard decisions that needed to be made to keep us on track. Some of the highlights of our decisions are:

• Transition of our printed Newsletter to an e-Newsletter platform – which will save on print/mail costs
• Transition of our printed Roster to an e-platform – this is an ongoing process which will save on print/mail costs
• Upgrade of our web platform – this has given us the ability to manage the maintenance of the site within the volunteer base rather than outsourcing this process to a web designer.
• Close financial management of our Joint Conference event for 2009 – included the removal of multiple line item expenditures in order to streamline the total cost of the Conference.
• The relocation of our Joint Conference event to a new venue for 2010 – you will notice that the hotel costs are significantly less expensive than last year’s location
• Location choices for our local events – in order to keep the costs of these events as low as possible without sacrificing quality
• Transition of our Bank Account to a program better suited to our financial needs – e.g. no monthly service fees, etc.

All of the above has helped us to turn things around for 2009 – as well as put us in a good position in 2010. We will be reviewing our 2010 budgeting process in our next Board meeting on December 1 and we promise you that we will continue to focus on investing our funds in such a way as to benefit you – our members. We will also be reaching out to you for feedback on charitable donations and other philanthropic activities as our Board believes that it is important to give back not only to our industry, but also to our community.

Finally, we encourage you to join us in the front lines by volunteering for one of our many committees and becoming an active participant in our Chapter.

I wish you and your family a happy holiday season and we hope to see you at our Annual Holiday Gala on December 1.

Warm regards,
Hilary

Hilary Fischer, PRC
Vice President, Compliance Director
KantarHealth

Buffet, Open Bar, Music, Raffle!! Also featuring The Second Annual Greater NY MRA Food Drive sponsored by e-Rewards! Participate in the food drive raffle benefiting The Food Bank for New York City. Every 3 non-perishable items donated earns you a raffle ticket for a drawing to win an Amazon.com Kindle.

Early Registration (by Nov. 16th) – $100 includes a raffle ticket for a $250 AMEX Gift Card, courtesy of the Greater NY MRA.

Standard Registration (by Nov. 24th) - $100 does not include raffle entry.

Late Registration (AFTER Nov. 24th) – $120 does not include raffle entry.

Download the event flyer here

Reservations

Chrissy Anderson, Schlesinger Associates, (732) 906-1122 x226 Chrissy@SchlesingerAssociates.com

Chrissy will be out of the office the week of November 23^rd.  Please contact Hilary during that time

Hilary Fischer, KantarHealth, (212)706-3919 hilary.fischer@kantarhealth.com

Cancellations received after Nov 24th, and all no-shows, will be billed and must be paid

The Greater New York MRA is pleased to use our online presence to help connect those qualified individuals with experience within the Marketing Research industry to people who might be looking to fill various positions  within their organizations.  Below is a list of people and links to their LinkedIn profiles, for your reference.  The Greater New York MRA does not endorse any particular candidate/person, but rather avails itself simply as a resource for those who are unemployed and/or looking to make a change within the Marketing Research industry. Please use the form below for submissions.

“Chapter Matters” PDF

About CHAPTER MATTERS
CHAPTER MATTERS is a quarterly newsletter publication of the Greater NY Chapter of the Marketing Research Association. Articles or other content may be copied from CHAPTER MATTERS only if CHAPTER MATTERS Newsletter of the Greater NY MRA Chapter is attributed as the source. Anyone who would like to contribute to CHAPTER MATTERS is encouraged to contact Kevin Sheehan, Editor, at 203-428-2422. The opinions expressed in CHAPTER MATTERS are the views and opinions of the writers, and not necessarily supported by the Greater NY Chapter of the MRA.

This is certainly the most difficult and uncertain economy I have faced in my working career, and in thinking about the Chapter as well as the industry as a whole, I think it’s important to remind ourselves to look to the future and what we want those future achievements to be.  I have found that doing this helps to reinforce the little steps we must all take, even during the toughest of times, in order to achieve those future goals.

To that end, you will see many changes in the Chapter over the next few months, which we as your board believe are both the natural progression of the chapter, as well as the immediate response to the current market climate.  This newsletter is the first of many steps, being our first GREEN newsletter.  That’s right – we’re going PAPERLESS.  We think it’s a great step towards lowering costs for the Chapter as well as being environmentally conscious as a group.  More steps along these lines will be the archiving of newsletters so you can always have them at your fingertips, and the potential online hosting of a searchable Roster.

Another change underway is the new look and feel to our website, which is probably already implemented as you read this.  As a chapter, we want to stay current, and as such are adding new sections to the website in order to better serve our members and to enable our members to be in touch with each other more easily.  The new sections and tasks already undertaken are as follows:

Greater NY MRA BLOG

We realize that we shouldn’t all have to wait until the next open-bar event to share ideas or compare notes in a free-flowing matter, discussing the relevant issues at hand.  For this reason, we will be implementing a Blog where each of the Board members will start discussions throughout the year.  We invite you to share your ideas as well, simply by contacting one of the board members with your Blog idea/article for us to post on your behalf.

Facebook and LinkedIn

In keeping with the Blog and amore current online pressence, we will be creating online groups in both Facebook and LinkedIn, so we can all show that the Greater NY MRA is a cohesive group of Marketing Research professionals.  Within these groups, the website Blog will be available for viewing, so we can all be connected through multiple channels, and show others the intellect and level of specialty and professionalism our cumulative membership brings to the table.

Resumes

Perhaps the most important and timely of the changes we are implementing. If you find yourself suddenly out of work or downsized, or know of someone in our industry who has been let go or downsized, please have them get in touch with one of the board members.  We will be posting available personnel from within the industry on the website, with hyperlinks to their LinkedIn profiles, or simply a number at which to contact a potential candidate.  While we cannot endorse a specific person, we as a board unanimously feel strongly that this is the least we can do for those in our industry who find themselves out of work or downsized due to these difficult times.  Please be sure to encourage all those who wish to take advantage of this to contact one of your board members today.

I feel that the above-mentioned efforts are a great start in moving the Chapter forward towards where we need to be in order to enhance our member’s professional’s lives, which I personally believe is the goal of the association.  Through networking opportunities and PRC education opportunities, we hope to continue that growth during the 2009-2010 year, but the Chapter is only as strong as the involvement of our members, so I URGE YOU to get active.  My personal experience has been that whether business has been great, mediocre, or downright rotten, it’s the personal contacts and connections you have that help sustain you in the long run.  It’s been true in my case, and hey, I am President!

Wishing you all a very busy “BUSY SEASON,” and look forward to seeing you all at the upcoming October event.

Best regards,

Lance Hoffman

VP, Business Development

Opinion Access Corp.

How Does the “Golden Rule” Apply to Client Service?
Presented by: Lisa Cooper, RTi Research
PRC Approval Pending

Tuesday September 29th 6:00 PM-9:00 PM
Cocktails and Hors d’oeuvres
See flyer for additional program details

El Parador Café
325 East 34th Street Between First and Second Avenues
(212) 679-6812 elparadorcafe.com

Reservations Contact:
Chrissy Anderson , Schlesinger Associates – New Jersey
Chrissy@schlesingerassociates.com

Cancellations received after Sept. 21st, and all no-shows,
will be billed and must be paid.

Download the Event Flyer

Register Online: $40.00

Visit the MRA-NY Resume & Employment Section

“Chapter Matters” PDF

About CHAPTER MATTERS
CHAPTER MATTERS is a quarterly newsletter publication of the Greater NY Chapter of the Marketing Research Association. Articles or other content may be copied from CHAPTER MATTERS only if CHAPTER MATTERS Newsletter of the Greater NY MRA Chapter is attributed as the source. Anyone who would like to contribute to CHAPTER MATTERS is encouraged to contact Kevin Sheehan, Editor, at 203-428-2422. The opinions expressed in CHAPTER MATTERS are the views and opinions of the writers, and not necessarily supported by the Greater NY Chapter of the MRA.