Asia-Pacific Competitive Intelligence Summit October 19, 2010
At long last SCIP is bringing a program to Asia! SCIP will hold a one-day event, on October 19, 2010, at Resorts World in Singapore. SCIP’s program will run concurrently with a Frost and Sullivan GIL event at the same resort.
We wanted to reach out to you, inform you of the news and seek your feedback on the potential of the event. We would naturally like to know if you can attend the event and, as we are putting the final touches on the program, we seek your input on particular sessions or topics that you believe would be of interest to participants at the event. After reviewing your feedback and input, we will distribute a final program.
The opportunity for SCIP to work in Asia is exciting. Along with the opportunity of holding an annual Asian program, it affords an opening for the evolution of local chapters in the various communities of the region. During the past year, I have received inquiries from a number of individuals who would like to have the opportunity to network face to face with their peers in the competitive intelligence profession. We would like to use this conference to begin facilitating those chapter contacts in the region. Your attendance and discussions will enhance SCIP’s plans to proceed with a regionally focused strategy for our chapters.
I look forward to your commentary and to meeting each of you personally at the event. Thank you, in advance, for your time and participation.
Ken Garrison CAE
Chief Executive Officer
O: 703.739.0696 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 703.739.0696 end_of_the_skype_highlighting x105
C: 703-622-5431
kgarrison@scip.org
SCIP Webinar Sets Attendance Record
On June 22, 2010, SCIP joined Outward Insights and Prudential Retirement and discussed effective approaches for leveraging early warning intelligence to create and implement flexible, resilient strategies. No industry is immune to the negative impact of being unprepared for industry uncertainty. Virtually every sector of the economy has been affected by the emergence of unexpected competitive, regulatory, economic, or social developments.
For those who missed the live event, the Using Early Warning Intelligence to Anticipate External Threats and Minimize Strategic Risk webinar’s recording can be accessed through the SCIP homepage www.scip.org. The webinar is the first in a series presented by SCIP to benefit its members, and is a component of SCIP’s continuing effort to educate managers on the value of strategic and competitive intelligence as part of the overall growth plan of any business or enterprise.
The presenters Ken Sawka of Outward Insights and Scott Leeb of Prudential Retirement, with Ken Garrison of SCIP as the moderator, were joined by the 743 individuals who registered for the event. This was an attendance record for a SCIP webinar and a testament to the level of interest in the subject matter and its relevance in today’s economic uncertainty.
Not only did the webinar attract an exceptionally large audience, but we received over 110 questions during the webinar. Given the high level of audience involvement, the presenters had to answer many questions off-line after the webinar. As an added value to the SCIP membership, a summary of the questions and their answers will be posted in the SCIP members-only portion of the website.
Strategic and Competitive Intelligence Professionals
On June 8th, I asked for your comments concerning the SCIP Board of Directors’ discussions on changing the name of your organization from “Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals” to “Strategic and Competitive Intelligence Professionals.” This modification would reflect the developing evolution of our profession and acknowledge the relationship between competitive intelligence and strategy.
Your response by email, blogging, LinkedIn, and Twitter feeds was immediate, tremendous, and incredibly positive. You expressed enthusiasm that your organization was considering this step. On July 8th the Board of Directors reviewed your communications and voted that SCIP should officially change its name to “Strategic and Competitive Intelligence Professionals.” This name change is now officially in place.
As noted previously, the name change will assist SCIP in a number of ways:
- Support a focus on strategic decisions, one of the organization’s principal goals.
- Include individuals who both work with and are customers of intelligence practitioners.
- Increase the connection of senior decision makers with the competitive intelligence effort.
- Emphasize both the tactical and strategic orientation of our members.
- Create a unique value proposition by combining strategic and competitive intelligence.
- Maintain the SCIP acronym to preserve our 25 years of brand development
Here are excerpts from several comments we received concerning the name change. They represent a sampling on how individuals around the world viewed this issue.
It is time for SCIP to move forward and to be positioned in the place of intelligence and strategy in order to give a real value to the decision making process. SCIP (through CI professionals) has to put itself where significant decisions are taken and not to be associated with less important developments. This change can upgrade SCIP and make it a different organization while its members are operating in the core of the business arena. (Member from Israel)
This change comes in a very good time. I believe that CI must be attached with Strategy from its birth. And that’s due to the great benefit the strategic process can take from CI analysis, tools and insights. Perfect match! (Member from Brazil)
My situation is actually a perfect mirror of what you are presenting. I’ve studied CI for about 10 years and still applying it in a field like fraud & risk that apparently is far away from the pure “competitive intelligence scope”…The CI function is a component of the overall strategy for every organization. It makes sense to broaden our reach. I agree with your goals. (Member from Italy)
Great idea – see my title for proof! This should also further help us to clarify where we sit, i.e. closer to Strategy than to Market Research. [Author is Senior Manager, Strategic & Competitive Intelligence.] (Member from Australia)
In Corporate America my responsibilities included Systems Analysis, Operations Research, Market Research, Strategic Planning, Marketing, Competitive/Counter Intelligence, and Customer Satisfaction. We needed to know where the industry and competition were going, what the customer wanted including what constituted their product/service satisfaction and what my management needs were. These many assignments recognized that awareness of management’s strategic and tactical goals plus knowledge about our competition and customer were essential for my success. (Member from United States)
The proposed change will give an opportunity to recruit in new environments as well as building out the areas of interest for all of us. I wish you well in getting this done as I personally believe that the change will be very good for the organization and its membership. (Member from South Africa)
Recognizing that CI is practiced and managed by a variety of groups and industries in a variety of different ways shows how far the organization has come in accepting its diversity. I was thrilled that there were a lot of similarities and unique attributes to the CI practices showcased at the SCIP10 International Conference. There’s certainly a place for us in the membership ranks, and for that support, I’ll continue my participation. (Member from United States)
Thank you all for your passionate commentary and commitment on all phases of SCIP’s evolution. This is one of many steps that you will continue to see as your association evolves in the coming years.
Discussion on SCIP Name Change
On Thursday May 20, 2009, the SCIP Board of Directors met to continue the process of developing a strategic plan to grow SCIP. One critical element of their discussion was whether or not to change the Society’s name. The name change consideration supports two goals of the organization:
- Expand the SCIP membership in both depth and breadth to increase the impact and exposure of competitive intelligence (CI) membership, and to expand the sponsorship opportunities and attendance at our events on a global basis.
- Develop a wider membership community to include CI clients as well as CI practitioners.
The SCIP Board has proposed changing the organization’s name:
From: Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals
To: Strategic and Competitive Intelligence Professionals
The board has asked that we explain the basis of this change you, our members, and invite comments. The proposed name change and reasons for it are noted below. We would like to hear your views on the proposal.
Pros:
- Significantly expands and broadens our membership reach beyond individuals who are identified as CI professionals.
- Reflects the reality of our members’ operational titles. The majority of our current membership already does not include “CI” in their title. A review of the SCIP 2010 conference attendees (the largest annual gathering of CI professionals) found that less that 20% had CI in their title.
- Supports a CI focus on supporting strategic decisions, one of the Society’s principal goals.
- Includes individuals who both work with and are customers of CI practitioners.
- Increases the connection of senior decision makers with the competitive intelligence effort.
- Emphasizes that CI goes beyond competitors (a perception of many people, both our members and non-members).
- Keeps the SCIP trademark and brand identity built over the last 25 years.
- Emphasizes both the tactical and strategic orientation of our members.
- Supports an emphasis on CI’s strategic support, which has been a long-standing goal of many senior CI practitioners, including some of the leading writers on the subject such as Michael Porter, Ben Gilad, and Liam Fahey.
- Bridges the perception gap between business intelligence and competitive intelligence.
- Combining Strategy and CI creates a unique value proposition that will appeal to our members in all Countries
- Removes “Society”, a non-value added word, and substitutes a description of our membership.
Cons:
- Creates change which is sometimes difficult in its initial stage. (Note, SCIP’s original name was the Society of Competitor Intelligence Professionals), and it was changed to Competitive Intelligence Professionals to better reflect the community it was serving at that time.
I look forward to your commentary on this important issue. My contact points are noted below.
Ken Garrison
CEO SCIP
kgarrison@scip.org
703-739-0696 Ext 105
A SCIP Update
SCIP has taken many important steps in the last twelve months to stabilize our organization and develop effective pathways for growth. The merger with the Frost and Sullivan Institute was a critical first step. The combined effort and skills of all involved led directly to an extremely successful annual meeting in Washington,DC last spring. We continue to look for every possible step both large and small to advance your professional association and enhance your professional growth.
Here’s a brief update on several important decisions made by the SCIP Board of Directors during their May 20th meeting. The Board is committed to evaluating all factors that will provide added growth potential to your Society and will enhance our value proposition for you in the coming years.
One key element of SCIP’s growth strategy under discussion is a name change from Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals to Strategic and Competitive Intelligence Professionals. We will shortly email you a full explanation of the benefits of this change and provide you an opportunity to comment on this proposal. We will also make it available on our website, and an additional SCIP blog posting will allow for your comments.
At the May meeting the Board also authorized several initiatives to enhance the value proposition of SCIP over the coming months:
1) A CI Index to use the talents and knowledge of SCIP members and aid in analyzing and reporting on positive and negative movements in the economy.
2)A new opportunity for intellectual advancement and commentary via short CI Analysis of current issues.
3) A formal program to encourage CI Internships with our members and to work with the colleges and universities to fill those opportunities
4) An increased flow of inquires asking your opinion on a variety of topics. As an example, in the next several weeks we will ask how to best deliver content via our flagship publication Competitive Intelligence Magazine.
As part of the strategic growth and evolution of your Society, the board has defined a new membership classification for those who provide service, solutions, or consulting to the profession. This category will have the same individual membership price as those who function within the traditional corporate setting and provide internal CI direction to their companies.
As you can see from the above commentary, your Society’s Board is committed to taking bold and decisive steps to grow your professional organization. Over the coming weeks and months you will receive an expanded commentary on each of these items. This posting is the first of many reports on the steps the Board is taking to improve your membership experience.
Regards,
Ken Garrison
CEO SCIP
703 739 0732 x105
Your Society continues to perform for you
Last week the SCIP annual conference and exhibition was a success on all fronts. Compared to last year, the attendance figures were up significantly and, as you would expect, overall conference revenue was higher too, which bodes well for the overall financial future of the Society. The most important aspect of the conference was the revamped schedule with its emphasis on networking, and it was enthusiastically accepted by conference participants. All involved with the conference appreciate this outcome, and for the general Society membership it provides the resources and energy to further move SCIP forward.
We are aggressively positioning your Society for faster growth as the economic environment improves. Our recent merger created the ability to grow executive awareness of competitive intelligence, and advance the skilled application of intelligence to enhance decision-making and organizational performance.
Your Society continues not only to expand its international footprint but also to promote competitive intelligence globally. This year in October we will hold our second Latin American Summit in Brazil, and introduce a new conference in Malaysia. Our 14th European CI summit in 2009 was the most successful ever, and this November we look forward to an even more successful European Summit in Barcelona. We are also planning to add a competitive strategy event to our agenda in September in San Jose, California.
However, we will temper our enthusiasm and continue to take carefully considered and evaluated steps to support your interests. We will ensure that your dues money is applied effectively to support services and programs which provide maximum value to you, the membership. The best way to accomplish this is to have your help in building a strong, participative Society.
SCIP10 Conference Highlights: Interactive Sessions
Over the years, your conference evaluations consistently emphasized your desire for additional networking and interactive opportunities at the annual conference. So SCIP has designed the SCIP10 conference schedule to significantly increase the sessions devoted to the direct exchange of ideas with your fellow CI experts and thought-leaders. These Interactive Breakout Sessions are moderated participant-driven discussions that focus on your key challenges and concerns.
Here are the PowerPoint-Free interactive session topics scheduled at SCIP10:
1. The death of the CI professional: the changing paradigm for CI functions and practitioners.
2. The human intelligence in a collection plan
3. How to secure CEO buy-in to your CI program
4. CI for MR professionals: getting comfortable with uncertainty
5. Using CI to enter foreign markets
6. Managing Asia-Pacific CI engagements
7. What went wrong? Lessons learned from the demise of CI programs
8. Scenario based planning and war fame strategy
9. Blue Ocean intelligence
10. The impact of real time news on the CI and MI functions
11. Global counterfeit issues and CI strategies
12. Numbers gone wild: Or, precision in, garbage out
13. Creating and using dynamic topic maps to visualize your business environment
14. Using patent intelligence to benchmark against competitors
15. Right brain intelligence for a left brain world: New approaches for competitive analysis
16. Competitive assessment in the defense Industry—Lessons from the trenches
17. Keeping outsourced projects on track
18. CI ethics — keeping on the right side of the line: Best practices for acquiring CI from a legal perspective
19. Knowledge management
20. Mapping out competitor value propositions
21. State of the no fly zone 2010: Virtual venues for conducting qualitative research
Check out the conference brochure at http://www.scip.org/content.cfm?itemnumber=9281 for more details.
A Bright Spot at the End of the Year
We’re encouraged by the increase in the attendance at the two-day training event SCIP held this week. On the Monday after the Thanksgiving holiday, over 45 people from all over the world were present in Washington DC for the “Fundamentals of Competitive Intelligence” course. This is the largest attendance for this course over the last two years.
We hope that this strong turnout is an indication that corporations are finally “loosening the purse-strings,” and returning to supporting the professional training and networking that not only increases personal knowledge but also results in stronger support for the executive decisions which are so critical in today’s turbulent environment.
SCIP Organizational Update
November 16, 2009
Dear SCIP Members:
I am continuing my updates to you on the evolution of SCIP. In my last letter, I wrote of change, and change will be a constant theme over the next few years we move the organization forward. Implementing change is difficult and its effects are often hard on everyone they touch — the organization as a whole, members, staff, and your elected SCIP Board of Directors who are leading this change.
The SCIP Board meets monthly to consider the ongoing steps necessary for the organization to move forward. The Directors make decisions which have a financial, cultural, and even physiological impact since they often create an operational mode which by necessity differs from those in place at various times over the past 24 years of SCIP’s operation. All involved are dedicated to making carefully considered decisions which will improve the trajectory of the association and the services it provides you, the membership.
Three movements forward
In the last 30 days, the Board made three important decisions for your society. The first approved a slate of three eminently qualified candidates for election to the two open seats of the 2010 Board of Directors. These candidates are:
- Michael Bernachi of Dunkin Brands Inc.
- Peter Shaw of Midwest Employers Casualty Company
- Paul Kissinger of Thunderbird University.
The election is now open and will run through November 30. Please take the time to review the candidates’ qualifications posted on the website, and to vote for the individuals of your choice.
The Board’s second action amends the SCIP bylaws in accordance with the membership vote which merged SCIP with the Frost & Sullivan Institute. David Frigstad and Wyman Bravard were added to the Board of Directors and will represent the Institute. Combined with the two newly elected Board members, all of these individuals bring a broad base of business experience to the organization and will help SCIP meet the requirements of its ever-changing environment.
The Board’s third action upholds its commitment to deliver added value to your membership without increasing its cost. In 2010, all current and future members will continue to receive the same benefits you have always received from your SCIP membership, plus a minimum of three free educational e-broadcast per year.
Additionally, in response to your requests to help budget for SCIP membership and activities on an annual basis, you will be able to purchase custom packages of SCIP membership, events, and webinars on a discounted basis. These new packages will be on the website on November 30, 2009.
Chapters
To serve the changing requirements of our local domestic chapters, the Board created a Chapter Task Force in the spring of 2009. This task force is led by Kelsey Hare (Board member), and includes Fred Wergeles and Tim Barak (chapter chairs), and Robyn Reals and myself (SCIP staff). The task force members are focusing on finding innovative ways to increase chapter meeting flexibility and venue choice, minimizing the cost to members, partnering with related organizations, and providing enhanced networking opportunities.
SCIP 2010 conference
We are rapidly preparing the budget and program schedule for SCIP10. As usual, the opportunity to speak to the largest gathering of CI professionals in the world created a great deal of interest. We expect to have the program slate fully developed and displayed on the website by the end of November.
We have listened to past conference attendees requests, gathered through evaluations and surveys, for more interactive time with your peers. As a result, the SCIP 2010 conference will expand the direct dialogue between CI professionals by designating 22 of its approximately 50 sessions “PowerPoint-free” zones. In a networking environment, CI experts will share their knowledge directly with you and respond to your interests. No longer will you simply be the passive recipient of hearing the speaker repeat what is on pre-packaged slides, but you will actively participate in creating your learning environment.
We have begun the formal marketing of the conference and quite a few members are taking advantage of signing up for SCIP 10 with 2009 budget dollars. If we can help you with a package for your team’s attendance at the event, please feel free to contact the SCIP office and let us find how to serve your needs. The early registration price is $1250 for members, with the full price at $1500. Full and half day workshops are at the same price as last year, $955 and $588 respectively for members.
International 2009
The first SCIP Latin American Competitive Intelligence Summit was held in San Paulo, Brazil on 22-24 October, 2009. Over 100 CI professionals gathered to participate in workshops and general sessions. As you would expect, keynote speaker Ben Gilad provided very thought-provoking and insightful comments and ideas. On behalf of SCIP, board members Paulo Franklin de Abreu (Brazil) and Adrian Alvarez (Argentina) led the conference and created a strong foundation for future conferences. In addition, SCIP now has a very strong foundation for developing a chapter in Brazil.
The 14th European Competitive Intelligence Summit took place in Amsterdam on 4-6 November 2009. Ably chaired by Joseph Rodenberg, the summit was supported by an outstanding program committee. The excellent program attracted 200 delegates and featured an exhibit hall populated by 16 organizations which deliver a broad array of products and services to the CI community.
Professor Stephane Garelli delivered a scintillating opening keynote address. His global review was sobering when one considered the amount of stimulus money that has flowed from the coffers of the G 20, primarily funded via budget deficits to avert a financial meltdown. To balance this observation, Garelli’s global review also included the positives that are now entering the financial global system and he provided a balanced but upbeat forecast for the future. Over the course of the three days, the summit delegates had the opportunity to learn from CI experts who presented over 27 sessions and 4 workshops. Overall, the summit participants exhibited an extremely enthusiastic and positive approach.
Looking forward
As noted in earlier communications, your Society plans to host four summits in 2010 (North America, Europe, Latin America, and Asia) supplemented by seminars, workshops, and chapter and affiliate offerings. In addition SCIP will continue to provide CI education and commentary via electronic newsletters, websites, e-broadcasts, webinars, the Linked In community (which has grown to over 2900 members), and publications most notably an expanded Competitive Intelligence Magazine, now published on a quarterly basis.
Does this mean that our financial challenges of 2009 are fully resolved? Not quite. To continue our progress towards operating on a solid operational base, SCIP requires the overall economic global recovery to continue, and corporations to support their employees continued professional development through a moderate level of expenditure for education and travel. However, the actions SCIP is taking in 2009 ensures that your professional Society will survive and prosper in the coming years.
As you can see from the programs discussed earlier, we are taking the steps to expand our reach into the global competitive intelligence community and provide you with focused, relevant opportunities to develop your competitive knowledge.
As always, we welcome your commentary and feedback, which is necessary for a robust organization.
Regards:
Ken Garrison
CEO SCIP
An Update on the Organization
I wanted to reach out and give you an update on the organization and several of the upcoming events. The 2008-2009 economic downturn has been a difficult period in every industry and every country. As we read the economic pundits, each day seems to bring a new statement that the recession is either over or starting to abate. The impact is of course different for each one of us, depending on your industry and country of residence, but a much more positive spirit prevails.
SCIP has also been dealing with the effects of the economic downturn, and we have responded with significant changes, including a realignment and merger which positions us to make progress in the future. As the fall of 2009 evolves, SCIP is starting to see positive growth in a number of sectors. We are now experiencing a return to a normal inflow of membership renewals and new members. Several larger corporations have made the decision to have their entire global team join as they prepare to take advantage of competitive opportunities that arise in the near and extended future.
If you look at the SCIP calendar you will find a full slate of events this fall. Our chapters are producing an excellent schedule of events for their local SCIP membership, both in the US and around the world. Here’s our expanded and growing schedule of our 2009 global events:
October 6-7, 2009 “Competitive Financial Intelligence” Philadelphia PA
October 21-22, 2009 “Latin American CI Summit” San Paulo, Brazil
November 4-6, 2009 “European CI Summit” Amsterdam, Netherlands
November 30-December 1, 2009 “Fundamentals of CI” Alexandria, VA
And coming in 2010 are:
March 9-12, 2010 “SCIP 2010 International Conference” Washington DC
Fall of 2010-Latin American CI Summit
Fall of 2010 European CI Summit
Fall of 2010 Asian CI Summit-Kula Lumpur-October 2010
Plus individual workshops and seminars scheduled throughout the year.
To give you a sense of how our members are responding when we reach out to them, note the following responses to our recent initiatives:
As is the SCIP tradition, we issued a session and workshop content call for proposals for the SCIP 2010 conference. Within a very short two weeks, we received 109 excellent proposals to speak at the conference, sent in by a wide spectrum of seasoned CI professionals. Now the conference committee will review these proposals over the next two weeks to help us craft the program for next spring. Based on the quality of the proposals, the conference promises to be one of the best SCIP educational events on record.
SCIP open a LinkedIn group on July 15, 2008 to reach out to the entire competitive intelligence community. Over the next 13 months this group grew at an average rate of 141 new members per month. In the last 40 days we have seen a dramatic increase in requests to join this group, adding an additional 509 members, bringing our total to 2337 participating in a social networking environment. This sudden growth corresponds with the good news from the economy and we suspect resurgence in the need for competitive intelligence.
SCIP’s Board of Directors is led by dedicated individuals who serve three year terms. We currently have 23 applications for next year’s open seats on the Board, which will also continue a strong global representation. The nominations committee will be reviewing the candidates and craft a slate that will be presented to the membership for a vote on or before November 1, 2009.
The SCIP Latin American Conference has developed a very strong set of sessions, highlighted by Ben Gilad as keynote. Registrations are being received at a very brisk pace, and we are projecting a strong first conference. This event also provides the foundation for developing a very strong chapter in Brazil.
The European CI Summit in Amsterdam, with the aid of a very active program committee, has developed a fabulous schedule for early November, including a keynote presentation by the head of Nokia’s strategic intelligence group. CI professionals are responding to the program by generating strong registration numbers. In addition an extensive slate of exhibitors and sponsors have signed up to participate in an expanded exhibit hall floor.
Now, the opportunity to exhibit and sponsor at the SCIP 2010 event has been opened and we are accepting booth applications. The base booth price will be $5,000, which is in alignment with past conferences. The Board of Directors has also developed additional opportunities for those in the vendor community who wish to participate on the exhibit floor without taking out a full exhibit booth.
Building on our 2009 activities, our goal for 2010 is to provide the membership with an expanding range of services including:
- educational events, both in person and online through webinars
- an upgraded monthly e-bulletin
- new networking tools and opportunities both locally and electronically.
- a continuation of the SCIP Competitive Intelligence Magazine
As always, we appreciate your comments, questions, or suggestions.
Ken Garrison
SCIP CEO
kgarrison@scip.org
1.703.739.0696 x105