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