Believe it or not, just seven weeks from the time this post has gone live we’ll be smack, dab in the middle of NEDMA ’06. Imagine. After practically a whole year’s worth of planning and preparations, it’ll all be over before we know it.
But let’s not think about that now. Let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves. Let’s savor every moment leading up to the big event. Which is precisely why we put up this blog in the first place. It’s here to keep us – and that means you – informed, enlightened and excited every single step of the way. It’s here to introduce you to the speakers, the sponsors, the exhibitors and the people behind the scenes who are working hard and feverishly to make sure NEDMA ’06 will be the one of the best conferences you’ve ever experienced.
Craig Blake is one of those people who have been spending countless hours over the course of the last year cobbling together the many different pieces that make up a conference of this size and significance. In fact, he’s more or less – okay, more – the one who’s been leading the charge. In addition to serving on the board as Vice President of NEDMA this year, he’s Co-Chair of NEDMA ’06. By day, he’s Vice President of Sales at W.A. Wilde, a single-source provider of direct marketing services and a company with which we’re all familiar. With over 10 years of direct marketing experience, he’s played an instrumental role in the successful launch of countless direct mail, fulfillment and variable digital print programs on behalf of many of Wilde’s clients. And right now he joins us for an update on NEDMA ’06, It’s a Brave New World, the New England Direct Marketing Association’s Conference and Exposition.
Ladies and gentleman, Craig Blake…
WOW….. I sit here typing at 9:15 PM on Wednesday, April 26, and NEDMA ‘06 is only 48 days, ten hours and 45 minutes away. Panic starts to set in….Deep breaths…..in….out….
It was only eight months ago that Bob Cargill, my fellow chair, and I had lunch at T.G.I. Friday’s in Framingham, MA, to kick off NEDMA ‘06. Actually, I was bribing Bob (a past NEDMA president) to join me in this great adventure as co-chair of NEDMA ‘06. And believe it or not, the event is almost here!
Over the past several months, Bob, our faithful committee and NEDMA’s managing directors (Beth Drysdale and Pat Lee) have worked tirelessly to organize NEDMA ’06. Major accomplishments include copywriting and design of all of the promotional materials and content, logo and ad design, launch of NEDMA’s first ever blog, a speaker RFP (which resulted in over 70 proposals from as far away as California to join us at NEDMA ‘06), online registration set-up, a conference web site, solicitation of exhibitors and sponsors as well as the launch of a few press releases. Phew… and that is only half of it.
With an overwhelming response from our speaker RFP, we were able to hand-pick a tremendous line up for NEDMA ’06. The event is jam-packed, including…
• Four all-day workshops
• Direct Marketer of the Year dinner with special guest and DM legend Denny Hatch
• Featured Keynoter Anne Holland, President of Marketing Sherpa, Inc.
• 12 concurrent sessions
• 10 lunch roundtables with the experts (Bob and I will be conducting one on running a conference!!)
• A closing keynote by Mac Macintosh
• Exhibitor raffles, giveaways and more.
You Are Invited to Register for NEDMA ‘06 Today
NEDMA ’06 promises to be a great event. See for yourself. In the upper left-hand corner of this blog — right above the sponsors (for whom we are very grateful) – you can download the full conference brochure and register to be there in person for all the excitement on June 14 and 15 at Bentley College in Waltham, MA. If you register by May 19, you can take advantage of our special Early Bird savings opportunity, so don’t delay – do it today.
And don’t forget to read the blog each week for the latest updates and news from a number of surprise guest bloggers. We have other NEDMA ’06 speakers on deck ready to give you their thoughts on the conference. Finally, if you’re reading the blog for the first time, scroll down and check out some of the older posts. Remember, as Bob Cargill said in this space several months ago, this is your conference. And this is your blog. So do stay tuned….
To download the full conference brochure for NEDMA ‘06, click here.
To register to attend NEDMA ‘06, click here.
April 26th, 2006
This week, I would like to introduce you to Dianna Huff, President of DH Communications, Inc., a B2B marketing writing and search engine optimization company whose clients include Cabot Corporation, Coldwell Banker, Thermo Electron, and a host of small and mid-size companies located throughout the U.S.
Dianna is also MarketingSherpa’s B2B Contributing Editor, for whom she has written extensively researched articles including the recent two-part marketing to China special report.
In addition to making her debut on the NEDMA ‘06 Conference Blog, Dianna is also appearing for the first time at a NEDMA conference as a presenter this year. In fact, she has two roles at NEDMA ‘06: speaking at our all-day eMarketing 101 workshop on June 14 and moderating a panel discussion on direct mail on June 15.
Ladies and gentlemen, Dianna Huff . . .
As a B2B marketing communications copywriter, I view marketing with mild skepticism – the same way a magician might watch a fellow magician.
I watch TV with my eight-year old and explain to him why Zoobooks is giving away free posters when one subscribes. I throw away most of the direct mail I receive and rarely read the unsolicited email I get by the bushel from companies that never asked me if I wanted to receive it in the first place.
But, great marketing still grabs my attention – and it’s one reason I’m pretty excited about moderating a panel discussion at NEDMA ‘06 entitled, “Direct Mail: What’s Hot, What’s Not.”
One, I’m fortunate to be working with four terrific direct marketing experts – Jonathan Kranz, Bob McCarthy, Pam Sullivan, and Pat Farley.
And two, they’ll be sharing their expertise in B2B, B2C, and non-profit direct mail practices.
We’re still working on our presentation, but preliminary conversations deem this a not-to-be missed session.
If you haven’t attended a NEDMA conference before, make this year your first time. I’m a relatively new member – I joined in 2001 after attending my first conference – and consider NEDMA a top-notch organization. If you’re looking for a friendly, welcoming group and excellent programming, you’ll find it at NEDMA. I love this group and am honored to be a part of NEDMA ‘06, It’s a Brave New World, the New England Direct Marketing Association’s Conference and Exposition.
Thank you, Dianna. We’re fortunate to have you on board as not just a guest blogger, but also as both a moderator and speaker at NEDMA ‘06.
April 20th, 2006
For the fourth and final preview of the different educational tracks you’ll have to choose from at NEDMA ‘06, Alexandra MacAaron checks in once again as our guest blogger of the week.
Alex, of course, is Creative Director and Queen B of Plan B Communications, a past president of NEDMA (’03-’04) and the association’s current Director of Communications. Along with Donna Baier Stein, she is also the co-author of the book, The New Marketing Conversation.
So tell us about the Strategy Track, Alex…
Does it ever occur to you that we work in a really superficial business? Advertising is everywhere. And, advertising creative can work its way into our culture’s collective subconscious. Think of “Just Do It,” “Can You Hear Me Now?” or “Where’s the Beef?” (uh-oh, now I’m dating myself).
But, I’d argue that those memorable creative slogans are only the tip of the iceberg. Below the surface is research, information, insight, time, talent. In short, it’s the Strategy. The Strategy may not be as succinct – or sexy – as the creative. But, it’s creative’s foundation – so it had better be strong.
And that’s especially true for those of us in direct marketing.
If you believe in the importance of strategy, you’ll want to join me at NEDMA ‘06, where an entire track is being dedicated just to Strategy.
The Strategy Track starts off with “Defying the Odds: When Breaking the Rules in Affinity Direct Marketing can Make Dollars and Sense.” Hear how a mature product, a saturated market, and an against-the-rules strategy added up to a very successful case study. The session leaders are Leslie Franklin, Director of Marketing for Great-West Life & Annuity Insurance Company, and Diane Dvorak, Account Supervisor for Wilde Direct.
After lunch, the Strategy Track will continue with Hill Holliday’s Mark Mylan presenting his “Marketing Toolkit to Jumpstart Your Direct Marketing Program.” Mark, one of NEDMA’s most popular speakers, will explain how to combine media, creative, testing and all the other tools of marketing development into one killer strategy.
And in the final session of the Strategy Track, Brian Gramer, CEO and Founder of Vtrenz, will help you “Maximize your Results with Rules-Based Marketing.” He describes the process as “cost-effective” and “guaranteed to get results.” Sounds like just what the doctor ordered.
So whether you’re looking for new tools, new rules – or new ways to break the rules – it sounds like it would be a strategic-level mistake to miss NEDMA’s Strategy Track.
“Where’s the beef?” You can tell Clara Peller (remember???) that there will be plenty of meat at NEDMA ‘06, It’s a Brave New World, the New England Direct Marketing Association’s Conference and Exposition.
One more time, we would just like to express our gratitude to Alexandra MacAaron for contributing to this blog in her own inimitable way not just once, but with four different posts. Thanks again, Alex, for all your time and talent. For our next guest blogger, you’ll be a tough act to follow.
April 12th, 2006
Alex MacAaron is kind enough to contribute yet another post this week, this time around on the Creative Track we’ve put together for you to take in at NEDMA ’06.
Here’s Alex…
True story. When my daughter was in pre-kindergarten, her school invited parents to come in and run creative projects with the kids. So, I had this great idea. I was going to do something really creative and teach the kids a little bit about direct marketing at the same time. Under my guidance, each student would create a postcard “selling” their favorite snack food to someone. They could draw or cut out and glue magazine pictures. I’d ask them to write some copy explaining why the chosen snack food was so good. And then we would send it to a grandparent, aunt, uncle or friend. So, I explained this idea to Madison. She was less than enthusiastic.
“Sara Cunningham’s father,” she informed me, “Showed us how to make smelly candles.”
Well, the outside world, much like my then 4-year old daughter, doesn’t always appreciate the creativity that goes into breakthrough direct marketing. But, we know better. Especially today, when there are more marketing messages competing for our target audience’s attention than ever before.
That’s why you won’t want to miss NEDMA ’06, It’s a Brave New World, the New England Direct Marketing Association’s Conference and Exposition.
With an entire track dedicated to Creative, you’ll have a chance to flex your muscles under the tutelage of three direct marketing superstars.
Start off by understanding why “Creative Direct Marketing Isn’t an Oxymoron.” The session will be led by Robert Rosenthal, the Mothers of Invention Founder, President and Creative Director. He’ll show you how to use what he calls Optimarketing®, the powerful combination of extreme creative and smart direct marketing.
The next session in the Conference’s Creative Track is called, “Great Creative? You Must be out of Your Head!” Steve Tharler (Chief Guide, THARLER DIRECTs), whose resume, credits and recognitions run far too long for me to list them here, will show you how to get out of your head … and into the heads of your prospective customers.
And, the final session in the Creative Track will be Nancy Harhut’s rapid-fire “Smarten Up! 76 Smart Secrets to get your Creative Opened, Read and Responded To.” I’ve seen Nancy (who is Senior Vice President/Executive Creative Director of Relationship Marketing at Hill Holliday) speak many times at NEDMA and the DMA (unfortunately, I missed her recent Moscow gig!), and I always always always learn something new.
So, do you want to be more creative? The way I look at it, you have two choices. You can make smelly candles. Or you can attend the Creative Track sessions at NEDMA ‘06. I know where I’ll be.
Thanks, Alex. We look forward to reading your fourth and final preview of NEDMA ’06 here in this space next week.
Note: Alexandra MacAaron is Creative Director and “Queen B” of Plan B Communications. A past president of NEDMA (’03-’04), Alex is currently the association’s Director of Communications. She is also the co-author, along with Donna Baier Stein, of the book, The New Marketing Conversation.
April 5th, 2006
