Provide a brief description of the Initiative.
Baass Business Solutions Inc. organized the 2009 Accpac Live Conference. The Accpac Live conference has been a part of our channel marketing strategy for close to a decade now. In 2009 amidst one of the worst economic climates Baass was able to increase attendance, deliver an ROI, and gain the attention of its software publisher; Sage Software’s attention. In fact Baass drove more attendees to its three city conference than Sage Software was able to through its annual North American end user conference.
Describe what makes this Initiative original or innovative in the application of IT to a group of customers or solution, and/or in presenting an established approach in an innovative and creative way.
This conference was unique because it was managed entirely through a CRM system. The campaign management, tactical aspects, registration, workflow, and post conference follow up strategy were all designed and executed using an IT platform such as CRM. The conference was unique in a sense where it combined social media platforms such as LinkedIn to develop a following for the event and gain added exposure.
Describe how this Initiative benefited the solution provider with improvement in interest, leads, sales, revenue, or other factors. What changed? Provide evidence of measurable improvements in leads, sales, revenues, etc.
Our Accpac Live Conference has a measurable ROI associated with it. Not only were we able to capture close to 50% of our overhead costs with the registration fee the real value of the event was recognized by way of new business opportunities within our existing client base.
Describe how this Initiative strengthened the solution provider’s relationship with their vendor. What changed? Provide evidence of this strengthened relationship.
The conference allowed Baass to bring the vendor to the end user at a massive scale! By enlisting the aid of key Sage speakers Baass was able to extend the publishers credibility and strengthen the relation further. The event brought together exhibitors and third party developers. This reinforced the relationships of all publisher, vendor, and VAR.
In what ways did this Initiative go above and beyond industry norms and expectations?
The real strength in this initiative was that it succeeded in a very fragile economic time. Our end observation was that the conference not only provided our end customer with valuable training but it provided everyone in the room hope. We’re still here and were bigger than ever! It unified our internal staff towards a common goal, improved our relationship with our vendors, and ultimately increased revenue.
