Marketing Innovators Highlight BMA Conference; Event Set for San Jose, May 11-12

Chicago, April 21, 2006 --The 2006 Business Marketing Association Annual Conference, “Return Of Innovation,” will feature speakers from major corporations and leading marketing firms providing insights into product innovation, channel strategy, brand transformation and new marketing technology. The event will be held May 11 and 12 at the DoubleTree Hotel in San Jose, Calif.

Speakers include corporate experts from Boeing, Cisco Systems, Inc., Eastman Kodak Company, Johnson & Johnson, Microsoft Corp. and Siemens, as well as Jeneanne M. Rae, cited by BusinessWeek magazine as "one of the Magnificent Seven gurus of innovation." Other perspectives will be provided by presenters from leading consulting firms, including Russell Reynolds, ClearGauge, Charter Consulting, Colman Brohan Davis, and 90octane.

“This year’s conference will provide participants with information to help them do their jobs better and help their organizations compete in today’s global marketplace,” said Kirby Strickland, CBC, chairman of BMA. “The conference packs a lot into two days, including real-life examples of how Fortune 500 companies do things and panel presentations with a variety of viewpoints, as well as case studies and research presentations.”


In addition to hearing from 17 speakers during the two days, conference registrants will receive a copy of the book Beyond Six Sigma Profitable Growth Through Customer Value Creation, written by conference speaker Gary Plaster.

The cost for the two-day session is $595 for BMA members and $785 for non members. The non-member cost includes a bonus one-year BMA membership, a $210 value. Single-day rates also are available, and the host BMA Chapter, Northern California, is making available a specially discounted rate for California BMA members.

Sponsors for the 2006 BMA Conference are BtoB Magazine, Burson-Marsteller, ClearGauge, Eric Mower and Associates, GBC Brand Image Solutions, HSR Business to Business and LeadGenesys.

For complete details on the “Return Of Innovation” program and fees, visit www.marketing.org or call 1-800-664-4BMA(4262).

Presentations and speakers scheduled for the event include:

• Innovating Services in the Post-Six Sigma Era - Jeneanne M. Rae, Co-founder of Peer Insight LLC

• Maintaining Marketing Leadership in a Global Market - James Richardson, Senior Vice President, Commercial Business, Cisco Systems, Inc.

• Channel Innovation - Justin Crotty, Vice President of Channel Marketing, Ingram Micro

• Adding Value in Commodity Markets - Lori Colman, Chief Executive Officer, Colman Brohan Davis, and Mary La Guardia, Director of Marketing and Sales, Sensory Effects

• Using a New Product to Build Marketing Advantage, or How Boeing Got its Groove Back - Rob Pollack, VP Brand and Market Positioning, Boeing

• Brand Transformation—Repositioning a Top Brand to Spur Growth - Ty Roberts, General Manager and former CMO, Becker

• How to Increase Your Brand Value and Connect Better With Customers - Case Studies From Johnson & Johnson and Microsoft Corp - Betsy Steele, Senior Marketing Manager, Microsoft Corp., and Andrea Higham, Director of Corporate Equity, Johnson & Johnson

• Innovative People - What Top Marketing Organizations Seek and Expect From Their Leading Personnel - Brad McLane, Head of CMO Search Practice, Russell Reynolds

• The Benefits of a Customer-Focused and Integrated Sales and Marketing Program - Christi Pedra, VP and COO Siemens One, Siemens Corp. USA

• Internet Advertising for Measurable Results in a B2B Marketing Environment - Joanne Bradford, Vice President Sales, Microsoft MSN

• Correlating Advanced Web Analytics to Business Pipeline Value - Timothy S. Barngrover, Senior Vice President, Client Relations/Business Development, ClearGauge

• Enabling “The Market of One” - Diane Quinlisk, Senior Manager, Graphics Communications Group, Eastman Kodak Company

• Funnels, Buckets and the Lead CalendarTM: A ROMI-Based Methodology to Generate, Convert and Measure Sales Leads - Sam Eidson, Partner, 90octane, and Rich Carvill, Industrial Power Transmission Marketing Manager, Gates

• Marketing Innovation Trends: “Beyond Six Sigma Profitable Growth Through Customer Value Creation” - Gary Plaster, Author and Principal, Charter Consulting




Media Contact:
Thomas A. Stack
VP PR, BMA International
Senior Consultant
NM Marketing Communications
847-471-4213