Le Big Bang :: Past Editions

Conferences
Dan will speak on two subjects during Le Big Bang Forum. First, how to create customer messages that differentiate your organization from others, and how to help your sales and marketing staffs coordinate messages and conversations with buyers that help create "value" and "vision". In addition, Dan will explore negotiating techniques and approaches, and handling RFP's in a way that helps ensure that sales personnel are working with buyers that are motivated to buy, and that sales and management are able to control the selling situation without over-controlling the buyer(s).

H. Dan Lemke spent more than 25 years in the information technology marketplace in sales, marketing and executive management of software, hardware, networking, and professional services organizations. He held executive positions at Xerox, AT&T, Oracle, Tandem Computers/Compaq, Lawson Software, and Control Data Systems. Today, his organization "Vision Group" in conjunction with CustomerCentric Systems, LLC. (www.customercentricsystems.com), actively works with hi technology companies that are concerned with improving sales productivity, marketing effectiveness, and coaching senior executives throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe.

Michael O'Neil, Country Manager
IDC

Ten Steps to a Channel/Alliance Strategy
IDC estimates $53.1 billiions, or 59% of North American associated software revenue was influenced int 2000. This means that more often than not, end-user purchases are influenced by third parties. In this context, shaping your company's channel and alliance strategy is critical. And the tactical decisions you make in implementing that strategy will determine whether or not you meet your targets. This presentation focuses on marketing and selling through channels and managing partners.

Michael O'Neil is an internationally-recognized expert on the creation and application of business partner relationships in the IT industry. He has written much of IDC's seminal research in this area, and has conducted Workshops on this subject troughout Asia, North America and Europe.
In addition to having general management responsibility for all of IDC's software and services partnering research, Mr. O'Neil is the Country Manager for IDC's Canadian business operations. He is also the author or the monthly "InDirections" column in "Channel Business" magazine.
Mr. O'Neil, who joined IDC at its Framingham, Massachussetts headquarters in 1986, is frequently cited as a senior management source of analysis on the IT industry in Canada. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Information Technology Association of Canada (ITAC), the most important source of industry perspectives on the Canadian IT business and regulatory environments.

Brent Pearce, Marketing Lecturer
John Molson School of Business, Concordia University

Marketing & Communications for Today's World...
Evolution or Revolutio?
The world is smaller and life moves faster than ever before, especially in the field of information technology. But, have our marketing techniques and communications skills evolved to keep pace with our rapidly changing environment? Or, do we require a revolution in our thinking?
Mr. Pearce will address several issues that are crucial to marketers at the start of the 21st Century. First will be the importance of what the customer is really buying and how to communicate effectively in order to evolve with the needs of contemporary IT buyers. In addition, he will delve into the modern customer service revolution that is upon us such that we capitalize on the fact that "Good news travel fast" and avoid being victims of "Bad news travels faster".

Brent Pearce has spent more than 30 years in the marketing and communications industry with an orientation to the bitech and high technology markets. He has developed a reputation at Concordia University for his innovative thoughts and methods on effectiveness in the field of customer service and communications and works extensively with companies that want to improve their effectiveness and productivity in customer communications.

Tim Scudder, CEO
Personal Strengths Publishing

Hitting the Communication Target
Communication goes both ways. Participants in this session will explore how motives and values impact the messages people send and receive - when things are going well and during conflict. This awareness coupled with practice during the session will enable participants to communicate more effectively and manage conflict more efficiently with clients, team members and others. This session will be highly interactive and will focus on hitting the communication target - getting the desired result.

Tim Scudder is the CEO of Personal Strengths Publishing, a global publisher of training materials and provider of consulting services. He is a frequent speaker at international conferences, conducts facilitator qualification and certification courses and performs consulting services in the areas of change management, communication, conflict management, sales, leadership development and team building. He is an active member of the International Society for Performance Improvement.

Michael Tanner, Managing Director
The Chasm Group, California

Dark Days with Infinite Possibility - Creating Marketing Success in Tough Times
This keynote is framed by retreating venture and public capital market valuations, negative growth in software IT spending, and a software growth environment that is slower than at any time in history. The effect on software companies has become, and will continue to be profound for the visible future. As a result, the marketing and sales strategies that will be rewarded in the next few years are likely to look dramatically different than they did during the technology boom years of 1997-2000. With this backdrop, this presentation focuses on the following key questions:
- What's new? The current situation in the technology sector and going forward scenarios
- The effect of consolidation among technology categories
- Deciding where to look to carve out competitive advantage
- Creating successful marketing strategy

Michael Tanner is a Managing Director with The Chasm Group since 1995, he provides advisory and consulting services in the areas of new venture development, market development strategy, operational planning, portfolio investment strategy and market positioning. Over his consulting carrer, Mr. Tanner has advised established numerous larger companies such as IBM, Hewlett-Packard, Agilent, Synopsys, Imation, as well as hundreds of startup to mid-size ventures, primarily in the IT infrastructure, technical software and communications technology markets.

Kenneth B. Wong, Assoc. Professor, Business and Marketing Strategy
Queen's School of Business
Queen's University

The Number One Problem Facing Technology Business Today
The boom and bust of dot.coms and telecoms has left both buyers and suppliers of technology-based products shaken... and nervous. But there are some firms who still record strong performance even in these difficult times... and they don't do it by mindlessly cutting costs.
Ken will identify the common obsession shared by high performance firms and some of the key practices they have found to deal with the issue.

Ken B. Wong is a faculty member at Queen's School of Business. He received his B.Comm and MBA degrees from Queen's University prior to a period of doctoral studies at the Harvard Business School.

As a teacher, Mr. Wong has received numerous awards for his courses in strategic planning, marketing and business strategy.

He is also a frequent speaker and facilitator in conferences and executive development programs around the world. He has many corporate clients such as: 3M Canada; Alcan; Accenture (Andersen Consulting); AT&T (Canada); Bell Canada; TD-Canada Trust; Equifax Canada; Hummingbird; Microsoft; Telus; and, Texec.