This year CASRO's Annual Conference - our 33rd - focused on helping market research company leaders become more visionary about the market and their companies. Developed around the central theme of "Anticipating Trends; Creating Your Future," sessions throughout the conference identified market forces and provided insights on valuable management tools such as scenario planning and brainstorming.

The conference began with an engaging look at the consumer marketplace through the eyes of renowned strategist Mark Penn, CEO of PR firm Burson-Marsteller, and President of the polling firm Penn, Schoen and Berland. Citing examples from his bestselling book Microtrends: The Small Forces Behind Tomorrow's Big Changes, as well as many up-to-the moment illustrations, Mark reminded researchers to check their perceptions at the door by refuting nuggets of conventional wisdom regarding various trends impacting consumer behavior. Among the many bubbles burst: As people become more fluent/educated, they in fact become more "spinnable" because they are further removed from everyday problems and rely on sound bites for their news; in spite of a perceived increase in "adult ADHD", so-called long attention spanners are hungry for knowledge - puzzles are more popular, and the page count of the average bestseller has jumped by 100 pages. Naturally, less than a month from the U.S. Presidential election, the focus turned to Mark's take on polling and the race for the White House, as well as his experience leading strategy for Hillary Clinton's primary campaign.

Mark signed complimentary copies of his book at a welcome reception on Tuesday evening and again following his talk. Terri Morrison, President of Getting Through Customs, also signed complimentary copies of her book, Kiss, Bow or Shake Hands, at breakfast and following her talk. Terri entertained with stories about cultural norms in various societies and detailed corporate successes and disasters from meetings to marketing campaigns.

Andy Morrison of Market Strategies International, moderated a session entitled, "New Challenges, New Channels, New Methods", which addressed "Research 2.0" techniques and technologies such as mobile applications (John M. Boyle, Abt SRBI), the power of word of mouth (Ed Keller, Keller Fay Group) and the research implications of "the wisdom of crowds" (Ari Popper, BrainJuicer, Inc.).

Perfect for executives seeking methods to manage more effectively in economic tumult were breakout sessions on "Brainstorming: Finding the Next Big Idea" with Cindy Diamond, of IGNiTE; and "Scenario Planning: Expecting the Unexpected" with Karyn Schoenbart of The NPD Group, Inc.

Michael Mitrano of Transition Strategies Corporation, provided a guided tour of CASRO's industry financial surveys that featured data mining techniques to extract valuable benchmarks.

A rare opportunity to get expert legal advice was not bypassed as attendees sat attentively for "Contract Negotiating: Managing the Nightmare Contract." featuring Duane Berlin, CASRO General Counsel (Lev & Berlin, P.C.), seasoned MR industry attorney Mike Slotznick, and data security expert Peter Milla of Survey Sampling International L.L.C.

A step-by-step recap of the off-shoring process from both sides was provided by John Tapper of Ziment Custom and Sunil Mirani of Ugam Research Solutions.

Executives also noted the value of attending member's only in-depth reviews of CASRO's annual financial and compensation surveys. Conducted in four separate rooms, the breakout sessions were focused by company size and type enabling discussion among peers of common issues.

The client perspective was provided by Jeff Kroll of St. Jude Medical, Rakesh Sheth of HSBC Finance, and Nicole Maher of GSK among others.

Maher provided detailed advice from the RFP/Proposal stage through project implementation. She recommended organizing and prioritizing questions for a call with clients to discuss the RFP rather than submitting without contact. She also noted that extensive research of the client's business is important, but cautioned that researchers don't presume to know their needs or how each detail of the project should be completed. "My favorite proposals," she said, "are thoughtful and proactive without being too presumptuous."

Thursday's break allowed golfers to take their shots at the acclaimed Breakers Rees Jones Course. More than two dozen hearty souls braved choppy Atlantic waters to reel in some keepers from the Gulf Stream. On-site tennis was also popular and many took advantage of free shuttles to the area's famed shops.

Special thanks to Annual Conference Committee Co-Chairs Kevin Menk, Managing Partner, Strategic Resource Partners, L.L.C., and Lynnette Cooke, CEO, Ziment Group.

CASRO extends its appreciation to all exhibitors and sponsors, especially Premier Sponsor Research Now.

Engaging sessions kept the focus on the podium, despite breathtaking Atlantic Ocean views from adjacent windows.		Attendees lined up to meet Keynote Speakers Mark Penn and Terri Morrison, who both signed complimentary copies of their books. Their appearances were sponsored by Keynote Sponsor Opinion Outpost/Western Wats.
From left, Ed Keller, John Boyle and Ari Popper discuss critical issues in "New Challenges, New Channels, New Methods".		The NPD Group's Karyn Schoenbart provided insight in one of four breakout sessions: "Scenario Planning: Expecting the Unexpected".		John Tapper, left, and Sunil Mirani provided both sides of the outsourcing partnership.
Conference Co-Chair Kevin Menk with fellow Board member Susan Spaulding.		Conference Co-Chair Lynnette Cooke (right) with GSK's Nicole Maher		Craig Stevens (left) of e-Rewards hosts Thursday evening's cocktails and cigar bar.
CASRO President Diane Bowers presents 2008 Chair Chet Zalesky with a framed proclamation honoring his service		Many fish stories were told after the Deep Sea Fishing Trip. Bernett Research's Andrew Hayes had this photo to back up his tale		Ashwin Mittal, Director at Cross-Tab Marketing Services, (right) congratulates Conference Prize Winner Jay Mace of McMillion Research on winning a Sony Bravia 46" LCD HDTV.
Golfers relished the opportunity to take on the renowned Breakers Rees Jones Course. The event, which included lunch, was sponsored by Greenfield Online