CASRO

Technology continues to be a critical business driver for Market Research. This two-day conference addresses important technology issues that impact your research business. The conference targets senior information systems professionals, senior management and senior researchers at research companies. It also offers superior networking activities, which include opportunities to meet with leading technology vendors who will showcase the latest in research technology.

Exhibitors and Sponsor Information - Click For Details & Registration Form

The exhibit space is a table-top exhibit only - a full booth, including pop-ups are NOT permitted. The table is 6-foot in length and includes chairs, standard electric and limited space behind the table. One retractable banner stand will be permitted but can only be placed behind the table. The total width of the banner stand cannot exceed 4 feet. The exhibit fee includes the table and conference registration for 1 person as well wireless internet in the exhibit area and meeting space. Exhibit space is limited.

The increasing importance of technology has created an industry-wide need to better understand technology and its application to research. Therefore, we challenged our industry to add to the body of knowledge by sharing presentations and research that address key technology issues.
This two-day conference will feature the papers chosen by our reviewing committee. The content will be presented both individually and in interactive panel sessions.

Thursday, June 26, 2008

8:00 a.m. Registration and Continental Breakfast with Exhibitors
9:00 a.m. Welcoming Remarks
- Diane K. Bowers, President, CASRO
- Peter Milla, CIO, Survey Sampling International, L.L.C.; Committee Co-Chair
- Christian Super, VP, Information Technology Innovation and Development,
Ipsos North America; Committee Co-Chair

9:15 a.m. New Technology: Driving the Enterprise Higher – Panel Discussion
- Sean McDade, Ph.D., CEO, PeopleMetrics
- Normand Péladeau, Ph.D., President, Provalis Research
- Niel Oscarson, Director, Client Services, Western Wats
- Charles Pearson, Senior Vice President, Research Now

New technologies including Web 2.0, Software as a Service (SaaS), Service Oriented Architecture (SOA), mobile, and the latest in real time reporting will challenge technologists at research organizations to review and question many facets of the technologies that they currently have deployed. This panel of practicing research industry technologists will present case studies showing how new technology is leading organizations to provide better answers to research questions.

10:30 a.m. - Break with Exhibitors

11:00 a.m. - New Technology – Panel Discussion (continued)

11:30 a.m. - SaaS or "Software as a Service"
- Peter Milla, CIO, Survey Sampling International, L.L.C.

SaaS or “Software as a Service” is becoming increasingly present in a number of application areas including Customer Relationship Management, Human Resources, Enterprise Resource Planning, Supply Chain Management and Messaging. Applied to market research, SaaS could provide many benefits ranging from permitting research companies to offer more services to focusing on adding more value. Beyond that, SaaS might be a vehicle to permit research companies to “level the playing field” against potential large competitors that may come from outside the research industry. To that end, this presentation will address the following areas:

- An overview of SaaS. What is it and what it means.
- Suggested applications of SaaS offerings to research company IT needs, including using SaaS to build customized solutions
- A potential framework for a research-specific set of SaaS offerings, including functionality now typically provided using “traditional” approaches, including: data collection, reporting, statistical analysis, etc.

12:30 p.m. - Lunch (provided)

2:00 p.m. - Mobile Research: What’s the Buzz All About? – Panel Discussion
- Dan Coates, President, Globalpark & Bradley Johnson, Senior Consumer Insights Associate, General Mills
- Kristin Luck, President, Decipher
- John Weisberg, VP Marketing, Techneos Systems Inc.
- Hugh Davis, Co-founder and EVP, Greenfield Online
- Steve Lavine, President, Common Knowledge Research Services

Nearing the top of the hype cycle, mobile research is being offered by some as our industry’s answer to new research challenges and changing consumer preferences. While many technologists are touting mobile data collection capabilities, what are the benefits to companies considering these solutions? Are there certain surveys that lend themselves to mobile data collection? What does mobile accessibility mean to the market research professional and how willing are consumers to participate in mobile or wireless studies? What limitations are imposed upon the market research professional by clients? Are there reach and speed advantages to mobile surveys or are mobile surveys a solution in search of a non-existent problem? What is the future of the wireless device and what technological advancements (like GPS tracking) will materialize?

This panel reviews the possibilities for mobile research. How it is already being used to track mobile marketing programs, as well as what you can do if you want to leverage these tools for research.

3:00 p.m. - Refreshment Break with Exhibitors

3:30 p.m. - Mobile Research: What’s the Buzz All About (continued)

4:30 p.m. - The Mythical Roundtrip Survey Generation Tool
- Jeff Thompson, Director of Research Technology, Kantar Operations

As research companies are pressured by clients to deliver jobs more quickly, they are increasingly forced to find ways to more efficiently generate scripts for data collection and data processing.

This presentation will explore the available options to automate the creation of surveys and the accompanying processing and analysis.

5:30 p.m. - Adjournment Day I

5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. - Cocktail Reception

7:30 p.m. - Dinner (on your own)

Friday, June 27, 2008

7:30 a.m. - Continental Breakfast with Exhibitors

8:30 a.m. - From Optimizing Online Research To Optimizing Web Through Researching
- Alex Gofman, Vice President, Moskowitz Jacobs Inc.

The majority of market research innovation efforts have traditionally been directed to finding better ways of doing research online. It is time to take the next step and move the industry into the “driver’s seat” of the Internet and the Web 2.0 explosion. By empowering the Web community with emerging market research tools and methodologies such as Landing Page Optimization and by embracing Web Analytics 2.0, we can better understand consumer behavior and advance marketing research methods and the value of market research.

Exhibitors & Sponsors

Exhibit space and sponsorships are available

9:30 a.m. - Why Multi-mode Isn’t Really About Multi-modes
- Lizza Miller, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer and Co-founder, DatStat

Although modern researchers are presented with a multitude of options for capturing data, each option comes with its own set of challenges. Used in combination, these options can be utilized in mixed-mode survey designs that maximize survey quality and minimize survey costs. However, as these tools have been combined and surveys have been fielded across modes, researchers have sometimes encountered data integration and workflow challenges which have diminished their ability to realize the full promise of multi-mode study designs. This presentation will present the key components of an effective mixed-mode data collection system, with a focus on the concept of a unifying research platform and the value that its use can deliver to an organization.

10:30 a.m. - Break with Exhibitors

11:00 a.m. - Research Quality: How Can Technology Deliver Quality – Panel Discussion
- Brett Schnittlich, CTO, OTX
- Darcy Norman, SVP, Software Development, Kantar Operations
- Ali Moiz, Chief Operating Officer, Peanut Labs,

Research quality – and particularly the quality of panel samples – continues to headline many discussions in the market research industry. This panel will explore different approaches to applying technology to the quality problem. Solutions that will be discussed include:

- Technology to build a collaborative platform for research agencies to neutralize professional survey takers
- Technology to address fraudulent panelists by analyzing, and detecting their behavioral patterns
- Technology to identify and block non-engaged respondents in real-time
- Technology using digital fingerprinting to identify a user’s Internet device and to help filter fraudulent respondents

1:00 p.m. - Conference Adjournment

Registration/non-member attendance

Pre-registration is required for all attendees and is open through Wednesday, June 25. Walk-in registrations are not permitted.

Hotel Information

The Millennium Broadway Hotel is located in the heart of Times Square with a calming, upscale ambiance and access to Broadway theaters, Fifth Avenue shopping, midtown business and fine dining.
Address: 145 West 44th Street, New York, USA 10036-4012
Room Reservations: (212) 768-4400
Tour The Millennium Broadway Hotel Online

Room Reservations/Deadlines

CASRO has reserved a limited number of sleeping rooms at the Millennium Broadway Hotel at a rate of $349 plus tax, per night for the nights of Wednesday, June 25 and Thursday, June 26, 2008. Contact Room Reservations at the Hotel directly at (212) 768-4400 and reference CASRO to receive this rate. The hotel room/rate reservation deadline is Wednesday, June 4, 2008, however, this rate is only guaranteed as long as rooms are available in the CASRO room reservation block, so we suggest making your room reservation early. If the room block is full, or it is after June 4, the hotel will take reservations on a rate and space availability basis only.

Air Travel to New York City

The Millennium Broadway Hotel is located in midtown Manhattan and is accessible from NY’s La Guardia and JFK Airports as well as Newark International Airport in New Jersey. All major carriers fly into these airports. Car rental and taxi and limousine services are also available from all airports.

13th ANNUAL TECHNOLOGY CONFERENCE
Thursday, June 26, 2008

8:00 a.m. - Registration opens; Continental breakfast with exhibitors

8:45 a.m. – Opening Remarks

Mid-Morning – 30 minute break with exhibitors

Lunch (provided) Sponsored by:

Afternoon – 30 minute break with exhibitors

5:30 p.m. – Day 1 Adjournment

5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. - 2-hour cocktail reception with exhibitors

Friday, June 27, 2008

7:45 a.m. - Continental breakfast with exhibitors

8:30 a.m. – Day II Sessions Begin

Mid-Morning – 30 minute break with exhibitors

1:00 p.m. - Conference Adjourns

Registration Information/Fees

The registration fee includes continental breakfasts, lunch on Friday, breaks, conference materials, and the cocktail reception on Thursday evening. Wireless internet access will be provided to each registrant in the exhibit area at no cost. Cancellations on or before Tuesday, June 16 will be charged a $75 cancellation fee. Cancellations after June 16 and no-shows will forfeit the entire registration fee, but substitutions can be made at any time. Please contact CASRO to make a substitution. The conference is open to non-members. Those non-members who apply for membership by June 30, 2008 will be refunded the difference between the member and non-member rate. Please contact us for more information.

CASRO Member Fees (all fees in US Dollars)
First registrant from member company/organization - $995
Additional registrants from member company/organization - $925

Non-Member Fees
All registrants - $1,395

Printable Program (Coming Soon)

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