About BCAMA
The American Marketing Association is a non-profit international society of professional marketers dedicated to the leading-edge practice, study and teaching of marketing.  Founded over 52 years ago, the BCAMA provides an educational and social forum for marketers. 

If you are looking to learn from and connect with industry leaders and their respective target markets, BCAMA is the place.  Through partnership you will have opportunities to reach a variety of key decision makers and influencers in BC’s corporate and satellite world.  Our market crosses all industries, demographics and psychographics.  Our programming is focused on providing fresh, original insight that will lead the way for real world strategies.  Our community is the force behind growth and opportunity in BC.

More specifically, our target market includes:

• Mid-level marketers involved in marketing/advertising activities from all industries (e.g. marketing and advertising departments of corporations, advertising agency client service departments, marketing researchers, direct marketers, sales promotion professionals, public relations firms, marketing consultants) and marketing educators.
• Agency principals and senior managers, particularly through VISION, Marketer of the Year, selected Special Interest Group (SIGs) topics and the new corporate partnership program.
• Marketing students
• Media sales reps, media buyers, news media
• Suppliers (printing, packaging, pre-press, graphic designers, writers)

The BC Chapter is one of the most highly regarded chapters of any in North America based on its success in membership and programming. The BC Chapter is consistently ranked among the top ten professional chapters for overall performance and has won the prestigious international "Chapter of the Year Award" in 1995 and 1996, "Chapter Excellence" in 1997, “Best in Class” in 2004, and most recently the “Membership Merit Award” in 2007.

The AMA International is one of the largest marketing associations in the world with over 75 chapters and 50,000 members.  The BC Chapter currently has over 500 professional and student members and is the largest AMA chapter in Canada.

For more information see:
BCAMA website: www.bcama.com
AMA international website: www.marketingpower.com

• VISION (premier full day marketing conference) and Marketer of the Year (the BCAMA launch event featuring the Marketer of the Year winner) are signature BCAMA events, drawing 350 to 450 middle and senior level marketers.
• Speaker Series typically draws 150 to 275 individuals at all levels with a predominance of middle management.  Four breakfasts are planned for 2009/2010, primarily at the Four Seasons Hotel.
• Special Interest Group (SIGs) events are smaller with 40-50 people, more interactive and specialized – as such the target changes based on the topic.  The events are hosted at Water Street Café in their private room upstairs.
• Special events are focused on providing a unique mix of social interaction, entertainment and leading edge marketing topics.  2009 special events: (1) a premium wine and cheese tasting event, with a dual speaker presentation from the wine and cheese industries; (2) The BCAMA annual general meeting is hosted each June and focuses on fun, rather than marketing education.  The average draw is 100 with a varied location and program.
• Pure Networking events are new to the BCAMA roster and the first was sold out with 100 people in November 2008.  Their location varies based on sponsorship opportunities and they are designed to encourage BCAMA membership and allow for social networking opportunities.  No formal speaker presentation is offered.

More about VISION Conference
Established in 1990, this one-day event has grown to be regarded as the premier marketing conference in Western Canada.  This reputation has been earned through many years of successful, groundbreaking speaker line-ups that bring to Vancouver the best marketing minds available to share their insights, challenges and ideas, and to help corporate and marketing professionals to push the envelope as far as we are able.

The marketing community expects leading edge topics when it comes to VISION and we aim to deliver on that expectation year after year.  We do not seek out just any speaker.  We focus on those that will speak on the most relevant, leading and cutting edge topics.

The 2009 Vision theme is: The Big Idea!
We have an all star line-up of forward thinking leaders who will be discussing the transition from hatching the Big Idea to growing a successful company, building a culture to continue promoting Big Idea thinking and overcoming ever changing constraints.

Ken Schmidt
Former Communications Director at Harley Davidson Motor Company/Leading Fortune 500 Consultant
Revving Up Customers to Make the Big Noise
Presented by: Grey Vancouver

Ken Schmidt is one of the most in-demand business speakers and communications consultants in North America.  In 1901, Harley Davidson Motor Company was born from William S. Harley’s big idea to fit an engine onto a bicycle. After a major downturn in its business in the late ‘70’s and early ‘80’s, it initiated its next big idea that radically changed its marketing strategy. By focusing on understanding and harnessing the most basic drivers of human behavior, it improved its competitiveness in even the most difficult of environments. It was on a new road to building a fanatically vocal customer base. Today, Harley Davidson continues its marketing leadership by facilitating the social engagement of its enthusiastic customer communities.

Richard Bartrem
Vice-President, Culture and Communications, WestJet
Five Secrets to Success
Presented by: Metropolitan Fine Printers

In an industry rife with failure and renowned low service standards, WestJet’s Big Idea in 1996 was “Hey let’s start an airline!” Join Richard Bartrem, WestJet’s Vice-President, Culture and Communications as he takes you through what big ideas WestJet had to make them one of the most commercially successful airlines in the world. Ultimately, WestJet’s success comes from having the right corporate culture and Richard will share WestJet’s five secrets to success to getting it right.

Brad Gamble
Senior Director of Marketing, McDonald’s Canada
Still lovin’ it
Presented by: The Portables

McDonald’s founder, Ray Kroc, founded the most successful family restaurant chain in the world today. The brand is a global institution. That said, McDonalds is under constant pressure, internally and externally, to challenge itself to re-examine its business and to engage its customers in new, compelling ways. For a large corporation striving to keep its entrepreneurial spirit, McDonalds has been masterful in its ability to clearly articulate its strategy, align its resources, and boldly try new things. In his presentation, Brad Gamble shares some of the big idea strategies and cutting edge tactics employed to connect with customers, and to renew the love and affinity they have for the brand.

Brian Scudamore
President & CEO, 1-800 GOT-JUNK
Corporate Culture Turns Local Entrepreneur into Awarded International Brand
Presented by: Ipsos Reid

1-800-GOT-JUNK? Founder and CEO Brian Scudamore started his junk removal business in 1989 with the big idea of professionalizing an entire industry and growing a successful franchised business. The company has now grown to 250 locations in three countries, and Brian’s new big idea is to build a globally admired brand. Brian discusses his big ideas on how corporate culture, goal setting, and developing people have translated into explosive growth for 1-800-GOT-JUNK?.

Jim Carroll
Futurist & Marketing Trend Consultant to Fortune 500
Innovation in the High Velocity Economy
Presented by: Sauder School of Business

Jim Carroll is an expert consultant on marketing trends and innovation to the Fortune 500. His clients include Disney, Microsoft, Nestle, Motorola and KPMG. In today’s economic climate, marketers are faced with overwhelming challenges. In times like these, the new leaders that have emerged from recession are the ones that through innovation have changed the competitive landscape. With this understanding, Jim explains what highly innovative big idea companies do differently from other companies, and what we can learn from them to unlock our potential in this “High Velocity Economy”.

Kerry Munro
General Manager, Yahoo! Canada
The Yahoo! Big Idea Chair

• Ken Wong: Highly Acclaimed Business Professor, Author & Strategist
  Dialoguing on new brand management structures that need to be put into place given the current market conditions,
  integrating campaigns and strategies.
• Maggie Fox, Founder of Social Media Group
  Dialoguing on the future of social media given today’s landscape and tomorrow’s future opportunities.
• Agency, TBD
  Dialoguing on creative innovation and mediums

VISION Target Audience

• The draw is expected to be the standard target market, with a greater emphasis on mid to senior level managers in the marketing and advertising field.
• An expanded corporate market is also expected based on the speakers and topics which reach beyond marketing and address overall corporate thinking innovation, integration and big ideas.
• The audience is well read and the character of the event is professional, leading edge and intelligent.
• Geographical focus is the Lower Mainland along with major centers outside the Lower Mainland including Kelowna, Kamloops, Victoria and Nanaimo.  Some representation from Seattle, Portland and Alberta is also expected.

VISION Details
Date:  Thursday May 7, 2009
Location: Four Seasons Hotel (downtown core of Vancouver)

Agenda
7:30 am – 8:30 am:  Registration & Breakfast
8:30 am – 4:30 pm:  Conference        
4:30 am – 7:00 pm:  Networking Reception

Contact
For more information and opportunities surrounding the BCAMA please contact:
Cindy Haapanen
Executive Director, BC American Marketing Association
Direct Phone:  604-322-6464
CSHConsulting@shaw.ca