List Professionals – This One’s for You!
As we list professionals know, the most important part of any direct marketing campaign is the list. If you are not reaching the right audience your goals will not be achieved. And on May 11th, The Direct Marketing Association of Washington is holding the one and only annual List Bazaar exclusively for list professionals.
That’s right; there is no other gathering I am aware of that is specifically for list brokers, list managers, list owners, co-ops, agencies, service bureaus and others who make their living in the list business. This is a shame as this group is the heart of the direct mail community. We help you get your message to an audience that is finely tuned for your offer. That is the exclusive focus of the List Bazaar. It is being held this year on May 11th at the Tegna Building (formerly USA Today/Gannett) in Tysons Corner, Virginia.
The List Bazaar brings this group together for a prime networking and educational experience. The highlight of the networking experience will be the Speed Dating session. The new and approved session will pair list brokers and list managers in separate non-profit and commercial sides. Thus, the rotating pairs will get an exclusive chance to discuss needs and offerings. This might be a good chance to nail down that elusive client.
Education is also a big part of the program and this year is no different. The show will start with a keynote address by Mark Rasch, Chief Security Evangelist at Verizon. Mr. Rasch is an attorney and author, specializing in cyber security. The session promises to be informative and I am sure a little scary. It’s an important topic about what we can do to police our own to minimize unwanted regulation and outside interference.
In a similar vein there will be a session on list standards. Affecting more than just list brokers and list managers it addresses the handling of data and the accepted agreements in the list rental and exchange area. Although this recently updated document was drawn up for the non-profit industry it addresses concerns across the list business. The individuals who participated in amending the document will be on the panel. No doubt there will be a lot of audience participation. We list professionals hold strong opinions.
Other sessions address co-ops and their different approaches to list enhancement and analytics. There is a session on millennials and how this group has changed direct marketing. Email and social media approaches to direct marketing are part of the list business and will be covered as well.
The show starts early and ends early giving participants plenty of time to get together in the afternoon or to scurry back to their desks for the end of day rush. Since there are no other list shows the List Bazaar attracts individuals from all around the east coast and beyond. There is plenty of business to be done in the Washington, DC area, so take the train in and spend a couple of days in our nation’s capital.
Charlie Rice is Vice President, Account Management and List Fulfillment at MMI Direct. Charlie serves as co-chair for the 2016 DMAW List Bazaar Marketing Subcommittee. He can be reached at (443) 539-2683 or at charlie@mmidirect.com