OakTree Digital, a full service interactive firm in Portland, OR, is on-board as the first Founding Company Member of the new Internet Partner Forum. We invite others to join OakTree in supporting the start of what could be a unique and valuable organization in the industry. Special thanks to John Schmitt and the rest of the crew at OakTree Digital.
For more information on the limited-time opportunity to be a Founding Company Member, see the interim IPF site.
The inaugural meeting of the Internet Partner Forum on Wednesday December 5th was packed with attendees from agencies, development shops and other product/service vendors at the Living Room Theaters in Portland, OR. Over 45 people registered.
The client-side panelists from Nike, Intel, Providence Health and Portland General Electric answered a lot of great questions as the shared their experience and opinions on what makes for great partner agencies and other vendors. In fact, there are some links below to audio clips of the panelists answering a key question.
I saw good examples of attendees meeting other attendees who provide complimentary services and could do possibly do business together at some point. That is one of the primary objectives of the Internet Partner Forum.
See below for photos as well as video and audio clips from the meeting.
If you would like to hear about future meetings and are not already on the IPF mailing list, please use the contact dialog on the interim IPF web site.
Below you can listen to MP3 audio of the 4 brand-side panelists answering the question “What separates great agencies and other vendors from the rest of the pack?”
> Audio clip of answer from Tim Pacholke of Nike
> Audio clip of answer from Rob Rollinger of Intel
> Audio clip of answer from Lisa Gloor of Providence Heatth & Services
> Audio clip of answer from Richard Myhre of Portland General Electric
ABOVE: a sub-30 second video clip showing the meeting room
ABOVE: the room was full, with over 45 people registered
ABOVE: the client-side panelists from Nike, Intel, Providence and PGE are members of the Internet Strategy Forum
ABOVE: panelists Richard Myhre from Portland General Electric and Lisa Gloor from Providence Health & Services
ABOVE: Panelists Rob Rollinger from Intel and Tim Pacholke from Nike.
ABOVE: networking with a panelist from Intel
ABOVE: networking among Internet service and product provider attendees
The Internet Partner Forum meeting tonight starts at 6:00pm at the Living Room Theaters, SW 10th & Stark in downtown Portland. Some limited seats will be available at the door. Depending on when you read this, you may still be able to register online here.
On Friday I had a conference call with all of the client-side panelists for the upcoming Internet Partner Forum meeting this Wednesday. I talked about my objectives for the panel and developed a list with the types of questions that I plan to ask as the moderator (see below).
All of the panelists (from Intel, Nike, Providence Health Systems, Portland General Electric) are eager to share their insights and experience regarding the topic “What Clients REALLY Want from Agencies and other Vendors”. I came away from this call knowing that this will be a fantastic panel.
Below is a list of the sample questions developed for the panel. There is no guarantee that all of these questions will be discussed, but the list should provide a general sense of what the meeting will cover.
We have over 30 people registered to attend so far. To join us, register here.
Use the comments feature on this blog to add your own questions to the list below and we’ll try to work them into the discussion.
TOPIC: What do Clients REALLY Want from Agencies and other Vendors?
Panel introductions – Please introduce yourself by telling us:
name, job title, department, company
What types of functions does your department/company outsource?
What are one or two key pain points in your relationships with vendors?
Sample moderator questions (not in any particular order and not all questions will be asked at the meeting):
What separates a great vendor partner from the rest of the pack?
What is the decision-marking process like for hiring vendors at your company? which departments participate? Marketing, IT?
What criteria do you value the most?
Criteria examples:
* Viability (will they be in business)
* Quality of services
* Commitment to/experience in the specific market
* Technology/Platform match
* References
How important is local presence of the vendor?
What separates great vendor partners from the rest of the pack?
Do you conduct formal vendor reviews?
What is the most crucial role in the relationship with a vendor? (Top Exec, Account Executive, Project Manager, etc.)
How does turn-over of resources, especially key roles like the Account Executive, affect the vendor relationship?
What is usually the weak link for the relationship?
What has been the #1 reason you have discontinued a working relationship with a vendor?
What areas of conflict with vendors have come up?
Some common issues that the panel has faced:
* understanding the brand, ramping up resources
* A team vs. B team
