Those in the business of recoveries know that the basic goal of all credit grantors who place accounts with third party debt collection agencies is to increase Net Back.  Simply stated, this means to increase recovery performance net of costs involved in collecting the account internally or through other external means.  Costs include hard costs (definable expenses associated with the initiative) and soft costs (time, opportunity cost, and potential exposure because of negative press).

We can apply a similar calculation toward virtually any initiative we incur in business, including exhibiting at a conference or trade show.  What are the hard and soft costs involved?  Are there cheaper and potentially more effective alternatives?  What if you did not exhibit at all?

In February, Kaulkin Ginsberg and insideARM.com hosted the ARM industry’s first ever virtual exposition, EXPO 3.0.  The premise was simple but revolutionary.  Technology has dramatically changed the way we communicate.  When the economy soured and travel budgets were slashed, we wondered: “Why can’t today’s technology be utilized to improve the Net Back realized from the exhibition hall experience?”

Why can’t it? We determined that it can. And EXPO 3.0 worked so well for exhibitors and attendees alike that we decided to hold another virtual exhibition this year: EXPO 10.6.10, going live October 6, 2010. But back to the previous EXPO experience.

Attendees literally visited with exhibitors on-line, interacted at all levels of the decision making process through group or private chats, watched videos about  exhibitors and their services, and were able to leave the event with relevant information and appropriate contacts – all without having to leave their desks.  Sounds efficient, right?

And since it was absolutely free to attend, all interested staffers — from the IT department to Operations to Sales — from both sides of the decision making process attended without incurring the hard and soft costs of travel. Let’s face it, because of the expense of travel, cost to attend, and time out of the office – not to mention the travel restrictions placed upon many professionals – many stakeholders in the process of selecting vendors haven’t been able to attend tradeshows before.  On the flip side, the same costs prevented vendors from sending technicians or developers to staff their booths. That’s all changed through insideARM.com’s virtual EXPO.

Entire staffs now have a central place to go to evaluate products and services needed to improve recoveries. There are no restrictions.  Everyone on both sides of the buying decision can attend without the hassles or costs of travel.

As active participants in the affairs shaping the ARM industry for nearly 20 years, Kaulkin Ginsberg has been involved in virtually every trade show and conference geared toward credit grantors, collection agencies, collection law firms, and debt buyers.  We know and appreciate the fact that there’s no substitute for face-to-face interaction.  However, we are also painfully aware of the limitations associated with live events and that is why we believe a virtual experience makes sense.

I truly see EXPO 10.6.10 as powerful tool to enhance and facilitate introductions in the ARM industry and I invite you to sign up to exhibit or attend today and take advantage of all the benefits that this one-of-a-kind event can offer your business.

 


Next Article: July Consumer Bankruptcy Filings Up 9 Percent ...

Advertisement