Nielsen Resumes National Client Meeting, Albeit A Consolidated One: Combines Media, Consumer Focus

In a sign that the economic health of the media industry may be improving, Nielsen Co. has quietly announced plans to once again hold a national client meeting during 2010, and promises this one will be bigger, better and far more integrated than any it has held in the past. The meeting, which is set for June 15 and 16 in Las Vegas, comes a year after Nielsen canceled its 2009 national client meeting citing fiscal concerns by its clients and the fact that they were loath to travel.

Actually, Nielsen will be implementing an economic move its own, for the first time combining the national client meetings for its media research and its consumer research divisions, but the company says that is being driven less by economics and more from the fact that the two types of clients have similar interests and needs that can better serviced via one big event. However, the new client meeting will be much more exclusive than previous ones, and only top research executives from Nielsen's clients will be invited.

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"Please note that, unlike prior years, you will be receiving a non-transferable invitation to attend. Attendance at the conference will be limited," Sara Erichson, president-media client services at Nielsen wrote in letters Nielsen quietly sent to some clients just prior to the Christmas holidays.

A Nielsen spokesman confirmed that fewer media research clients are being invited this year, and that the combined meeting would have about 1,100 clients in total, about 550 clients from each division. That's down from about 800 media division clients in past year's meetings.

This year's meeting will also have much more of a consumer focus. The title of the event is, "The Consumer 360," and a preliminary agenda seems to emphasize consumer insights vs. media research issues.

"The conference will include general sessions at which all clients will hear from respected industry and thought leaders. Keynote speakers will feature, among others, Irene Rosenfeld, the CEO of Kraft Foods, George Bodenheimer, CEO of ESPN, Jeff Bewkes, Chairman and CEO of Time Warner and Sheryl Sandberg, Chief Operating Officer at Facebook," Erichson wrote. " In addition Malcolm Gladwell, best-selling author, and Chris Anderson, editor of Wired magazine, will debate "The Cost of Free: The Future State of the Internet and its Impact."

Erichson said "ample time" would be set aside for Nielsen media clients to discuss "the latest developments in cross platform measurement and other topics that are of critical import to you," but that agenda has not been disclosed.

1 comment about "Nielsen Resumes National Client Meeting, Albeit A Consolidated One: Combines Media, Consumer Focus".
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  1. Kevin Killion, January 7, 2010 at 11:39 a.m.

    Wouldn't it be great if Nielsen scheduled its Software Solutions Provider meeting at the same (or adjoining) place and time? Then clients would be able to discover how to augment and enhance the data they receive from Nielsen. The SSPs make Nielsen's data even more valuable.

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