IQPC Exchange is a division of the International Quality and Productivity Center that is focused on creating events in a format that is referred to an ‘exchange’.

Exchange events provide the opportunity to: 

• 'exchange' ideas and information
• develop industry contacts
• advance current initiatives
• improve business processes

Exchanges are unique, invitation-only events driven by pre-scheduled business meetings between pre-qualified solution providers and senior executives that are mutually interested in doing business together. Thought-provoking conference sessions, executive roundtables and innovative networking opportunities round out the agenda, resulting in three days focused on each delegate’s individual process improvement needs.

In addition to the innovative format of the event, solution providers can look forward to the following advantages:

Lead time: 

• Website for the event goes live which is guaranteed to happen 4 weeks prior to the event
• Custom itineraries will be given to solution providers a minimum of 1 week before the event to ensure they have time to prepare for their meetings

Customer solution: 

• From the date the solution providers book onto the event until the date the Exchange happens, they will have a senior account manager who will be their primary point of contact
• Each solution provider’s account manager will help with logistical details and support them as the event nears
• IQPC Exchange’s account managers will provide support to help ensure that each solution provider’s meeting itinerary is made up of prospects in their target market (industry, geography or job title specific)
• solution providers will also be assisted in the meeting selection process and in pre-event meeting preparation

• An exchange is invitation only and attracts senior-level attendees who make purchasing decisions for their organizations
• The format consists of three days of one-on-one business meetings, which are scheduled well in advance of the exchange, between these pre-qualified buyers and solution provider companies
• The aim of an exchange is to provide an intimate, confidential environment in which strategic purchasing decisions can be made and relationships developed.
• There is no tradeshow floor / exhibition component to an exchange.

• The delegates at an exchange are C and VP level, so it presents an exclusive and intimate environment in which delegates and solution providers can mingle. The sessions are small and strategic and allow for a great level of peer-to-peer interaction
• An exchange provides an opportunity for the delegates who are looking for specific solutions and services to be in a competitive buying environment. They are in a position to make decisions and this event is a unique opportunity to sit with multiple solution providers who have all done some due diligence on the delegates and are ready to provide them with timely and strategic advice.
• At an exchange, the delegates will be meeting with CEOs and VPs from solution provider companies who have the ability to negotiate the level and scope of solution that they provide
• The exchange format is ideal for time-starved executives to meet with various solution providers, do their due diligence on them and make purchasing decisions in a constructive environment

A private, sit-down, pre-arranged, mutually selected opportunity to discuss business between buyers and sellers.

A month before the exchange takes place, our online meeting scheduler goes live. Both delegates and solution providers will be given a password to our interactive software tool which contains the profiles of all the attending delegates and solution providers. Both parties will select, based on their business priorities and requirements, who they would like to have meetings with. Three weeks before an exchange, both delegates and solution providers will receive their itineraries, which detail exactly what they will be doing from the time they arrive at the resort on Sunday morning to the time they leave on Tuesday afternoon. Their time at the exchange is intended to be as constructive as it can be – every session they select to attend, every networking function they go to and more importantly, every meeting they participate in is tied directly to their business priorities and requirements. Once on-site, IQPC Exchange will have a team to help facilitate the meetings and help all the executives present maximize their interactive face time with one another. All exchanges take place at a resort, which allows the delegates to ‘get away’ from the office and network with peers and solution providers.

30 minutes

Once you sign up for an exchange, you will provide us with a list of ideal prospects, whether it’s industries you are targeting, titles you would like to meet with, or even as specific as exact companies you are trying to get in front of. Our team will qualify and invite these delegates to the exchange.

Each meeting package allows for several individuals to attend the exchange. One of these individuals could be a client, who can serve as a strong testimonial for your solutions. Alternatively, if your client qualifies, he may also join the speaking faculty.

A month before the exchange, our online meeting scheduler goes live. Both delegates and solution providers will be given a password to our interactive software tool which contains the profiles of all the attending delegates and solution providers. Both parties will select, based on their business priorities and requirements, who they would like to have meetings with. The software then collates all the selections and develops customized itineraries for every individual who is scheduled to take meetings. The schedule over the three days at the exchange is intensive, but effective – every session you select to attend, every networking function you go to and more importantly, every meeting you participate in is tied directly to your business development objectives

Attendance at exchanges is by invitation only. Both delegates and solution providers are invited to participate in the exchange based on their relevance to the topic area and demand for their presence. Delegates are pre-qualified and have to meet certain criteria in terms of responsibility, decision-making capability and budget.

Solution providers are divided into specific categories in which there will be more than one company represented. This is to ensure that delegates are presented with a wide choice of solution providers in order to effectively make their purchasing decisions.

You should send your CEO and VP-level executives (such as your VP Sales / Business Development) to take meetings on behalf of your company. This is to ensure that you’re on the same level as the senior people that you’ll be meeting with.

Solution providers who participate at the Platinum-level have the opportunity to host an Executive Roundtable, which will feature your CEO speaking alongside 2-3 members of the speaking faculty. The roundtable will involve a discussion around a topic area that relates to your business and one that a number of executives have indicated an interest in hearing about. The Executive Roundtables are structured to be an intimate group of executives with your CEO and no other vendors. The benefit of this is that you start working with the other speakers well in advance of the exchange.

The IQPC Exchange Production team conducts extensive research in the market to determine which topics and speakers to profile at the event. They establish relationships with key executives within certain industries and create tailored, practical agendas that keep business executives up-to-date with industry trends, technological developments and changes to the regulatory landscape.

IQPC has been running exchanges since 2003. IQPC Exchange is a new division for IQPC in North America and has been developed based on demand from the various industries in which IQPC operates. The exchange team has a combined 30 – 35 years experience developing and executing the one-on-one business model.

Attendance at an exchange is by invitation only. Solution providers are invited to participate in the exchange based on their relevance to the topic area, demand from the delegates for their presence or recommendation from advisory board or the speaking faculty.

Business cards and a lot of energy. We take care of all your corporate signage, accommodation, airport transfers, meals and networking functions. You are welcome to bring your laptop and any other tools that will assist you in making your sales presentations.

The dress code is business casual.

Your company was selected precisely because of the match between the solutions you provide and the expressed needs of the delegates in attendance. The delegates have expressed a desire to meet with companies such as yours which means that they will select to meet with you through our scheduling software.

Yes, during the luncheons, dinners and other networking opportunities.

The executives that will be participating in the exchange, both on the delegate and the solution provider side are the most senior level who cannot spend a great deal of time out of the office. Starting the exchange on a Sunday and running through to Tuesday afternoon allows the executives to use the time most effectively in the shortest time out of the office.

Exchanges take place in resorts which are located some distance away from major cities. These venues are chosen to allow executives to be in a secluded, intimate, exclusive environment where they can focus on their learning and business priorities.

Our team would be happy to identify other Exchanges that would be applicable for your range of solutions and products and would be able to recommend the best positioning in the various exchanges.

If there is a good fit for a vendor at more than one exchange, then we certainly allow that vendor to participate in several events.

It is a time and cost effective way to have strategic, meaningful interaction with their target market in an environment in which their target market is focused on specific issues and solutions that pertain to the vendors’ offerings.

Funding Approval Success Tips

Sometimes it's tough convincing the boss to let you spend the money on a conference. Sometimes it's tough convincing the boss to let you spend the time on a conference.

Here are some tips on how to convince your management:

MAKE A DEAL:
Explain how the Exchange is full of sessions and discussions that will help you figure out what the competition is doing about the key issues facing the industry. Then make a deal. If you can go to this conference, you will come back with five eye opening ideas, tried and true techniques or proven processes that will demonstrably improve your ROI.

FIND ANOTHER ‘BOSS’:
Seek out the groups in your organization who benefit from your knowledge, then find their boss. Prepare a solid business justification. Email and visit in person the list of target bosses. They may finally approve the expense just to make you go away. Always have a list of spare bosses in your pocket in case you need them. Before you know it, you have an email thread going between bosses who are willing contribute to the expense.

Show enthusiasm, sincerity and volunteer to sleep in your car, share a room or walk to the conference to reduce the expense. Assuming success, follow-up after the conference with the same list of target bosses, regardless of their contribution. Make sure you have memorable and timely information sharing sessions after the conference. Remember, you want to attend the conference again next year.

FIND ANOTHER COLOR OF MONEY
Budgets are tight all over, but not all budgets are created equal. While your department may not have any discretionary coin for web analytics, there may be a different fund somewhere that can cover a few days of a conference. Talk to your colleagues about possible resources available under different names:

• Education
• Training
• Seminars
• Conferences
• Travel
• New Projects
• Special Projects
• Software Evaluation
• Infrastructure Improvement
• Executive Leadership

You never know until you ask.

TOUGH TIMES CALL FOR TOUGH MEASURES
We have more work to do than ever before and we're still short on resources. Shouldn't we be taking a hard look at whether the work we're doing is the right work to be doing?

MANAGE BY OBJECTIVE
In order to know whether we're doing the right work, we need to know what our objectives are. In order to know what our objectives are, we need to know what others are achieving online.