Please note, there will also be video training on the 11th (class size limited!)
New Shoppers: Please note some very special sessions to help you move up.

Monday, November 9th
7:00 AM (For IMSC Members), 7:30 AM (Non IMSC Members) to 7:45 AM
Registration, networking, continental breakfast
7:45 AM
Please find your seats for today’s announcements

8:00 AM to 8:15 AM
Conference Hall:
ICA’s what you need to know
IMSC President and Vice President

8:30 AM to 9: 30 AM
Conference Hall:
Whiners and Triggers and Bores – Oh, My! – Keynote-(Melanie Hope- Hope Speaking, LLC.)
(Both sides of complaining)
(Hearing, being heard, social media & damage control)

9:45 AM to 12:00 PM
Conference Hall:
Basic Principles of Mystery Shopping- Robin Richardson (TrendSource/MSI Services) (Required for all new shoppers to receive certification and take video training class)

9:45 AM to 12:00 PM
Breakout session: Carson City 1
Successful Audits- Carey Medina- (GFK Mystery Shopping)

Breakout session- Carson City 2
Shop One day or shop everyday, some things stay the same! Rob C.

(Registration desk closed-please see IMSC table for assistance)
Lunch- 12:00 PM to 1:45 PM
(Please visit one of the great restaurants inside our host hotel.)


2:00 PM to 2:30 PM:
Conference Hall:
Onsite Inspections- Karen Stevens, Asha (TrendSource/MSI Services)

Breakout Session: Carson City 1
Route shopping from a company perspective- Donald & Joey (Elite Shopper Force) -Shoppers

Breakout Session: Carson City 2
Getting licensed to work in Nevada- Chuck Kenerson-(A Closer Look)

2:45 PM- Prize Giveaways

3:00 PM to 3:30 PM
Conference Hall:
How do I get the best shops? (The Shadow Agency Newmark Team)

Breakout session: Carson City 1
Report Writing 101- Joan G.

Carson City 2
Be Prepared - The Importance of Thinking Fast On Your Feet- Betsy J.
Things can happen during a shop. Don't blow your cover!
Interactive discussion with various ways to be prepared and quickly adapt to unexpected occurrences. Real anecdotes discussed.

3:45 PM to 4:15 PM
Conference Hall:
How can I become a preferred shopper with MSC's? - Karen Marsh- (Melinda Brody& Company)
What do companies look for in their "go to" shoppers? Learn what you can do to assure you are on the scheduler's "short list"

Breakout Session: Carson City I
Excel Spreadsheet instruction for keeping track of jobs – Marguerite- (Elite Shopper Force)

Breakout session: Carson City 2
Route Shopping- IMSC Vice President- Servanne E.

4:25 PM to 5:30 PM
Conference Hall:
“Huddle” Strategies for improving our industry.
Moderated by Astrid &Marguerite
No Breakout sessions- Shoppers, schedulers, editors, company owners will all join in and work together during the “Huddle” session.

5:45 PM to 6:00 PM
Tribute to Marjie Hillerman, the Master of Disguise

7:00 PM to 8:30 PM
Networking event at the Garden Terrace- Get a glass of your favorite wine, Champagne or chilled beer & get to know one another.
Two free drink tickets for each paid attendee and those with wristband purchase. Additional tickets are available for $5.00 per ticket prior to the event, please see registration desk.


Tuesday, November 10th

8:30 AM to 9:00 AM- Garden Terrace
Staying safe while on the road- Changing the crime stats one person at a time!
Patti Damsel Stewart – Licensed Pro #49

9:00 AM to 9:15 AM
Registration, networking, continental breakfast
9:15: Please find your seats for today’s announcements

9:30 AM to 10:00 AM
Conference Hall:
Be an Actor - How to Prepare A Realistic Scenario - Betsy J.
Informative session focusing on effective ways to prepare a realistic and relevant scenario for many types of shops. Includes research tips, Google phone and full scenario preparation. You are not lying...you are an actor!

9:30 to 10:00 AM (This session will continue until 11:30 AM)
Carson City 1
Basic Principles of Mystery Shopping- Carey Medina- (GFK Mystery Shopping) (Required for all new shoppers to receive certification and take video training class)

Breakout Session: Carson City 2
Elegant Dining and writing exquisite reports – Astrid R. (A Closer Look)

10:15 AM to 10:45 AM
Conference Hall:
Avoid Getting Caught, Trapped, or Off-Point
Using three tenets of improvisation to improve your shops
Establishing CROW, using props, Underthinking it- Betsy J.

Carson City 1
Basic Principles of Mystery Shopping- Carey Medina- (GFK Mystery Shopping)

Breakout Session: Carson City 2
Company Session- 2016 Open Discussion- IMSC President
(Company reps only)

11:00 AM to 11:30 AM
Conference Hall:
Intro to Talon Video Shopping- Jonathan, Cherie- (Eagle Eye Retail Intelligence)

Carson City 1
Basic Principles of Mystery Shopping- Carey Medina- (GFK Mystery Shopping)

Breakout Session: Carson City 2
Moving' on Up: Working Smarter Not Harder, for more $$$ - Cilla R.

(Registration desk closed-please see IMSC table for assistance)
Lunch- 11:30 AM to 12:45 PM
(Please visit one of the great restaurants inside our host hotel.)

1:00 PM to 1:30 PM:
Conference Hall:
Introduction to Talon Video Shopping - Jonathan, Cherie, - (Eagle Eye Retail Intelligence)

Breakout Session: Carson City 1
Video Editing part 1- Donald & Joey (Elite Shopper Force)

Breakout Session: Carson City 2
Company Session: Short, Sweet, and to the Point- Melanie Hope- (Hope Speaking, LLC.)
How to redirect a conversation without them knowing
Tuning into WIIFM- Kinder, gentler words-Blunter, stronger steering
(Company reps only)

1:50 PM to 2:20 PM
Conference Hall:
Social Media-part 1- Ann D.

Breakout session: Carson City I
Video Editing part two- Please sign up at the Elite Shopper Force Table Donald & Joey (Elite Shopper Force)

Breakout Session: Carson City 2
Potential tax write offs- IMSC Vice President- Servanne

2:30 PM to 2:45 PM
Prize Giveaways

3:00 PM to 3:30 PM
Conference Hall:
Social Media- part 2- Ann D.

Breakout session: Carson City I
Company Session- Route shopping from a company perspective- Donald & Joey (Elite Shopper Force)
(Company reps only)

Breakout Session: Carson City 2
If this is Tuesday, I must be Henry Kissinger- Cilla R.

3:45 PM to 4:15 PM
Conference Hall:
Changing your appearance- Donald & Joey (Elite Shopper Force)

Breakout session: Carson City I
Company Session
Effective Shopper guidelines and communication – (The Shadow Agency Newmark team)
(Company reps only)

Breakout Session: Carson City 2
Fantastic, I have a hotel shop, now what? - Laura R.
What to look for, expect and what to do on a hotel shop

4:30 PM to 5:00 PM
Conference Hall:
A quick guide to success with quality restaurant and bar shops- Derek- (Guest Check, Inc.)

Breakout session: Carson City I
I'm the Kind of Person Who... Getting into the right mind frame for each shop- Liz G.
Breakout Session: Carson City 2
Write your narratives through the eye of an editor - Laura R.

5:05 PM
Conference Hall
Wrapping it all up!
IMSC President

Wednesday, November 11th
9:00 AM
Room to be announced at the conference
Undercover Video Training- (Free for all IMSC members and Sponsors)
2:00 PM
Talon Video Training- (Free for all IMSC members and Sponsors)
The training will end at approximately 5:00 PM

The IMSC member companies at the Las Vegas IMSC conference will be the first companies offered Talon Video licensing and training. Due to the potential and substantial increase in business and capabilities of providing video to clients who have not used video in the past due to cost, all company reps will be required to sign a NDA. Shoppers attending this training will also be required to sign the NDA prior to admittance to the training.

There is no license granted or implied, nor transfer of or assumption of any intellectual property rights, to any registered attendee granting any rights to reproduce, re-distribute, re-broadcast or re-transmit the information provided at this conference, by any means of distribution, including but not limited to any technology presently in use or later developed, without the express written consent of the Talon software creator and the Independent Mystery Shoppers Coalition.
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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/27/2015 06:08PM by walesmaven.

That looks spectacular. I'm particularly happy about the number of companies I've not yet worked with who it appears will be in attendance. It looks like I might be sleeping in late on day 2 if I go though.

That's because you will be spending evening one buying wine for me!

Oh how fun this would be wish I could go.

That looks amazing I wish I could go. I am going to plan on next year though.

Looking forward to it! Walesmaven, saw somewhere else you said you are running one of the sessions? Can you let us know which one Thanks!

You will discover that when we meet in LV. I will be wearing a name tag with both my screen name and my street name on it, lol.

Or, just ask any of the folks at the registration desk to point out walesmaven to you!

Ah, wondered if I would be able to put the people on here together with a real face. Looking forward to meeting you!

Hi, what is the difference between this company and the MSPA? I have only been mystery shopping shortly, so I'm still learning.

MSPA is the professional organization of mystery shopping companies and mainly lobbies congress and the states for legislation favorable to them. It has recently begun to hold some in-person shopper training after having stopped similar efforts about 6 -7 years ago. It also offers training CDs for shopper certification. The value of these certifications is a subject of lively debate among shoppers, as you will find when you search the forums for "certification". Most find that just establishing a track record for reliability and well written reports will trump certification in terms of earning power as a shopper. YMMV

IMSC is the Independent Mystery Shoppers' Coalition which has organized and presented several conferences by and for shoppers a year for about the last 6 years. The conferences focus on shopper education and professional growth. Most of the speakers and workshop leaders are shoppers.