SHOPPERS! MSPA SHOPPERFEST 2014

COMING TO ORLANDO, FL OCTOBER 17th-19 AT THE HILTON GARDEN SUITES.
COME NETWORK WITH COMPANY OWNERS, MSPA BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND ATTEND VARIOUS SESSIONS PERTAINING TO THE MYSTERY SHOPPING INDUSTRY. NETWORK WITH YOUR FELLOW SHOPPERS. STAY TUNED FOR MORE DETAILS!

Any thoughts?

I assume it's their annual conference?

But I didn't think that shoppers were allowed to attend a MSPA conference.

It all comes down to revenue generation ...

I haven't heard a thing.

Yes I heard they were reopening the conference to shoppers this year but details hadn't yet been released. Looks like they may be releasing the information now.

Liz

I'll try to get more information and post it here. If anyone else finds out anything, please update us.

Actually, they are not opening their conference to shoppers. Instead they are holding this "fest" just after or just before their conference. No guarantees how many MSC reps will hang around for the fest.

For my money, if I am paying for a shopper education event, I'd prefer the IMSC conferences: by and for shoppers, with many, many MSCs having tables set up and staffed to encourage 2.5 days (and evenings) on networking with MSCs that include both MSPA members and non-members.

Full disclosure: I played a role in initiating the first IMSC conference and have led workshops or made presentations at several since then. I am NOT compensated for any of this except that speakers have the conference fee waived. I pay for all of my travel, meals and bar tabs!

The IMSC arose when MSPA abruptly announced that they would no longer invite shoppers to their conferences a few years ago. MSPA stated that having shoppers attend was not "cost effective." SIX MONTHS to the day after that "disinvitation," the IMSC had been formed and opened its first shopper education conference, in the same city and date as the MSPA was having its conference. Now MSPA appears to have decided that they should compete with IMSC for shopper networking and education investments. I'm not buying. MSCs that are in good standing with shoppers are more than welcome to attend, and support, the IMSC conferences.

Did they really have to yell?

Lisa,
Their members often YELL at us in shop instructions and threatening reminders of THE RULES. So why wouldn't they YELL when issuing an invitation?

@ LisaSTL ~ Apparently they think we are all hard of hearing. I cut and pasted the announcement so that was their CAPS not mine.

@ walesmaven ~ Thanks for your detailed post. :-)

I knew it was them and thought it was hilarious.

Shop2LiveinFL Wrote:
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> @ LisaSTL ~ Apparently they think we are all hard
> of hearing.


WHAT?

Apparently they yelled to get our attention. Guess we turned out to be "cost effective" after all eh.

The old MSPA conference was before my time, but I heard great stories from the shoppers who had attended and posted on the v-forum. I would like to get more detail as to how a "shopperfest" is different than a conference. It's close to where I live, so I am interested in attending.

I'm guessing that shopperfest is a festival for shoppers. :-P

Well, my my my. Although the dates overlap by one day, they have the shoppers staying at a different hotel from the MSC attendees. Not a well planned networking opportunity if you ask me.

"NETWORK WITH YOUR FELLOW SHOPPERS. "

Sounds like they want us networking with each other, not with them.

walesmaven Wrote:
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> Well, my my my. Although the dates overlap by one
> day, they have the shoppers staying at a different
> hotel from the MSC attendees. Not a well planned
> networking opportunity if you ask me.

It was very well planned after revenues ran short.

What's more interesting is that, although the hotel prices are almost the same, they have the shoppers staying at a more "down market" brand hotel. That says a lot, don't you think? How many MSC reps are going to stay extra days and move to a down market hotel to network with the shoppers? And, who will select what educational topics are covered? Not shoppers, that's for sure.

I'd like to see someone from MSPA show up here and post information about speakers and topics and prices and which MSCs are major sponsors, just like IMSC does by posting links here to their conference information. And, where is the MSPA's call for shopper speakers and/or workshop leaders, please? Oh, I forgot. Shoppers just are not capable of educating one another, are they?

Wow, I didn't know this post would stir up so much controversy! What would happen if a bunch of us shoppers showed up for the main conference at the "good hotel?" Would we be party crashers? Or MSPA crashers? ;-)

Hehe. Some shoppers actually tried exactly that at the first "no shoppers invited" MSPA conference and were turned away. The MSPA did, however, invite IMSC attendees (We were having our first conference at the same time, same city.) for a hosted cocktail party, as I recall. A few folks attended as a show of good will.

Some great MSCs are not MSPA members, BTW. IMSC invites any MSC that is in good standing with shoppers to attend, unlike MSPA, which will let only MSPA member companies attend (regardless of how those companies are terating shoppers.)

As I've said before, the MSPA is not shopper-oriented. When I had an issue with an msc, they
wanted to hear my complaint, but ultimately did nothing. After all, shoppers don't pay the
fees. Who do you think they're going to side with?

Shop2LiveinFL Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I'm guessing that shopperfest is a festival for
> shoppers. :-P


If it is anything like a rugbyfest, should be a good time.

So will the IMSC go on this year parallel to the MSPA main event then let people stay for 'Shopperfest'? Shopperfest only sounds fun if it happens in Vegas with tons of paid shops for us to do...

Of course the IMSC conferences will go on. There are three including New Orleans, Las Vegas and another. Why on earth would IMSC fold just becasue MSPA plans an event that shoppers know little or nothing about? MSPA has no recent record of shopper education conferences and has yet to provide any clues about what the content of this "fest" might be.

Glad to hear! Honestly, I have never heard of the IMSC until last night. So I didn't know if it is still held in the same city as the MSPA, I didn't gather it being a current thing from what was posted earlier. Of course it was late when I was reading...

Wales - I think Curlz was asking will one of these be the same dates and city as the MSPA main conference, the one with it's members and no shoppers, to sort of compete head to head.

Different cities; different dates. I have no idea if MSPA even let anyone at IMSC know about their "fest" until it was announced. I would guess not. IMSC's 2014 conference cities and dates were announced months in advance of the MSPA's announcement.

IMSC tried to play nicely with MSPA by holding our first conference in the same city at the same time. A delegation of 10 former MSPA presidents, including several founders of the organization, were invited to hold an open Q&A session for our attendees. They came and some of their public statements and answers to questions were so dismissive of shoppers that many of us could barely be civil (But we were.)Mainly MSPA just wishes that IMSC would just fade away. They talk "mutual respect and cooperation" and common interest in professionalism and shopper education, but their actions do not match their talk, IMHO.

Disclosure: I have been a speaker at IMSC conferences most years, but I am not on the board of directors or planning committees or any such thing, so my knowledge is mainly limited to IMSC's public announcements.

Where is Pam and Servanne? Do they still post on this forum? They should have something to say about this.

BTW, I am the OP of this thread. I got the information directly from one of the MSCs that I work for. At the moment, I can't remember which one. But they are a MSPA member I'm sure.