AR Forum agenda reflects growing focus on value and sales

The agenda for the  Analyst Relations Forum was announced today. The free event on September 16 and 17 will help professionals show, and maximise, the business impact of analysts and of AR itself. The direction reflects a major survey of AR professionals, and the guidance of the forum’s International Advisory Council which will approve the final version, which will include speakers on August 21st.

The agenda

The event blends together presentation sessions, discussion panels and interactive workshops.

Tuesday September 16

• Session: Keynote introduction
• Session: The Impact of Analysts On Technology Buying Cycles
• Session: Deriving Value from An Analyst Firm: A Case Study
• Panel: Measuring the impact of analysts and advisors
• Session: Social Media – New Ways To Engage With Your Most Influential Analysts
• Workshop: Building AR and Sales partnership

Wednesday September 17

• Session: Presenting the The Analyst Value Survey 2014
• Session: How to use Analyst Recommendations to accelerate Sales
• Session: Beyond Research (how do analyst services impact the market)
• Workshop: Maximising the value of AR training and certification
• Panel: Measuring Analyst Relations
• Panel: How can upstart analyst firms deliver more value?

Our Take

Because the agenda for each AR Forum is determined by the AR professionals who take the survey and serve as advisors, it represents a major opportunity to see where the pain points are for the community. As the impact of analysts becomes more defuse, we need to be able to show their value and focus AR on the most valuable. However, there’s increasing scepticism in some firms about the value of analysts. That’s also coupled with fear, because analyst influence is powerful in a period when many mid-size vendors are struggling.

Context

Four factors make proving value a make-or-break issue for AR teams in many firms.

• Most importantly, there’s increasing awareness that we we are in technology bubble. Many private firms are struggling to give their investors the exit they want and, for example, most of 2012s biggest tech IPOs have fallen substantially in the last six months.
• Ethical disputes like the Netscout court case confuse industry opinion. If analysts can be bought, what is the point of analyst relations?
• Analyst influence is growing, as reflected by the 17% rise in Gartner’s revenue.
• AR teams are increasingly pushed to show the value generated by analysts. Usefully Yash Khanna, from Tata Consultancy Services and one of the top-rated speakers at last year’s session, will speak about the benefits derived from using analyst services.

Bottom-line

The Forum will be a powerful resource for AR professionals who need to show value. Request your seat at analystrelationsforum.com.