New SCIP Chapter: North America Virtual SCIP Chapter?

[Alan S. Michaels]

With the positive vote this past week, it appears that SCIP will survive. Now, in thinking about how SCIP can thrive, I would like to suggest an idea for how we "meet" beyond this Ning and the annual SCIP conference.

Many people belong to local SCIP chapters - which is great for meeting people in the local area.

What about people who live in an area without a local chapter, or if you want to attend a SCIP session across the country? (For example, I would like to attend the Oregon SCIP Event: June 9th)

My suggestion is that one benefit of joining SCIP is that you automatically belong to a SCIP virtual chapter (maybe one for each continent?)

For example, someone gives a presentation over the Internet using WebEx or other collaboration tool and we all discuss it on the phone using something like freeconferencecall.com. Near zero cost for attendees.

Additionally, SCIP local chapters might want to consider making a presentations "live" for a bigger audience. If each Chapter did one live presentation a year, plus a few extra presentations by people not belonging to any local chapter, we would have a full calendar. (Maybe give training credits for some of the presentations.)

Any thoughts?

[Jens Thieme]

Thanks Alan for this creative contribution. Interactive and virtual formats ar clearly high on the list of SCIP's solutions to improve reach and enrich the membership experience. Especially chapters and remote members will appreciate technology that enables dialogue and provides content otherwise not accessible.

SCIA (the Swiss Competitive Intelligence Association) last year tested such a format together with SCIP where we had a CTI session provided by Martha Matteo sitting in the US while our members would either enjoy the presentation and add-on discussion in the meeting room in Zurich or by dialing in via the regular Webinar format.

The session, run as a regular SCIP Webinar was accessible as well to anyone, member or not, for the regular SCIP Webinar conditions.

Currently two more countries are lined up to repeat the experience and to my point of view this can be the start to improve the format further to grow into even more ways of hooking up SCIP members beyond physical boundaries.

I will take your ideas back to SCIP Alan and we will respond with additional details as this discussion matures also with the capters mentioned above.

I would also appreciate more ideas and requests from the audience here.