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NOTICE OF SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING
Toronto, Ontario, June 28, 2005
Notice is hereby given that a Special General Meeting of
Members of the Marketing Research and Intelligence Association (MRIA) will
be held in the High Park Ballroom of the Toronto Marriott Bloor Yorkville,
90 Bloor St. East, Toronto, Ontario on Thursday, September 15, 2005 at 6:30
p.m. (local time) for the purpose of considering and passing amendments
to certain governance provisions of the Association's Constitution and General
Bylaw.
The purpose of these changes is to make MRIA a stronger
Association, which can attract the highest calibre volunteer leaders and
be exemplary in the efficiency and effectiveness of its governance and management.
A Special General Meeting is required at this time to allow
the proposed changes, if passed, to take effect with the nomination and
election process for MRIA's 2006-07 Board of Directors.
The Association's Constitution and General Bylaw requires
that at least ten (10) days' notice of an Annual or Special General Meeting
shall be given to each voting member. However, the Board of Directors is
providing greater than sixty (60) days' notice of this Special General Meeting,
to encourage member attendance and voting on the Proposed Bylaw Amendments.
Specific Resolutions outlining the Proposed Bylaw Amendments
and information on voting and proxy procedures will be distributed to members
of the Association electronically before the end of July. A Summary
of and Rationale for Proposed MRIA Bylaw Amendments and the Proposed
New MRIA Board Governance Structure are currently available on the MRIA website.
BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Tim Wingrove
Secretary-Treasurer
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MEMBER INPUT DRIVES MRIA'S FIRST STRATEGIC
PLAN
By Brendan Wycks, MRIA Executive Director
 The Board of Directors
approved MRIA's first Strategic Plan, for the three-year period 2005-2008,
on June 19.
The Board very much appreciates the responsiveness of the
hundreds of members who answered our invitation back in March and provided
on-line input into the strategic direction for MRIA. With this key input,
our strategic planning process was firmly grounded in an understanding of
the environment in which the Association operates; the Association's strengths
and weaknesses and the opportunities and challenges facing it; and the expectations
of members and other stakeholders.
There are eight Strategic Priorities identified and fleshed
out in our Strategic Plan for the next three years. To view the complete
Plan (PDF format), click
here.
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MRIA Advocacy Update:
National Do Not
Call Registry
Industry Canada tabled Bill C-37, An Act to amend the
Telecommunications Act, in the House of Commons on December 13, 2004.
If adopted, the Bill would give the CRTC the enabling powers to set-up
a national Do Not Call Registry. If the Bill passes, the CRTC has indicated
that it would take 19 months from the time of adoption to implement. Continues...
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MRIA To Transition To Own Staff and Office
Another very important change that MRIA will be making -
in a gradual, measured way over the next 18 to 24 months - is moving
to having our own dedicated MRIA staff and our own office. The Board of
Directors has approved an MRIA Staffing Transition Plan which will see our
Association gradually increase its staff complement and reduce our reliance
upon Association management companies for administrative support. We believe
that these changes will, without increasing the Association's overall cost
structure, enable MRIA to become a much stronger, "professionalized"
Association, and to reap the benefits of allowing its volunteer leadership
to focus on setting strategic direction and policy while relying on a dedicated,
full-time staff to handle the implementation of strategic initiatives and
day-to-day operations. A dedicated MRIA staff will also be integral to
the attainment of the Strategic Priorities in our MRIA Strategic Plan, and
in the ongoing delivery of compelling value to members.
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 MRIA Announces Winners of 3rd Annual "Excellence in Research
Awards"
The Marketing Research and Intelligence Association (MRIA)'s
3rd Annual Awards of Excellence -- sponsored by Molson; ScotiaBank; and
Research/Strategy Group -- were presented at MRIA's New Horizons
Conference in Halifax. And
the Winners are....
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The Conference is Over
but the Memories are Great!
Thank you to all who came to our fine City of Halifax for the 2005 National MRIA Conference.
If you were a Conference delegate, take a moment to visit the website where you will find Conference Presentations;
a Conference Photo Album; and information on the entertainers!
We are now all looking forward to the Ascent 2006 Conference in Calgary!
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Final Opportunity for CMRP Grandparenting
by Tracy Bowman, VP, Education
 In the interests
of promoting the fact that MRIA has taken ownership of the Certified Marketing
Research Professional designation post-merger, and will continue to maintain,
enhance, and champion the designation as a prestigious certification for
industry professionals, the MRIA Board of Directors has decided to create
one final window of opportunity for qualified candidates to apply to be
"Grandparented" to the CMRP, subject to certain conditions. The
deadline (December 31, 2005) and other conditions governing this final CMRP
Grandparenting opportunity will be advertised and communicated widely in
the near future.
Extension of CMRP Challenge Exam
In the interests of maintaining the Certified Marketing
Research Professional designation's appeal to well-qualified candidates
at various stages of a professional career, and of maintaining fair and
equitable access to the designation via alternative paths to its attainment,
the Board of Directors has approved the continuation, on an indefinite basis,
of the Challenge Exam option for earning the CMRP, subject to the following
conditions:
Australian Society Licenses MRIA Exam
The Boards of Directors of MRIA and the Australian
Market & Social Research Society (AMSRS) have approved the terms of
a Comprehensive Marketing Research Exam (CMRE) Licensing Agreement for a three-year
term, under which AMSRS will pay MRIA an initial licensing fee along with
additional per-exam writer fees, in exchange for the rights to use the CMRE
as the comprehensive final examination for its own Qualified Practising
Marketing Researcher (QPMR) designation program. Under this Agreement, AMSRS
will also appoint one to two academically-qualified representatives to a
new Joint Board of Examiners with MRIA.
Reciprocity Agreement with Australian
Society
The Boards of Directors of MRIA and the Australian
Market & Social Research Society (AMSRS) have approved the development
of a formal Reciprocal Recognition of Professional Designations Agreement
between them - which would allow for the automatic granting of MRIA's
Certified Marketing Research Professional designation to holders of AMSRS's
Qualified Practising Market Researcher (QPMR) designation; and similarly
the automatic granting of AMSRS's QPMR designation to holders of MRIA's
CMRP designation, under certain conditions. More news to follow on this
very positive, credibility-enhancing development, which we anticipate will
be the first of many international reciprocity agreements, once the formal
Agreement has been signed.
International Reciprocity of CMRP
Professional Designation
The Board of Directors has approved the automatic
granting of the CMRP designation to a professional designation holder from
a foreign marketing research and intelligence body, providing certain conditions
are met including:
Watch For New MRIA Course Calendar
The MRIA School of Marketing Research year begins
in September. Please see our website in late August, inserts in the September
Vue, and our course calendar distributed with the October issue of Vue for
our full line-up for the 2005-2006 year. We'll let you know of any updates
via the MRIA website
throughout the coming weeks.
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Has your MRIA Membership expired?
by Elly Sykes, VP, Membership
Attention Members! If you renewed your PMRS membership in 2004, and haven't yet renewed your MRIA membership in 2005,
your membership expired almost 2 weeks ago on June 30.
Starting Tuesday, July 19, 2005, you may renew on-line using your login and password.
Don't delay! You will need to renew by the end of July to appear in the Membership Directory, scheduled to be published in the fall.
The on-line membership update mechanism will also be back early next week but in the meantime, you can make updates by emailing cathieb@taylorenterprises.com.
Remember that membership in MRIA is much more than an opportunity to attend meetings and seminars.
It is a broad range of services that make us all better market researchers.
In addition to the Chapter meetings, your MRIA Membership Benefits include:
Vue,
the Website,
the School of Marketing Research,
the Membership Directory,
the Research Buyers Guide,
the Annual Conference,
the CMRP Designation,
the Code of Conduct ... and much, much more.
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MRIA Promotes The Health of Marketing Research in Canada and we need your help!
by John Ball, Chair, and John Snow, Director, MRIA Research Agency Council
 
As MRIA members, we all have a responsibility to promote the health of the Marketing Research and Intelligence services market in Canada. One of the ways MRIA does this is
by conducting an annual survey of financial activity that is sent to all MRIA agencies regardless of their current membership status. This includes individual members who work as research suppliers as
well as corporate members. If you receive an invitation to participate, please help us to represent ourselves on the international scene and complete this survey for your company. Results will be analysed in
aggregate and a summary report will be released to all members who participate. Watch for your chance to participate and act quickly to make your numbers count!!!
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Write articles for Vue Magazine
By Nikita James Nanos, VP, Publications and President-Elect
 We encourage all VUE readers to submit articles, letters
and ideas. Please e-mail VUE Editor Nikita James Nanos
at nnanos@sesresearch.com, indicating
the topic on which you are interested in sharing your views or experience.
Submissions should be between 600 and 1,200 words in length and should focus
on topics relevant to the market research and intelligence industry in Canada.
 Share your expertise and knowledge... VUE is considering
articles on a wide range of topics for our September edition. The article submission deadline is July 20th, 2005.
Advertising space is always filling up fast. Don't miss
your opportunity and book your ad today! DEADLINES TO BOOK YOUR AD:
July 25 for the September 2005 issue
August 25 for the October 2005 issue
For more information about ad sizes, rates and how to book
your ad, please visit the MRIA website.
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| MRIA's First Business Intelligence Conference |
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December 1 & 2, 2005
Vancouver, BC
Expand opportunities to survive and thrive in your business - through better Business Intelligence!
Whether you're looking for new markets, to develop and
launch new products or services, or to win business from your competitors,
success in today's intensely competitive marketplace demands in-depth knowledge
of the business environment you operate in, and actionable insights!
Business intelligence combines all the tools we know, along
with ongoing innovation in information resourcefulness and analysis, to
deliver penetrating insights into competitors, the markets you compete in,
and the customers for whom you compete. Insights into current reality and
emerging and future trends.
Join industry leaders at MRIA's First Business Intelligence
Conference, where we will define and mine the "I" in MRIA by learning
a great deal about the latest developments in this new and evolving field.
For more information, visit the MRIA
website.
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TTRA Conference
November 3-5, 2005
Kelowna, BC
Member Rate Offer
The Travel and Tourism Research Association (TTRA), Canada Chapter recently
provided information on the MRIA Conference to its members.
We are now pleased to provide information on the TTRA Conference
for the benefit of our membership and to let you know that MRIA Members are being
offered TTRA Member Rates. Information available on line at www.ttracanada.ca.
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| Just Published! |
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Canada's most
comprehensive list of Marketing Research and Intelligence Suppliers.
Watch for it with your July issue of Vue.
The much-anticipated 2005 edition of the Research Buyer's Guide was included with your July issue of Vue.
Additional copies of the Research Buyer's Guide can be purchased from the MRIA Bookstore.
The on-line Research Buyer's Guide, also up and running and available to the general public at no charge,
will be updated throughout the year by the listing companies as information changes - listing companies make these changes instantaneously by logging on to the site.
Other research providers who aren't in the 2005 edition have the option of being added to the on-line version.
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| Ottawa Chapter News |
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Mark your calendar and plan to attend the 2005-2006 launch of the Ottawa Chapter Speaker Series:
Reversing the Democratic Deficit
presented by Richard Jenkins, Vice President and
Corporate Director of Public Opinion Research, TNS Canadian Facts
Not since Confederation has turnout in a Canadian federal
election been as low as it was in 2004. Clearly, the Canadian public is
not invested in the current electoral process and are not voting. Non-voters
could be an important force in the pending Federal election, but can they
be influenced to vote?
Find out where our political process may be headed at this
thought-provoking presentation.
For details and to register, please visit the Ottawa Chapter website.
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| Volunteer for your Chapter |
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Interested in volunteering for your local MRIA chapter? Click on the appropriate link below for contact information for one the seven MRIA chapters:
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| Career Opportunities |
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Need a Career Change?
Whether you are looking for qualified researchers to expand your staff, or are trying to advance your career... the right place to start your search is our Career Section:
There are currently 25(!) exciting career openings available for members to view online.
Advertisers: Place your Job Posting online.
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SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES:
Please visit our website
for information on PULSE sponsorship opportunities.
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