Marketing/Marketing Research/Focus Groups:

The American Marketing Association (AMA) - The national organization website is www.ama.org and our local Sacramento chapter is www.amasv.org.  If you are a marketer in the Sacramento area, please join us for our monthly luncheon programs at the Hilton on the second Wednesday of every month.  Each month a different speaker on a current marketing topic is featured.  Call 916.556.5399 for more information.

The Qualitative Research Consultant's Association (QRCA) -  www.qrca.org  is the premier organization for qualitative researchers specializing in focus groups. If you click on the Resources section you will find an excellent FAQ section, as well as an interesting section entitled "Why Use A Pro?".  If you are a fellow QRCA member, be sure to sign in to the Delphi Forum if you haven't already (see website for details).  It's a great place to network with fellow focus group moderators.

Facilitation:

Learn more about facilitation at the International Association of Facilitators (IAF) - www.iaf-world.org   The IAF sponsors a list serv that is a valuable resource for facilitators willing to share ideas.  Interested facilitators can sign up to participate on the IAF website.

Site full of facilitation links:http://facilitation.start4all.com

3M-sponsored site with meeting tips, articles, even a Cartoon of the Month:www.3m.com/meetingnetwork

Creativity:

The Creative Education Foundation sponsors two conferences on creativity a year; one in San Diego in January and one in Buffalo, New York in June.  Learn more about this amazing conference by looking at www.cef-cpsi.org .  If you have attended CPSI before and would like to join a CPSI chat group, please e-mail me for information on how to join ... ellen@groupworksonline.com 

Usability:

Usability expert Jakob Nielsen’s Web site: www.useit.com