Customer Advisory Council Programs have come a long way. Technology companies were early adopters of these customer forums since they were an extension of their user group meetings. As their technology businesses grew more complex, companies formed Customer Advisory Councils focused on different product lines, verticals and geographies.

Although face to face meetings are a key element of the Councils, leading edge companies are extending their customer engagement initiatives online to tap into the evolving mindset of their customers both quickly and cost effectively. Companies are
using two way online communication venues such as online discussion forums, web casts and closed collaborative customer communities to make better product and marketing decisions.

Sherri Dorfman, CEO & Customer Ambassador at Stepping Stone Partners will discuss:
- Customer Advisory Program Planning
- New online customer engagement initiatives
- Common online engagement mistakes
- Success factors for using these new online insight sources

Lois Wortley, Senior Director at Oracle is our case speaker. Lois has extensive experience planning and running the Customer Advisory Boards (CABs) at both the product and category levels. She will give an overview of the 75+ CABs and will highlight innovative online activities that Oracle is employing to capture insight and validate product roadmap and marketing decisions.