The Incentive Marketing Association-Canada Council had its opening bash last night in Toronto. The new group is the first offshoot of the seven-year old Incentive Marketing Association (IMA) in the U.S. Currently membership stands at 15, but Rob Purdy, IMA Canada president (and Carlton Group president), is aiming to hit 50 in the first year. IMA
Canada’s executive director is Dave Forde, who is also GM for the Association of Internet Marketing and Sales.
The group plans to raise the profile of the $32 billion North American industry through training and research. Currently Canada accounts for $1 billion of that, but Purdy says the IMA goal is to take that to $5 billion. Canadian members have access to U.S. IMA resources through the partnership, which include legal resources on areas such as gift certificates and online, seminars, and a certificate program. Other services include data base resources, targeted marketplace research and ‘best practices’ case studies.
