Customer conferences are actually sales conferences where companies roll out their new products, hoping to convince customers to upgrade. Garland Hall, the Chief Customer Advocate of webMethods, a company that provides enterprise integration software to major companies, uses customer Dolce & Gabbana Sunglasses, conferences to gather customer insight and further cement customer relations. webMethods invites customers to present ways in which they are using webMethods' products, share insights and issues with product managers, etc.
* Guest Customers webMethods uses "Guest Customers", where customers present info on themselves and how they are using products to groups within the company who don't normally have customer contact (i.e., accounting, operations, etc.)
* Product or service "proving grounds" LL Bean invites outdoor guides to a special weekend escape where they try out new products and give focused and even harsh feedback.
* Host/Monitor chatrooms and discussion boards Mercury Interactive's VP of Services, Patrick Saeger, does an excellent job of gleaning ideas and identifying problems through the company's product discussion forums. Significant "thought leaders" can be identified and used to gather insight and ultimately champion products and services.
* Customer Hall of Fame Laurie Long, the Sr. Director of Customer Success at Unica organizes a Hall of Fame to reward customers for innovative use of their products. Winners are chosen after review of Coach Sunglasses,applications by outside analyst community. This offers the customer recognition from the vendor, other customers, and from the analyst community.
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