Meetings management firm Conferon Global Services on March 6 completed the last stage of reorganizing its leadership following the retirement of founder and president Bruce Harris.
David Erich, the new executive vice president and COO of Twinsburg, Ohio-based Conferon and a former British Airways executive, said he plans to bring his expertise in process efficiencies and customer service models to Conferon, as the company reevaluates the methods by which it delivers its products.
The reorganization in leadership is the culmination of changes that began in 2003 with the merger of Conferon with hotel reservation service provider ITS and tradeshow and attendee management firm ExpoExchange
(Meetings Today, June 9, 2003), said Marian Calvin, the company's director of marketing services.
As part of the executive reorganization, which created the COO position, the company combined its sales and account management into one department and promoted David Peckinpaugh to the new position of chief marketing officer.
During the next six months, the company plans to focus on customer service and internal efficiencies to increase market share, Erich said. "It's a very exciting time for this company. All the pieces are coming together and we just need to put the finishing touches on that puzzle now," he said.
Conferon already has a strong customer-service model, Erich said, but there are opportunities for the company to further standardize its operations.
"The organizational structure that we have currently probably doesn't make our delivery as seamless as it should be," he said. "We do housing in one place, we do lead retrieval in one place, we do registration in a number of places and the three main parts of the organization sometimes don't do things the same way."
As corporations and associations continue to increase their spending on meetings and events, the market is ready for new developments, he said.
"In today's environment, one of the few places you can interact with each other is at exhibitions, conventions and meetings. Our job is to make that event the best it possibly can be," he said.
Meetings suppliers need to prove their services add value, Erich said. Many organizations and corporations are under pressure to evaluate their suppliers from a procurement perspective.
"The value is not necessarily in the products you provide. It's in the consultative nature of what you do," he said.
Though new on the job, Erich said he has been impressed by the commitment of Conferon employees to change. "It's great to work with people that actually want to improve and want to do the best they can," he said—and that commitment will be necessary as the company seeks to keep an edge in the market.
"We're a leader now, and that's good," Erich said, "but we can't afford to become complacent for one second. I see tremendous upside potential with this organization and taking what we do to the next stage in service delivery."
Prior to joining Conferon, Erich worked for British Airways for nearly 24 years, most recently heading up ground operations at U.K. airports as general manager and senior vice president of U.K. customer service and operations. Prior to his position in London, Erich was senior vice president of customer service for North America for BA.
"To this job, I'm bringing the customer-service focus and the process and procedural expertise," Erich said. "I'm really trying to bring a commitment to 'change being the only constant' and to us constantly staying ahead of our competitors and anticipating the needs of our customers."
His work for BA in driving service ratings up by more than 10 percent in North America and his initiatives to increase cost savings and efficiencies were contributing reasons for his recruitment by Conferon, said CEO Ed Shartar in a company release.
"Dave's appointment finalizes CGS' new leadership structure. As COO, he will lead and manage the operations of Conferon Global Services, focusing on driving operational excellence, efficiently delivering the highest-quality products and services, and helping us become our clients' best business partner," said Shartar.
Conferon founder Bruce Harris, whose retirement took effect March 2, will remain on the board of directors as chairman emeritus, according to a company release. He also will be involved in industry relations, training and key customer relationships.