Looking for inspiration and insight? Want to find out what other companies are doing? Here’s a list of major direct marketing industry events for the second half of 2007:

DMA: E-Mail Policy Summit
May 18, Washington, DC

DMA Audioconference: Teleservices Council Legislative Update
May 22 (audioconference)

24th Annual ACCM – Conference for Catalog, Internet & Multichannel Merchants
May 21 – 23, Boston

DMA: Nonprofit Leadership Summit
June 5-7, Coral Gables, FL

DMA & FTC: Green Lights & Red Flags: FTC Rules of the Road for Advertisers and Direct Marketers
June 15, Boston

DMA International Day
June 18, New York

DM Days Conference and Expo
June 19-21, New York

DMA: Fast Forward 2007 – Executive Summit for Marketing Information Business Leaders
Aug. 1, 2007, New York

2007 New York Nonprofit Conference
Aug. 8-9, New York

DMA: 3rd Annual Directo Day West
Aug. 13, Long Beach, CA

DMA Audioconference: Teleservices Council Legislative Update
Aug. 21 (audioconference)

Channel Partners Conference and Expo
Sept. 26-28, Secaucus, NJ

DMA 07 Conference & Exhibition
Oct. 13-18, Chicago

DMA Audioconference: Teleservices Council Legislative Update
Nov. 13 (audioconference)

Forrester’s Consumer Marketing Forum EMEA 2007
Nov. 15-16, Barcelona

National Center for Database Marketing 2007
Dec. 10-13, Las Vegas

Conferences, seminars and networking events provide valuable insight into the latest challenges and solutions in the fast-paced field of direct marketing. Here’s a list of major industry events for the first half of 2007:

DMA: 2007 Washington Nonprofit Conference
Jan. 25 – 26, Washington, DC

DMA: 21st Annual Circulation Day
Feb. 7, New York

DMA: 15th Annual Catalog-on-the-Road Conference
Feb. 13, Cambridge, MA

eTail 2007
Feb. 13 – 16, Palm Desert, CA

MarketingSherpa Email Marketing Summit
March 4, Miami

DMA: 4th Annual Insert Media Day
March 6, New York
Promotion Marketing Association Annual Marketing Conference
March 21 – 22, Chicago

DMA: 31st Annual Financial Services Conference
March 25 – 27, St. Petersburg Beach, FL

DMA: 14th Annual Directo Days Conference
April 10 – 11, New York

Forrester’s Marketing Forum 2007
April 11 – 12, Miami

DMA: Direct Marketing to Business Conference (DMB)
April 16, Orlando, FL

Authentication and Online Trust Summit 2007
April 18 – 17, Boston

24th Annual ACCM – Conference for Catalog, Internet & Multichannel Merchants
May 21 – 23, Boston

Proposed increases in USPS mail rates, scheduled to go into effect in early 2007, signal big changes for direct marketing. It’s not too soon to get ready.

The proposed increase for standard mail (direct mail advertising) is a whopping 9 percent. Coming right on the heels of the 5.4 percent increase in January, this could be a real budget buster. The Direct Mail Marketing Association is predicting that business and nonprofit mailers will cut back on direct mail and find less expensive ways to communicate. Industry analysts at Direct Marketing News expect increasing postal rates will drive many companies toward email.

We strongly recommend that mailers start immediately to re-think their direct marketing strategies in light of the likely 2007 rate increase.

In our view, the rate increase is by no means the end of direct mail, simply because direct mail is far too effective. But the impending rate increase makes it imperative that you closely scrutinize your current portfolio of mail lists, email lists, and direct mail services. Rather than reduce frequency of mailings (frequency being a key factor to the success of many campaigns), take steps to make the lists themselves work harder. Focus your lists using selects and appends and then test those lists. Marigold can work with you to develop lists customized to match your campaign’s objectives.

If you have not yet explored email, or need to expand a basic email program, now is certainly the time to do it. Marigold provides CAN-SPAM compliant email brokerage services that begin with matching your direct marketing needs to fresh lists. If you’re new to email marketing, we can help you get started the right way, with pre-qualified email addresses for campaigns that meet ethical and legal guidelines for email marketing.

The following list includes major direct marketing events in the coming months:

• May 8-10 – 23rd Annual Conference for Catalog, Internet & Multichannel Merchants – Chicago, IL
• May 21-23 – 2006 AMA Strategic Marketing Conference – Chicago, IL
• June 4-6 – 22nd Annual DMA Teleservices Conference – Newport Beach, CA
• June 20-22 – DM Days Conference and Expo – New York, NY
• July 10-12 – 2006 AMA Nonprofit Marketing Conference – Washington, D.C.
• October 14-18 – Direct Marketing Association Conference & Exhibition – San Francisco, CA

Please let us know about other events to add to our list.

Be sure to put the following direct marketing events on your calendar:

• March 8-9: Promotion Marketing Association Annual Conference (Chicago, IL)
• April 3: DMA Developing Effective E-Mail Marketing Seminar (Seattle, WA)
• April 9-12: National Conference on Operations &Fulfillment (Orlando, FL)
• April 19-21: Direct Marketing Business Conference (Orlando, FL)
• May 8-10: ACCM Annual Conference (Chicago, IL)
• June 4-6: DMA Teleservices Conference (Newport Beach, CA)
• June 20-22: DM Days (New York, NY)

Know of other important DM events? Please let us know.