Wednesday, 19 March 2008 | 6:30-9:30PM

West LA

Best Practices in Client Service with Markus Almer
March 19, 2008
6:30-9:30pm

In today's competitive marketplace, outstanding client service lies at the heart of sustainable customer loyalty. Markus shares his experience, techniques and guidelines for working with demanding agencies, coping with angry customers, minimizing stress, and making designers and programmers feel great about doing their jobs. Making use of real-world examples, he will provide insights and ideas about improving customer relations. His approach of customer service will make your job as a designer or programmer not only easier but more fun and more meaningful.

In line with AIGA/LA's vocation to bring added-value to membership, this season's BusinessMatters will be offered free to members on a first come, first serve basis. Join us and participate in this popular series designed to help you establish yourself and your career.

Reservation & Ticket Information
AIGA members: FREE (up to 50 members, first come, first served)

Non-AIGA members: $40 per event (join AIGA when you register and attend for free)

Individual tickets will be available a few weeks before the event date. Only 75 tickets are available for each event and priority is given to AIGA members. Call 818.558.3968 to reserve your seat, no tickets will be available at the door.

Confirmation Via Email
You will be sent confirmation of your reservation via email with specific details such as location, parking and advance preparation materials. Please provide your phone number and email address when reserving your seat in order to receive timely confirmation. Do not attend without confirmation as seating is limited.

BusinessMatters Series Overview
Increasing access to creative software has convinced many that graphic design is basic administrative work and innovative talent isn't necessary to devise creative business solutions. This sentiment, coupled by budget-conscious clients and a sluggish economy, has made it imperative for designers to affirm their roles as valuable members of a company's marketing process.

BusinessMatters is designed to address these issues, using an intimate and open forum for discussion. Emphasis will be on developing new business, career management, enhancing strong rapport with clients and educating clients about the value of design.

Markus Almer is president and co-founder of Almer/Blank, an interactive media agency in Venice, California. He helps clients like E! Entertainment Television, Clear Channel Entertainment, Comcast, IKEA, and Apple identify business opportunities and develop rich digital experiences to improve customer experiences, and Marketing-ROI. Markus is also co-founder of the Rich Media Institute in Los Angeles, which provides training, research and events to Digital Media professionals. He speaks frequently on events and conferences from the American Marketing Association, Digital Hollywood and FITC Hollywood. Markus began his career in digital media in 1999 by introducing patented multimedia card technology to the United States and over the past 8 years, he has gained extensive experience in Interactive Marketing and Rich Internet Applications. Markus grew up in Switzerland and has lived in Southern California since 1999.

BusinessMatters is organized by a committed group of design professionals whose experience has convinced them of the need for designers to think strategically about their businesses.

Zelda Harrison transitioned from a career in marketing consumer products to graphic design. She manages a diverse client portfolio, including Universal, The Downtown Los Angeles BID, The Aquarium of the Pacific and Cedars-Sinai.