To PRC or not to PRC, that is the question

I received an e-mail a few weeks ago from the MRA alerting me that my PRC certification was coming up on renewal time. (Really?!!? It's already been two years?)

I clicked over to the MRA website to make sure that I had fulfilled all of my education requirements and - guess what? - I was 1.25 hours short in the Research category. What the . . .? Headshake with eye roll and sigh. That could have only happened one of two ways:

1. I am really not short those hours. It's a bookkeeping error. Since I haven't kept records of all the sessions I've attended at conferences over that last 2 years, there is no way for me know. Lesson learned.

or

2. And this is more likely. At conferences, I attend sessions that interest me without an eye to PRC continuing education requirements. I thought it would all fall into place and it didn't. Second lesson learned.

For the last couple of weeks, I've been weighing the pro's and con's of renewing my certification. I've gotten no juice from having it = con. I have to cram in 2 webinars to fulfill my education requirements = con. Cost - $250 plus $110 (the cost of 2 webinars) = con. Maybe certification will start to hold some sway = pro. Maybe it's impressive to have some letters after my name on all the social networks (LinkedIn, Facebook, Plaxo, etc.) = pro.

In the end I've decided to renew this time and see if I can parlay it into something meaningful. How about you? Are you PRC? If not, why? (You still have a few days to grandfather in if you want to change your mind.) If so, have you already renewed? Are you going to renew?

submitted by Melissa Peper

First night review

Wow! What a fabulous evening. Great food. Great fun. Networking opportunities everywhere. With a bang the 22^nd annual Las Vegas conference kicks off to a packed crowd of rowdy market research professionals. Everyone I talked to was thrilled with the opening reception. The room was a buzz with lively conversations about important research topics. Researcher talking to researcher about the challenges of today’s research environment. If you are looking for answers, this is the place to be.

Tomorrow’s agenda is packed full of educational opportunities. I personally am looking forward to Karin Kricorian’s talk on Research’s Role in Making a Magical Guest Experience. Being from Disney, I am sure Karin will have a number of excellent examples of ways Disney uses research to improve the customer experience.

Tune in tomorrow for more exciting details.

Steve Larson

Information Alliance

Having' a great time. You should be here.