Advanstar Will Identify Call Center Events With ICCM Brand

Advanstar Communications will be identifying all its call-center events under the ICCM brand.

The company's flagship Intl. Call Center Management will open Aug. 9 at Chicago's Navy Pier, a new location. The event typically attracts a large international audience.

ICCM East is scheduled for Feb. 25-27 at the Gaylord Palms Hotel & Convention Center in Orlando and its West Coast counterpart, ICCM West (formerly called Call Center West), will be held Nov. 17-19 at the Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles. ICCM Canada (formerly Call Center Canada) is set for April 19-21 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

The call-center events are being produced by Advanstar Technology Group, a division of Advanstar Communications that produces 17 publications, 16 events and 30 Web sites. The company estimates that there are 100,000 call centers in North America alone. To meet the interest, Advanstar also plans to hold ICCM Forums in a number of U.S. cities.

CMP is also getting into the call-center act. The company is launching its Annual Call Center Exhibition Sept. 13-15 at the Washington State Convention Center in Seattle. The event is expected to draw 4,000 attendees and 150 exhibitors.

CMP has hired ICMI, short for Incoming Calls Management Institute, to design content for its event. ICMI launched the first ICM event a decade ago, but later sold it to Advanstar. CMP also publishes Call Center magazine, as well as produces call center events in the United Kingdom and Japan. For five years, CMP has also been producing Call Center Demo & Conference in Dallas each February and Orlando each May.