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Top Industry Talent Joins News Direct Team

News Direct

News Direct, the only news and content distribution platform purpose-built for the demands of modern media outreach, today announced several senior hires as part of the leadership team. These hires include Neil Hershberg as Chief Media Partnership Officer; Brenda Bell, Mark Essa, Jennifer Dunn and Josh Rehrer each as Vice Presidents of Regional Sales; and Jeff Abelson as Director of Multimedia Services. Hershberg and Abelson will report directly to News Direct founder and CEO, Gregg Castano, while Bell, Essa, Dunn and Rehrer will report to Chief Revenue Officer, Charles Lucchesi. “I’m thrilled to welcome Neil, Jeff, Brenda, Mark, Jennifer and Josh to the News Direct team. News Direct is disrupting the newswire industry and transforming the way PR and IR professionals distribute their news. Their combined knowledge and expertise are a tremendous asset to our brand and our customers. I can’t think of a more qualified and forward-thinking group to lead the charge,” said Founder and CEO, Gregg Castano. Each of these key team members are leaders in their discipline and bring an average of 20 years of industry experience. Following is more information on the makeup of the executive team and their responsibilities: Gregg Castano , Founder and CEO : Gregg brings to News Direct more than 32 years of industry experience, including a seven-year stint of serving as president of Business Wire. At News Direct, his primary responsibilities include overseeing planning and strategy, company operations, business development efforts, and account management and growth. Neil Hershberg , Chief Media Partnership Officer : Neil also joins News Direct with over three decades of experience in the newswire industry, as well as a distinguished career as a journalist with UPI and Newsweek prior to that. After serving as Vice President of Media Relations at PR Newswire for nine years, followed by 22 years as Senior Vice President of Global Media at Business Wire, Neil became New Direct’s Chief Media Partnership Officer this past May. Neil oversees News Direct’s global distribution network and develops and maintains senior-level media partnerships. Brenda Bell , VP, Regional Sales: Brenda has more than three decades of industry experience, including 18 years at PR Newswire and 13 years at Business Wire. Based in Colorado, she joins News Direct as VP, Regional Sales where she will bring the News Direct message to professional communicators throughout the Rocky Mountain region, as well as portions of the Midwest. Mark Essa , VP, Regional Sales: Mark joins News Direct with more than 28 years of newswire industry experience. Previously, Mark held various senior roles at Business Wire, including Vice President of Competitive Business Analysis and Vice President of Sales, Tracking & Analysis. As VP, Regional Sales, Mark drives dynamic sales directives and relationship building throughout Southern California. Jennifer Dunn , VP, Regional Sales: After spending time earlier in her career in marketing and PR, Jennifer entered the newswire industry when she joined Business Wire in 2008. After a highly successful 12 years covering the D.C. region as well as the Carolinas, she became News Direct's VP, Regional Sales, where she will continue to serve the D.C. metro area, while also managing the company's future expansion into the southeast. Josh Rehrer , VP, Regional Sales: Josh brings to News Direct 18 years of industry sales experience with Business Wire. While with Business Wire, he served in various roles including Regional Vice President, Director and District Manager, focusing on the Mid-Atlantic region. Josh’s role is to drive adoption of News Direct’s game-changing platform throughout the Delaware Valley region. Jeff Abelson , Director of Multimedia Services : Jeff brings to News Direct nearly 24 years of experience as Multimedia Specialist at Business Wire. As News Direct’s Director of Multimedia Services, Jeff brings substantial newswire expertise in a client-facing advisor role, while specializing in multimedia support. News Direct is the only platform of its kind with the capability to release standalone multimedia content, making this an ideal role for Jeff’s talents and knowledge. “Gregg is a bold and progressive business leader. His vision for the future of the newswire industry is reflected in News Direct’s purpose-built platform and predicated on more than three decades of industry leadership experience. I’m thrilled to join the News Direct team and deliver impact, value and results for our clients,” said Neil Hershberg. For more information, visit newsdirect.com . About News Direct News Direct is redefining the content and news distribution industry – and we’re doing it from the ground up. That’s because the News Direct platform was designed and built from the ground up, to reinvent content delivery, re-engineer workflow, revitalize metrics and ROI, and bring security and pricing into the 21st century. News Direct is purpose-built. Client-focused. Dedicated to modern media outreach, and to the PR and IR professionals who need a platform to make them the best they can be. To learn more visit newsdirect.com or follow us on LinkedIn , Twitter and Facebook . Contact Details Ally O'Hara +1 212-404-6609 aohara@hotpaperlantern.com Company Website https://www.newsdirect.com/

July 30, 2020 01:00 PM Coordinated Universal Time

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Minuteman Press Franchise Helps Local UK Businesses Bounce Back from COVID-19 in Bath and NE Somerset, England

Minuteman Press International

It has been a long road to reopening for businesses across the United Kingdom during the COVID-19 pandemic. The team at Minuteman Press in Bath, England , has been working hard to support their community and clients in the Bath / NE Somerset area and help other local businesses get back on track. At first, the printing and marketing franchise launched a free community website Bounce Back Bath and NE Somerset for local businesses to promote special offers, updated hours, and supportive messages to the community. “Today, the Bounce Back programme has become a growing community movement with over 200 participating businesses and partnerships with local organisations. We all have one common goal, which is to help the entire community come together and bounce back,” says David Ghent, Managing Director, Minuteman Press Bath. Since printing is an essential business , the team at Minuteman Press in Bath, England, was able to remain in operation while following all COVID-19 guidelines. Bounce Back Bath / NE Somerset is part of Bounce Back UK , which was started by Minuteman Press International to help all UK businesses at this critical time. David says, “We launched Bounce Back Bath and the first thing we did was call our clients and let them know we are offering a free service to support them. I also approached contacts through LinkedIn and social media, especially when we saw that they were opening. We received great feedback and what we do is every time a new business signs up, we create a graphic and post it on social media and we also send them official welcome packs.” Those welcome packs include an introductory letter, the Minuteman Press product catalog, a Bounce Back Bath window cling, and a COVID-19 awareness and prevention poster. Dave says, “The response has been great. Our clients and prospects have really appreciated that we are here to help them back into business. They also really liked the fact that we were doing this for free and no obligation to buy anything from us.” As the Bounce Back movement has grown, Minuteman Press has received attention from local organisations looking to partner with them and pitch in. “The Bath and North East Somerset Council has co-branded some of our materials with us and the Bath Business Improvement District (Bath BID), were really keen to get on board. We are now partnering with Bath BID on a special Bounce Back Art Competition to help people rediscover Bath and the amazing community we have here.” According to the Bounce Back Art Competition website, Minuteman Press will reproduce the selected artwork and designs and create “a parade of two-metre-high giant ‘bunting’ flags.” The website states that “up to 48 designs created by the community will be reproduced as a rainbow of art hanging from lamppost pennants in the streets of the city.” “It is incredible to see so many people, businesses, and groups working together in Bath and NE Somerset to help people rediscover their community and support each other,” says Mark Jones, Minuteman Press International Regional Vice President for the UK South Region. “That is exactly what Bounce Back Bath / NE Somerset and Bounce Back UK as a whole is designed to do, and I commend Dave and the team at Minuteman Press Bath for taking the free programme and bringing it to such great heights.” David concludes, “We are all in this together and it has been very gratifying to see so many people wanting to work with us to spread the word and lift each other up during this unprecedented time.” For more information on Minuteman Press Bath, visit http://www.minutemanbath.co.uk . To submit a free local listing at Bounce Back Bath / NE Somerset, visit https://bouncebackuk.minuteman.com/locations/england/bath/ Introducing Bounce Back UK, free local business listings & COVID-19 awareness posters to support local business. Get started for free at https://BounceBack-UK.com . Learn more about #1 rated Minuteman Press franchise opportunities and read Minuteman Press franchise reviews at https://minutemanpressfranchise.co.uk . About Minuteman Press International Minuteman Press International is the number one rated business marketing and printing franchise that offers world class training and unparalleled ongoing local support. At Minuteman Press, We Are The Modern Printing Industry™ providing high quality products and services that meet the needs of today's business professionals and go way beyond ink on paper. Today, our centres offer innovative branding and printing solutions and produce custom graphic designs, promotional products, branded apparel, direct mail campaigns, large format printing including posters, signs and banners, and much more. Prior experience is not necessary to own and operate a successful Minuteman Press franchise. Learn more about Minuteman Press franchise opportunities and read Minuteman Press franchise reviews at https://minutemanpressfranchise.co.uk Contact Details Chris Biscuiti +1 631-249-1370 cbiscuiti@mpihq.com Company Website https://minutemanpressfranchise.com

July 30, 2020 05:05 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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Building Momentum for Healthcare Price Transparency Among American Consumers

YourUpdateTV

As Congress begins formulating the next COVID-19 stimulus relief, among measures to improve Americans' health and economic well-being, it is critically important to include systemwide health care price transparency. Transparency is needed now more than ever with the global coronavirus pandemic inflicting abrupt hardships on many Americans. Recently, Cynthia A Fisher, Founder of PatrientRightsAdvocate.org partnered with YourUpdateTV to discuss the importance of healthcare price transparency. A video accompanying this announcement is available at: https://youtu.be/WoNbXrSUEDs System-wide healthcare price transparency can become law by passing the Healthcare Price Transparency Act, requiring hospitals and insurers to reveal their hidden prices, as part of the next COVID-19 stimulus package. This non-partisan issue will do more to stimulate the economy than the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, and it can be done at no cost to the taxpayer. Transparency means more than better healthcare. It will provide economic prosperity for individuals, families, businesses and the economy. American individuals and businesses need a functional, competitive marketplace in healthcare like in grocery, travel and retail. For more information, please visit PatientRightsAdvocate.org About Cynthia A. Fisher: Cynthia A. Fisher is a life sciences entrepreneur, independent investor, and corporate board director. She founded WaterRev, LLC to invest in novel technologies that enable sustainable practices in water use. She serves on the public company boards of The Boston Beer Company (SAM) and Easterly Government Properties, Inc. (DEA). Cynthia is best known for her pioneering work as Founder and CEO of ViaCord, Inc., a leading umbilical cord blood stem cell banking service which she started in 1993. In 2000, she co-founded and was President of the cellular medicines company, ViaCell, Inc. (Previously to founding ViaCord, Cynthia ran the Blood Bank Division of Haemonetics Corporation, a medical equipment manufacturer. She began her career in sales at IBM focusing on healthcare IT, insurance, and defense industries. Cynthia holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, as well as an Honorary Doctorate of Science and BS in Biophysics from Ursinus College. About YourUpdateTV: YourUpdateTV is a social media video portal for organizations to share their content, produced by award-winning video communications firm. Contact Details YourUpdateTV +1 212-736-2727 yourupdatetv@gmail.com

July 29, 2020 04:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time

Cloud Conventions Integrates Email Campaign Technology Into Virtual Event Platform

Convey Services

Cloud Conventions today announced the integration of Convey’s proprietary Conduct™ Campaign email marketing solution that delivers drip email campaigns created within the virtual event portal to attract exhibitors or attendees to sponsor or register. Conduct can schedule four outbound emails, create a branded sign-up page or connect to a registration application. Targeted lists are uploaded into the event portal and managed in a prospect database secured by the system’s proprietary ListLock™ technology. Cloud Conventions is one of the hottest new virtual event SaaS platforms from Convey Services . “Conduct is designed for organizations that don’t have the time, expertise or desire to create email campaigns to promote their event as well as attract exhibitors and sponsors,” said Carolyn Bradfield , founder of Convey. “Conduct sends multiple emails to engage an audience, creating calls to action to get potential attendees excited about the virtual event and motivate them to register. Event managers can also use Conduct to broaden their reach to the sponsors who fund the event.” Cloud Conventions’ sophisticated email engine notifies, reminds and engages attendees and exhibitors with messages scheduled automatically. Newsletters and custom message templates are added to portals to alert exhibitors on booth set-up, provide tips to maximize their ROI or to direct attendee activity. Email reports detail delivery, unique opens and click throughs along with opt outs. Conduct and Cloud Conventions are CCPA and GDPR complaint. “Conduct can also be used within the Cloud Conventions platform as a premium service to exhibitors or sponsors to run their own campaigns to attract traffic to their virtual booth,” added Bradfield. “Campaigns are created by the event host and delivered to the dashboards of exhibitors and sponsors so they can send high-quality email campaigns with a marketing message that is consistent and effective. Email marketing is still, by far, the best prospecting tool, delivering better results than all of social media combined.” To learn more about the options available for a virtual conference, tradeshow or event, visit the Online Resource Center at www.CloudConventions.com . About Cloud Conventions Cloud Conventions is a Virtual Trade Show and Conference Platform from Convey Services that brings new capabilities to a marketplace looking for solutions to replace the thousands of live trade shows, annual conferences and association meetings cancelled in the wake of COVID-19. Originally launched as ConveyLive, Cloud Conventions automates exhibitors and virtual booths, attendee registration, speaker sessions and reminders, invitations and email communication, while at the same time producing detailed analytics on attendee, session and exhibitor activity. Trade Associations and event managers can explore all of the Cloud Conventions solutions by visiting https://cloudconventions.com or contacting info@cloudconventions.com or call 888-975-1382. Cloud Conventions™, Conduct™ and ListLock™ are trademarks of Convey Services LLC Contact Details Bruce Ahern +1 770-580-0810 bahern@conveyservices.com Company Website https://cloudconventions.com

July 29, 2020 09:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

Pulse Esports Gaming Arena to Host Second Pulse Valorant Event, the First of the Upcoming Pulse Series

Pulse Esports Arena

Pulse Esports Gaming Arena today announced their upcoming Valorant Pulse Series , the first of the #PulseSeries , where the world’s top Valorant esports teams, including heavyweight TSM, will attempt to usurp the throne from defending champion from the Pulse invitational, Gen G. Esports. "We’re looking forward to playing in and avenging our loss at the next PULSEARENA.GG series," declared TSM Coach Taylor “Tailored” Broomall. Valorant, a multiplayer character-based tactical FPS game, highlights players’ creativity as their greatest weapon on a global competitive stage. Initially coming in as a challenger team, titleholder Gen G. placed first in the inaugural Pulse Valorant Invitational in July, beating out the likes of Cloud9 and TSM. "We had been scouting the Code 7 guys for the past month, after seeing them perform in the last Pulse invitational, going 3-0 in group play after beating Immortals, Lazarus, and Way 2 French. So we knew that they were a great fit for our organization,” said Joe Kaus, General Manager of Built By Gamers. “We are very excited to be competing in the next Pulse Invitational, and we've got a really special group of players that are looking to make strides of improvement each event!" Teams that make it past the group stage of the second invitational will be invited directly to compete in the grand finals weekend, August 27-29. "We want to help support and grow the North American Valorant scene,” said Pulse Esports Founder and CEO Dan Cybak. “That’s why this event will have two qualifiers, which will allow more teams to participate and showcase their skills.” The Pulse Series is powered by Northern Arena, THESPIKE.GG , and presented by PULSEARENA.GG . WHERE TO WATCH Fans can tune into a live stream with KYP on Twitch on July 28 and 29 at 1:00pm PST, 4:00pm EST, 8:00pm UTC to learn more. Below are the #PulseSeries Qualifier and Finals dates: August 20-21 (First round of Qualifiers) August 22-23 (Second round of Qualifiers) August 27-29 (Grand Finale) For more information on the 2020 race season, visit https://valorant.pulsearena.gg . To join the conversation, follow Pulse Arena on Twitter , Facebook and YouTube . Founded in 2019, Pulse Esports Gaming Arena has quickly become one of the leaders in North America as the gaming establishment to watch, develop and lead in the esports space – whether events, training, or amateur circuits/leagues. New York City’s first dedicated esports tournament/league space was designed to be used by publishers, developers, professional teams, and gamers from any gaming culture. For more information, visit: https://valorant.pulsearena.gg. Contact Details April White +1 347-870-9402 april@trustrelations.agency Company Website https://pulsearena.gg

July 29, 2020 08:08 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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International Conservation Nonprofit, NatureServe, Launches New Podcast Series: Conservation Conversations with Sean O’Brien

NatureServe

NatureServe is excited to announce the launch of its first podcast series, Conservation Conversations with Sean O’Brien . Hosted by NatureServe’s President & CEO, Dr. Sean T. O’Brien, each episode will feature an exclusive interview with a leading expert in the conservation field. Geared towards both conservation professionals and casual listeners alike, this educational and entertaining podcast will discuss how emerging technologies can benefit conservation, regional and global trends in biodiversity, and the future for life on Earth. In the first episode of Conservation Conversations , O’Brien speaks with Dr. Thomas Lovejoy, a Senior Fellow at the United Nations Foundation who is often called “The Godfather of Biodiversity” for introducing the term biological diversity to the scientific community in the year 1980. From the amazing biodiversity of the Amazon, to the connection between the environment and social movements, Sean and Tom cover a wide variety of topics in this brief interview. With more than 20 years experience in local and international non-profits, and a Ph.D. in Environmental Sciences with a focus on tropical forest ecology, O’Brien is uniquely skilled at maintaining a level of conversational ease with scientific experts, making this podcast engaging for listeners of all backgrounds. “Since the dawn of the modern environmental movement, priorities have always shifted. Clean air, clean water, pesticides, environmental racism, saving the whales, tropical deforestation, have led the news. Throughout it all, even if we did not always know it, two concerns have always been present: extinction and climate change," said Sean T. O’Brien, President and CEO of Nature Serve. "At NatureServe, for almost 50 years we have steadfastly focused on identifying, locating, and understanding the threats to species to protect them from extinction. These conversations can serve as a starting point for people to become more aware of the amazing work being done around the world to combat threats to the existence of species." Conservation Conversations with Sean O’Brien will be released on a monthly basis and can be found wherever you listen to your podcasts. Listen to the first episode here or watch it here . For nearly 50 years, NatureServe has been the authoritative source for biodiversity data throughout the Western Hemisphere. To protect threatened biodiversity, NatureServe works with nearly 100 organizations and over 1,000 conservation scientists to collect, analyze, and deliver standardized biodiversity information, providing comprehensive spatial data to meet both regulatory and conservation needs. NatureServe and its network partners develop and manage data for over 100,000 species and ecosystems, answering fundamental questions about what exists, where it is found, and how it is doing. Contact Details Samantha Belilty +1 703-908-1871 sam@natureserve.org Company Website http://natureserve.org/

July 28, 2020 08:31 PM Eastern Daylight Time

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Minuteman Press Franchise Reviews Life Without Print in Animated Explainer Video

Minuteman Press International

What does life without print look like? That is the question answered in an animated explainer video released by Minuteman Press International , the world's leading design, marketing, and printing franchise . The video takes viewers on a journey of a typical day – waking up in the morning, driving to work, spending time at the office, ordering lunch, and coming home – and demonstrates just how different life would be without print. “No matter where we go, print is everywhere,” says Nick Titus, President, Minuteman Press International. “The focus of this video is to raise awareness and remind people that print and marketing is literally all around us. Life without print simply just wouldn’t be the same and in fact, it would be extremely difficult.” Check out the Life Without Print video on the Minuteman Press Franchise Review YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/_PDbTMzvohg Feel free to share the video across social media - copy/paste either of the below for easy sharing: Minuteman Press Franchise Reviews Life Without Print in Animated Explainer Video https://youtu.be/_PDbTMzvohg #MinutemanPress #LifeWithoutPrint #Printing #Franchise #PrintIsEssential VIDEO: What does life look like without print? Let's take a look! https://youtu.be/_PDbTMzvohg #MinutemanPress #LifeWithoutPrint #Printing #Franchise #PrintIsEssential About Minuteman Press International Minuteman Press International is the number one rated business marketing and printing franchise that offers world class training and unparalleled ongoing local support. At Minuteman Press, We Are The Modern Printing Industry ™ providing high quality products and services that meet the needs of today's business professionals and go way beyond ink on paper. Today, our centers offer innovative branding and printing solutions and produce custom graphic designs, promotional products, branded apparel, direct mail campaigns, large format printing including posters, signs and banners, and much more. Prior experience is not necessary to own and operate a successful Minuteman Press franchise. Learn more about Minuteman Press franchise opportunities and read Minuteman Press franchise reviews at https://minutemanpressfranchise.com Contact Details Chris Biscuiti +1 631-249-1370 cbiscuiti@mpihq.com Company Website https://minutemanpressfranchise.com

July 28, 2020 03:07 PM Eastern Daylight Time

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Learning in the New Online Education World

YourUpdateTV

As camps and schools across the country have closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic – and many still uncertain about schools reopening in the fall – parents have turned to online resources to keep their kids engaged and interested in the topics and subjects they care about. Recently, Amir Nathoo, CEO of Outschool teamed with YourUpdateTV to discuss online education and the importance of keeping kids engaged in subjects they care about. A video accompanying this announcement is available at: https://youtu.be/e-NrnePKx8w Outschool is an online learning platform with live, interactive classes for kids aged 3-18. Kids learn best when through interaction, and that means adults and other kids. What parents saw in the spring with distance learning was often a stack of lifeless worksheets or following a self-paced digital curriculum which was boring, stale and oftentimes ineffective. Parents had to resort to video games in off hours as “good screen” time alternatives were few and far between. Outschool classes help learners overcome learning challenges as a social activity by keeping kids engaged in topics they care about with instructors who are passionate about what they are teaching. The platform has a unique selection of over 50,000 live class offerings, like learning to code, cupcake decorating, cooking classes, drawing instruction, teaching architecture through Minecraft , along with traditional classes like algebra and world history. A recent Outschool survey found that nearly ⅔ (61%) of parents had reservations about sending their children back to school in the fall for in-person classes and 40% were now more open to homeschooling their children as a result of their experiences during the Covid-19 crisis. Many schools across the country are now preparing for distance learning once again or hybrid model of some in-person and some homeschooling. This summer, Outschool announced a full range of online summer camps for kids from camps across the country that have been forced to go virtual due to Covid-19. For the fall of 2020 they will be launching a full slate of enrichment offerings and supplemental education courses to assist with distance learning. With over 5,000 teachers on the platform and hundreds of thousands of learners, Outschool is helping to foster a love of learning and bridge the gap where students may be falling behind during this crisis. For more information, visit Outschool.com About Amir Nathoo : Amir Nathoo is CEO of Outschool, a marketplace for live online classes for K-12 learners. He led the development of Square Payroll and also served as CEO and co-founder of Trigger.io. He holds an MEng in Electrical and Information Sciences from The University of Cambridge. Amir is a regular contributor to Entrepreneur, has been featured in publications such as the Wall Street Journal, Inc., Fast Company and Forbes and has been on Bloomberg and Cheddar TV. About YourUpdateTV: YourUpdateTV is a social media video portal for organizations to share their content. It includes separate channels for Health and Wellness, Lifestyle, Media and Entertainment, Money and Finance, Social Responsibility, Sports and Technology. Contact Details YourUpdateTV +1 212-736-2727 yourupdatetv@gmail.com

July 28, 2020 01:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time

Demystifying Forecasting: How Law Firms Achieve Operational Agility Through Better Business Planning

Intapp

In a recent webinar, Intapp welcomed Toby Brown , Chief Practice Management Officer at Perkins Coie, for a lively chat with, and Thad Jampol, Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer, and Pam Smith, Senior Vice President of Strategic Marketing, discussing how business-value forecasting transforms operational agility and organizational accountability. The conversation started with a discussion of how law firms typically haven’t relied on forecasting as a core business-planning tool. Forecasting is notoriously hard to get right, and nobody wants to be blamed for getting it wrong. Many firm leaders conflate budgeting and forecasting, bypassing the deep dive that’s required to build sound, well-reasoned predictions for precisely when, where, and how revenue will flow into the firm. With all of the ambiguities swirling around pandemic-era business planning, firm leadership teams are looking to bolster certainty on all fronts. As a result, one silver lining of COVID-19 may be at least a temporary pause on forecasting resistance. The window is wide-open for a bold embrace of forecasting innovation — powered by industry-specific technology — as a key driver of operational agility and competitive advantage as firms move through a turbulent business cycle. Defining Business-Value Forecasting To understand the concept of business-value forecasting, start by distinguishing its two key components: forecasting data and firm pipeline. Whereas forecasting data tells you — at a macro level — what the anticipated revenue stream will look like based on historical performance, the pipeline shows you where your firm sits in the here and now. “If you’re only looking at forecasting data that’s based on historical performance, you’re essentially looking backwards,” said Brown. “The pipeline should not only drive the forecast, but also capture the specific sources of projected revenue, the timeline for realization, and the parties responsible for delivering the outcomes.” Implementing Better Forecasting Protocols Firms report three key challenges with respect to forecasting: unpredictability, internal resistance, and the difficulty of producing a forecast with confidence. Across industries, forecasting creates a pillar of predictability — a backdrop against which your firm can build strategies for resourcing projects and measuring success. Distorted firm forecasts artificially create higher working capital requirements, and overly-buffered and disjointed budgets residing across practice groups hinder the strategic adjustments needed to capitalize on unexpected opportunities. Although there will always be some unknowns, firms can start with reasonable assumptions. “Some matters are easy to predict. For instance, it’s safe to assume that Walmart will have a certain number of slip-and-fall cases, which you can bake into your forecasting assumptions,” said Brown. “Some clients might have an M&A growth strategy, which means that you can estimate the number of patents and the associated revenue per patent to get to a reasonable proxy. The point here is to focus on what you can confidently predict to build the foundation for your forecasting.” Overcoming Silos and Hedging Many law firms struggle with silos with respect to both data and practice groups; this presents a significant roadblock to firmwide transparency with respect to forecasting. Brown and his team address this issue by building two forecasts — based on key clients and top practice groups — because these specific views of business-value forecasting have proven to be enlightening, valuable, and actionable for firm leadership teams. “Lawyers live and die by their reputations. When they’re on the hook to hit a number, their reputation is at stake, and — because no lawyer is satisfied with a passing grade — they feel compelled to go above and beyond,” said Brown. “Exceeding the forecast is obviously a good thing, but not expected; eyebrows shoot up when a lawyer goes over the top multiple quarters in a row, because it indicates hedging. And, when lawyers hedge to cover themselves, we never have a true picture of our projected revenue stream, which impedes business planning.” Putting the Pieces in Place for Business-Value Forecasting It all starts with recognizing that you need a forecast that budgets on the go-forward at the partner and practice area level; and — at a minimum — the forecast should be revisited quarterly, but ideally in real time and on demand. Implementing technology that captures and analyzes pricing data and firm experience — like Intapp Pricing and Intapp Experience — can significantly improve the efficacy of your forecasting approach and ongoing process. The solution you choose should provide easy and centralized access to data firmwide, and require minimal manual processes to encourage adoption. Incorporating AI and machine learning means that your solution gets smarter from experience, and adjusts to new inputs to perform human-like tasks better. “We view Intapp as a valued contributor — not just a service provider — in our forecasting,” said Brown. “Because the Intapp folks live and breathe forecasting for law firms, they are able to provide an unparalleled level of expertise and technology to help firms get to where they need to be to realize the benefits of business value forecasting.” To learn more about implementing business-value forecasting at your firm, register to watch the webinar replay on demand . Contact Details Natalie Papaj +1 703-586-0048 natalie.papaj@intapp.com Company Website http://www.intapp.com

July 28, 2020 09:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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