IBM acquired XIV, a storage company developed in Israel. The new operation was thrust into the global market where face-to-face customer contact is essential to marketing and sales in this highly competitive niche.

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IBM XIV held 1.5 to 3.5-day Study Tours at its offices in Israel at 4 to 6-week intervals and 3-day Customer Councils in different regions globally. ACCESS was hired to coordinate all of these events over the course of 3 years.

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We facilitated Customer Councils in New York, Rome, Boston, Israel and Hainan China, the latter of which was the most foreign and fascinating. In all cases, we worked with local organizers and hotels to handle logistics, while we planned the schedules, invited and processed the customers’ participation, and managed the international marketing and business development events on site.

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These projects were more than just a logistical challenge, as we were presenting the face of IBM, while providing the XIV team the ultimate opportunity to learn their customers’ needs, hardships and expectations.

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At the events, we were able to facilitate discussions between customers and IBM sales reps on the customers' precise areas of interest, by asking questions, listening and acting in a timely, professional manner – clearly adding value to our coordination role.