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IQPC organizes "conferences" by putting together a list of popular topics in obscure fields. Then, they get people to sign up, paying thousands of dollars to go. You'll notice that in most cases, their speakers are "TBA, " despite having detailed descriptions of the talks. (Often the talks are cancelled or changed anyway.) Then they cull speakers from the groups of people they have already signed up to go! They are not experts in their field. At the conference I went to, another attendee told me he was bullied into giving a talk he had not agreed to do, and then he was signed up for leading a "roundtable discussion." The conference promoter/emcee knows absolutely nothing about the focus of the topic. It ended up being just a group of people in the same field, hanging out, and kind of taking over the meeting and turning it into a discussion among colleagues, but with little insight into anything. If each of the 50 attendees paid $1500 for attendance (excluding hotels, transportation, etc.), they are making bank off of nothing. They only provided a meeting room rental at a hotel, and plain bagels and coffee. Total scam. Too many other terrible details to list.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
I got suspicious after speaking with the agent on phone and when I realized they are just an events organizer not experts on the field, and then the sales agent called me on the number I had provided and from the way she was talking and the fact that they insisted the only method of payment is over the phone, really?! So I had to look them up and I found these other complaints about them, so glad I did my research! I wish I could give 0 star!
It is still the same premise though...basically selling attendees time with vendors. These fake conferences have made me cynical about every conference. Unfortunate because if there is a new conference being organized, I am probably not going to think about attending until I know I won't be manipulated.
Hey, I understand. I was giving it some thought and there are definitely additional benefits to sponsoring an IQPC conference beyond just making direct sales through the event. For example you are much more searchable (and easier to find on the web) because of the content/keywords/themes/topics that you are being associated with. Additionally there is the networking aspect, education components, as well as the competitive benchmarking aspect. Thanks for the reply.
If you're serious about actually doing business and achieving results look no further than Richmond Events. CIO // Marketing & Market Insight // Logistics & Supply Chain Forums // HR Forums // CLO Forums. I moved on from IQPC for the unprofessionalism described above. Feel free to reach me via email nkumes@richmondevents.com
Thanks!
Funny, Posting a predatory comment like this makes you seem incredibly unprofessional. IQPC is a complete joke- but it looks like you must have fit right in.
IQPC isn't entirely unprofessional just potentially very cold, cruel, and ruthless. I made $150, 000 in less than two years. TRUST ME I would have taken half of that to enjoy some longevity.
You are right I should honestly stay out of it. When approaching a conference you can't extreme. Is it about status, learning, money, networking, a good time, etc.? up to you...
IQPC might be a better fit for some vendors than for others. It's like picking out a pair of shoes...
When I joined IQPC the last thing I cared about was the money. I was 21 years old. My goal was to make that organization a better business because there were some horrid reviews on Glassdoor. My goal was achieved (maybe) but eventually I was martyred. Now I'm with a new one. Some people out there might criticize my directness. I think conferences and events should be a central part of the business world. For now lol
@somename10101011 and I'll be honest in my time there never once did I have a client get back to me and say 'NICK' this was the best [censor] ever... so IDK if negative reviews are all that honest sometimes someones gotta be winning... thank you for the feedback!
I won't repeat what everyone else has stated. I had similar experience. The calls are very high pressure and the person knows nothing about the industry the conference is about. But, one thing I will add is that it seemed to me after A LOT of questions, that their primary concern/client is the sponsors/vendors. It was explained to me that they don't do a traditional expo. Instead, their sponsors get scheduled with the attendees and are given 1x1 time to pitch their products/services. For the sponsors it is great. They get access and communication with decision makers. I asked the person trying to hard sell me on this conference, "so I pay for a conference but can't attend all the sessions because you schedule me to go hear a sales pitch?" She assured me they hand select the companies to put you in front of so it is only things you are interested in. I asked, "What if I am not interested in anything? What if I don't want to meet with these sponsors? Can I still go?" She stumbled around a bit and then said she thought so. If you were a vendor and this company was just pitching that they get you 30 minutes with XX of decision makers...I would think that would be a good deal for them. For the rest of us who want to attend conferences to learn...not so much.
what's the name of your company/organization?
I just got a call from Cody Raphael (referenced in one of the above complaints) which is what prompted me to do an online search of his name and company. He talked a mile a minute about our strong relationships with Coca Cola and Samsung, and kept referencing a conference in Los Angeles. It took several minutes, and several pointed questions, to figure out why he was even calling. (Since our firm has never worked with either of the two companies he referenced I was suspicious.) I finally got him to acknowledge that his sole objective in calling was to invite us to a conference in L.A. My conclusion, based on his very unpolished approach, and also on his unfounded claims about our strong relationships with Coca Cola and Samsung, is that he, and the company he represents, are not worth another minute of my time. The previous comments simply confirm that. Thank you for taking the time to document this.
what company are you with?
All accurate depictions of IQPC. I had a discounted registration fee of $400 to attend a conference, never even signed an attendance contract, but made the payment. I couldn't attend, so they offered for me to attend a later event and be a presenter (Delegate or whatever BS term they use). I couldn't make that date either and the day I told them I had a conflict, they immediately charged my card for $3100. The charge was declined, and they proceeded to make incrementally smaller charges to attempt to get ANY amount of money they could. Finally, they got $250, and I had to report it as fraud and cancel the card since - having never signed an agreement with them, they fraudulently charged my card. When I spoke to the person I told I couldn't make it - she acted like she had no idea what was going on and gave the number to accounting. Ever since, not one person will return a call or email. Such a shady operation.
Stephen Smith
Stephen.smith@iqpc.com
Maggie Walker
Maggie.Walker@iqpc.com
Elise in accounting
All of a sudden i get a call from IQPC co-ordinator from UK for sponsorship for a conference, surprising thing was this came to my official email id which is not available in social websites. i told this guy to call back.i was getting skype calls from him regularly(which i couldnt attend as i was travelling), then he calls up on my desk number (which is also not listed). it seems they are tracking you like detectives. then when i tell him im not the right participant, he hangs up in the middle of the conversation.now i understand the SCAM behind these so called conferences.(they show big names, but in the end the presenters do not show up, & others are forced to speak without being prepared). thanks for the valuable inputs guys, i will steer clear of IQPC guys+ email from now onwards.
IQPC conducts fake conferences and makes false promises. Their team lies to any extent possible to get your money and once they have your money they don't care. There was a recent conference in Miami from Oct 26-28 being organized by them. The event organizer Lisa was a joke and so were her team members Vinny Rama and Cody Raphael. All of them are a pack of liars with no regret about lying either. There were like 25 people, mostly speakers, at a conference where they promised several hundred would be attending. There was no prep for the conference by Lisa, no signs and even her feedback survey was a joke. She looked like she just got out of bed and managed to show up at the conference.
which company are you with?
Thanks for the feedback. My apologies for the delayed response, but a colleague just directed me to this page. As a representative of IQPC I would like to address some of the issues you raised.
We do organize a lot of conferences on a very broad range of issues and industries, and we have a number of very satisfied sponsors, speakers and delegates. We conduct significant primary and tertiary research into our topics, we seek out industry leading speakers and take pride in our events. Due to the seniority of our speakers they are occasionally unable to meet their commitment to the event, but we always seek as much commitment from them as possible whilst also respecting their other numerous demands. Whilst we also encourage interactivity and discussion between the audience and speakers as a healthy part of any good event, it is not our policy to bully anyone into speaking.
We don’t always get it 100% correct, we try, but our intent is to always create an event that exceeds the expectations of delegates, sponsors and speakers and I think in most cases we achieve this target. I would be happy to put you in touch with numerous clients who could independently verify our integrity and the quality of our events.
It’s unfortunate that your situation did not live up to your expectations or ours. If you want to email me directly at Jason.romain@iqpc.com I will be happy to set up a time to discuss the details of your particular situation.
Regards,
Jason Romain, Chief Marketing Officer, IQPC