For several years now, Gartner Vendor Relations has held quarterly teleconferences for the analyst relations (AR) community. There is a discussion about a topic (e.g., in December it was about the policy change on surveying analysts) and Q&A on any issue. Sometimes the calls are pretty low key and other times it can get quite heated depending on the questions being asked. Kudos to Gartner for setting up the calls and being open to potshots in a public forum.
For 2008, Gartner is adding two times for each quarterly call to make it convenient for folks in different times zone. As always, replays are available.
11:30 am to 12:30 pm US Eastern Time (8:30 am to 9:30 am PT)
7:00 pm to 8:00 pm US Eastern Time (4 pm to 5 pm PT)
- March 12, Wednesday
- June 18, Wednesday
- September 9, Tuesday
- December 10, Wednesday
Register for updates at www.gartnerinfo.com/arnewsletter/
Bottom Line: What makes these calls valuable is the active participation of AR professionals to provide the Gartnerians with feedback about the policy and methodology agenda items as well as raising critical issues. It is highly recommended that you add the calls to the calendar and come prepare with questions and comments.
Tip o’ the hat to Barbara at Tekrati for the news about the 2008 schedule.

Since 2000, SageCircle has helped analyst relations teams to focus on business value by encouraging innovative thinking that leverages insights and drives revenue.