CMP Acquires Think Service, Inc. - The Leading Membership Association for IT Service and Support Professionals


Think Service's HDI and CMP's International Customer Management Institute Create Powerful Customer Support Portfolio

MANHASSET, N.Y. and COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., Jan. 23 -- CMP, a media, marketing solutions and services company serving the technology industry, today announced that it has acquired Colorado-based Think Service, Inc. (http://www.thinkhdi.com/), including HDI (formerly the Help Desk Institute), the world's largest membership association for IT help desk and service management professionals and the premier certification body for the industry. This acquisition will broaden and deepen CMP's services portfolio to encompass certification in addition to membership, training and events for IT support professionals and their respective corporate organizations. HDI will be an independent operating unit within CMP's International Customer Management Institute (ICMI) group headed by Ruthann Fisher, Vice President and Global Brand Director. Peggy Libbey, President and COO of Think Service, Inc., will continue to manage the operational direction of HDI.

HDI is an industry association dedicated to serving professionals in the IT support industry by providing access to industry publications and research and by providing a platform for continuous networking through more than 60 local chapters in North America. HDI offers training and certification based on internationally recognized standards. The HDI Annual Conference & Expo, to be held March 9-12, 2008 in Dallas, attracts over 2,000 attendees annually and is recognized as the premier industry event for IT support professionals. HDI is committed to providing its more than 7,000 members with access to industry resources and events to continue enhancing their professional skills and their ability to support the increasingly complex IT environment of the modern organization. HDI works with Fortune 500 companies, boasts a nationwide network of 68 local chapters, and supports numerous global partners.

"Because of the many strong synergies between ICMI and HDI, we see tremendous opportunities for growth in the customer management space," said Philip Chapnick, Group President of CMP. "This acquisition deepens our portfolio of services beyond the call center to help desk and IT support centers creating a full service offering to these professionals on a global scale. We are also particularly interested in capitalizing on existing ICMI and HDI businesses operating globally."

"We are delighted to become part of ICMI and CMP. By joining forces with a well-funded and truly global corporation, we will be in an even better position to offer our members and clients the world class services they need to keep abreast of the rapidly changing IT support requirements of modern global organizations," said Peggy Libbey, President/COO. "We are looking forward to the kind of partnership in which both organizations are immeasurably stronger than either was individually."

About Think Service, Inc.

Think Service, Inc., best known for its Help Desk Institute (HDI), is the world's largest IT service and support membership association and the industry's premier certification and training body. Guided by an international panel of industry experts and practitioners, HDI is the leading resource for help desk/support center emerging trends and best practices. HDI provides members with a vast repository of resources, networking opportunities and the largest industry event -- the HDI Annual Conference and Expo. Headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, HDI offers training in multiple languages and countries.

About the International Customer Management Institute (ICMI) - A CMP Company

ICMI, International Customer Management Institute, (www.icmi.com) is the global leader to the call center industry for consulting, training, management tools, seminars, conferences, trade shows, networking, professional membership and publications. ICMI's mission is to provide the comprehensive information resources required by call center professionals to achieve operational excellence, attain superior business results, and enhance the strategic value of every customer interaction.

About CMP

CMP (http://cmp.com/) is a media and marketing solutions company serving the technology industry. With the leading online, event and print brands in all technology market categories, and with services and tools that reach beyond traditional advertising, CMP shapes and influences the technology industry worldwide. CMP publishes highly respected media brands such as TechWeb, InformationWeek, ChannelWeb, CRN, EE Times and TechOnline; produces major industry events such as Interop, Web 2.0 Expo, XChange, Game Developers Conference and the Embedded Systems Conferences; and provides business information and marketing services such as the International Customer Management Institute, Semiconductor Insights and Second Life consulting for technology marketers. CMP is a subsidiary of United Business Media (http://www.unitedbusinessmedia.com/), a global provider of news distribution and specialist information services with a market capitalization of more than $3 billion. For more CMP news, go to cmp.com/news.

Contact
Alix Raine
SVP Communications, CMP
516.562.7827
araine@cmp.com

Tara Gibb
VP Marketing, CMP
International Customer Management Institute
415.845.1019
tgibb@cmp.com

FCMN Contact: tschlameuss@cmp,com

Source: CMP

Web site: http://cmp.com/
http://www.thinkhdi.com/
http://www.icmi.com/
http://www.unitedbusinessmedia.com/

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