Blue Sky Broadcast and MCI Announce Strategic Partnership

Online, April 7, 2011 (Newswire.com) - Two of the meeting industry's largest service and solutions providers have teamed up to offer associations a turnkey approach to open or expand access of their conference content to international markets using the Internet to broadcast "remote or standalone" conferences. Blue Sky Broadcast, a leader in full-service live and on-demand, custom web-based learning solutions and MCI, a global association, communication and event management company, see this opportunity as an exciting new way for US associations to offer international members and customers quality content to help grow local brand awareness, product and member sales, or promote collaborative ties with related organizations. With this new service, the value proposition of US associations can be extended to remote markets like never before.

"This agreement with Blue Sky will help US associations leverage their conference content for adaptation to regional markets either for the purpose of creating remote satellite events conducted simultaneously with their annual meetings or as a means of enhancing standalone regional conferences," said Nikki Walker, MCI Association Management & Consulting Practice's Global Vice President. "MCI will provide an array of options based on the client's needs from developing conference business strategy for any of MCI's 22 country markets to providing marketing, sponsorship, promotion, and event management support."

"As education is the primary focus with our association customers we know many are trying to extend their franchise internationally, and this partnership with MCI is just ideal", commented Phil Forte, President of Blue Sky Broadcast. "The notion of professional development through association education products is relatively new in emerging markets where most people gain their education exclusively from universities, and this is even more so with online learning. As the conference channel is more well-known and as many in these markets prefer face-to-face learning as a learning mode, offering an integrated model combining the two offers very compelling advantages."

The partnership is aimed at US based associations hosting meetings outside North America, but both companies hope that the success can expand to any MCI client and associations throughout the world.