The SME Forum
The SME Forum, previously “The CRM Forum,” and informally known as “The Forum,” is a professional membership organization primarily for Sales, Marketing, Operations and Technology practitioners for Retail and Institutional Asset Management firms. The organization is based out of the New York City metropolitan area with members throughout the US and Europe.
The Forum organizes Spring and Fall conferences in the US and an international conference each June in London, England. Bi-weekly webinars, regular surveys, benchmarking studies and whitepapers are delivered throughout the year to support members.
History
The SME Forum is a member driven organization that continuously evolves to meet the many needs of its increasingly diverse but closely knit community over the past twenty years:
- Begun in early 2000’s as a Seibel CRM user group for Retail Asset Managers in New York
- Membership grows to nearly 15 firms across the US and becomes the CRM Forum
- 2008-2009: Despite the Financial Crisis, membership nearly triples, and Institutional firms begin joining
- 2010: Select Vendor Partners are invited to join by member invitation and reference
- 2015: An annual London program is initiated to meet the growing needs of our Euro members
- 2018: Hazem Gamal takes over leadership from Tony Busacca and continues growth
- 2019: Renamed the SME Forum to reflect the diversity and direction of the Community
- 2020: The Virtual Meetings series is established in quick response to the COVID19 Pandemic
- 2021: The return to in-person Forums begins with Boston in November
- 2022: The SME Global Forum returns to London in June for the 7th Annual
Purpose
The Forum’s sole purpose is to further the individual and collective interests of members within the community. We maintain and foster an environment of intimate trust so members can accelerate their exploration, consideration, decisioning and implementation of their individual firm strategies with the input and guidance of an extremely supportive and reliable network of help. This powerful network enables members to gain broader understanding of their own situations, potential options, and to make well-informed decisions that improve the likelihood of your success – faster, better, and often cheaper
Leadership
Hazem Gamal is an original member of The Forum and has been a continual driver of its growth and maturity since its inception in 2003. Initially the senior representative for OppenheimerFunds until 2017, he grew to be a leader in the development of the original Siebel CRM user group, its long-time incarnation as The CRM Forum and now as The SME Forum.
Throughout this time, he has provided guidance, mentorship, facilitation, and participation in various aspects of the organization’s events and services over the years.
In 2018 Hazem took over leadership and primary responsibilities for running the organization from Tony Busacca, also an original and founding member. Tony continues to be active in the organization and plays a pivotal role in its continued development.
