Global Association of Customer Engagement Professionals (formerly ABPM)

What Global Association of Customer Engagement Professionals (formerly ABPM) does

GACEP (Global Association of Customer Engagement Professionals, formerly ABPM) is a private professional membership association founded in 1994 and operated by McCreery Inc. from Dallas, Texas. The organization serves briefing and customer engagement professionals from over 150 Fortune 500 companies, with a membership of nearly 600 individuals globally. GACEP's core offering is a curated community of practice for briefing program managers, customer engagement leads, and executive briefing center directors, providing them with peer benchmarking, industry standards (the World Class Road Map), and professional development through the Certified Customer Engagement Professional (CCEP) certification curriculum.

The association earns revenue through four primary streams: recurring membership dues from Primary/Associate members and Solution Partners, conference and workshop fees (the annual Fall Workshop Series plus virtual workshops), annual sponsorship tiers (Platinum/Gold/Silver/Bronze), and certification program fees. GACEP distributes its services through a direct membership model with peer-recommended admissions, an annual multi-day in-person Fall Workshop Series capped at 130 attendees, virtual workshops and member meetups delivered via WebEx, and a podcast (The CX Live). The organization complements member services with a vetted Solution Partner ecosystem of 20+ specialized vendors across categories including AV, center design, scheduling software, and program consulting.

GACEP rebranded from ABPM in 2024 to reflect the industry's evolution beyond traditional briefing programs to broader customer engagement. It is governed by a Global Advisory Board and European Leadership Council, and is led by President Elizabeth Simpson. The organization is independently operated with no disclosed funding rounds, no parent company, and no public financial disclosures.

Name

Global Association of Customer Engagement Professionals (formerly ABPM)

Legal name

McCreery Inc. dba GACEP (Global Association of Customer Engagement Professionals)

Website

https://gacep.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

GACEP is a private professional membership association founded in 1994 serving nearly 600 briefing and customer engagement professionals from over 150 Fortune 500 companies, offering certification, annual conferences, and a curated Solution Partner ecosystem.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Dallas

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees for organizations with briefing or customer engagement programs, and for Solution Partner companies. New members may receive first year free with non-member conference registration bundle.
2. Conference and Workshop Fees: Revenue from Fall Workshop Series (in-person, multi-day), virtual workshops, and member meetups. Pricing varies by member vs non-member status and early bird vs regular registration.
3. Annual Sponsorships: Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Bronze level annual sponsorships that contribute to the success of GACEP conferences and services throughout the year.
4. Certification Program: CCEP (Certified Customer Engagement Professional) certification curriculum providing courses for career development of briefing and customer engagement professionals.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

GACEP is a professional membership association that provides briefing and customer engagement professionals from Fortune 500 companies with access to a global community, the Certified Customer Engagement Professional (CCEP) certification curriculum, industry events (annual Fall Workshop Series and virtual workshops), the World Class Roadmap standards and awards program, and a vetted Solution Partner ecosystem. Its core products are sold to corporate members and individual professionals, with pricing tiered by membership status and registration timing.

Product overview

GACEP (Global Association of Customer Engagement Professionals, formerly ABPM) operates as a membership-based professional association offering a portfolio of products and services centered on benchmarking, certification, events, and community for briefing and customer engagement professionals. The core offering consists of GACEP Membership providing access to nearly 600 members from 150+ Fortune 500 companies, the Certified Customer Engagement Professional (CCEP) Curriculum for professional certification, the annual Fall Workshop Series featuring certification courses and facility tours, Virtual Workshops for online training, Member MeetUps for peer discussions, the CX Live podcast series for thought leadership, and World Class Standards & Awards for industry benchmarking. GACEP also maintains a Solution Partner ecosystem offering specialized platforms and services including Nexus (briefing program SaaS), BICEP Solutions (business intelligence), VExP (virtual experience platform), EBP Business Consulting (consulting/training), Elevate (experiential design), Inhance (interactive digital content), Leva Engineering (kinetic experiences), Cenrox (briefing design), GoProBriefings.com (consulting/training), Q-SYS (AV platform), and Gensler DXD (architecture/design). The organization connects member companies with solution partners across categories including AV, center design, content creation, mobile centers, scheduling software, and program analytics.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 600 members from over 150 Fortune 500 companies worldwide
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers19 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• EBP Business ConsultingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerManagement consulting firm offering consulting, benchmarking, and training to Briefing Programs globally. Principal Ellen Barnes-Pfiffner has been active in GACEP for over twenty years, served on the Advisory Board, published 30+ briefing articles, and is a frequent presenter at conferences. Delivers workshops recognized for ABPM/GACEP Core and Masters Level Competency Curriculum credit.
• GoProBriefings.comcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsulting and training firm led by Pam Evans, offering services to establish or reimagine Executive Briefing Programs. Principal Pam Evans has held positions at Oracle, Siebel Systems, NetApp, SAP, Polycom, and Palo Alto Networks. Provides workshops including ABPM's Core Competency Curriculum Courses (CCC and ACC).
• BICEP SolutionscoreTechnology or IntegrationBusiness intelligence consultancy specializing in helping customer engagement programs prove value, optimize operations, and tell data stories. Founded by Emre Ozbek, veteran of global executive engagement programs at Cisco with 30 years international experience. Platform expertise includes Salesforce, BriefingSource, Microsoft Fabric & Power BI, and Tableau.
• Light Up VenturesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeadership development firm with ICF-accredited founder Jack Griffin. Provides Discussion Leader Training with demonstrated improvement ratings: 12% for presentation delivery skills, 9% for confidence with public speaking, 14% for content development competence. Offers customized development programs and executive coaching.
• Exhibit ConceptsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAward-winning event marketing partner designing and producing branded environments including executive briefing centers, trade shows, museums, corporate interiors, and experiential engagements. WBENC-certified with EDPA RFP Certification. Offers VExP virtual experience platform for hybrid engagements.
• ElevateminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAward-winning global experiential design studio crafting world-class experiences and spaces for leader brands. Specializes in full-service EBC design and technology integration, creating branded environments and immersive journeys. Clients include Intuit, Stripe, UKG, Elevance Health, Google, Zoom, Red Hat, and Miro.
• NexuscoreTechnology or IntegrationSaaS platform purpose-built for Customer Engagement programs. First company to bring together agenda planning, scheduling, customer portal, experience design, on-site channels, tracking, reporting under one platform. Supports on-site, virtual, or hybrid engagements across multiple global locations.
• AVI-SPLcoreTechnology or IntegrationDigital workplace services provider and largest provider of collaboration technology solutions. Serves over 86% of Fortune 100 companies. Award-winning managed services. Symphony platform simplifies user engagement with collaboration and AV technologies. Has been #1 on SCN Top 50 since 2006.
• CenroxminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounded by Spencer Waldron, helping Executive Briefing Programs at companies like Celonis, Dell, and Miro turn high-stakes visits into business outcomes. Services include The Through-Line story-structured visit design, Conversational Presenting, and Conversational Skills workshops.
• GenslerminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal architecture, design, and planning firm with 56 locations across Asia, Europe, Australia, Middle East, and Americas. Digital Experience Design (DXD) practice transforms spaces into dynamic destinations. Experience Labs in New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco for prototyping and testing.
• MC2minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAward-winning brand experience agency specializing in permanent and temporary environments. An MCH Company. Value engineering, construction, construction management, general contracting, project management, and installation services for briefing centers, media labs, innovation centers, and showrooms. Clients include Zebra Technologies, Toyota, Samsung, Cisco, AT&T, Nokia, and Nike.
• Dimensional InnovationsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerExperience design, build and technology firm with 110,000 sq. ft. headquarters in Kansas City. Has developed numerous Briefing Centers and introduced DIVE, a Virtual Briefing Center Platform blending immersive video conferencing with robust features for hybrid and virtual audiences.
• HyperquakeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStorybuilders creating EBCs and customer experience centers based on human stories. Works with startups to Fortune 100s. Unique Storybuilding approach produces best-in-class experiences for live, remote, or hybrid audiences. Clients include Nike, JPMorgan Chase, Palo Alto Networks, Workday, and Procter & Gamble.
• CharcoalblueminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational consultancy serving projects from studios on three continents. Shapes environments for people to gather, communicate and share ideas - from corporate workplaces and executive briefing centers to event venues and cultural destinations. Combines spatial planning, experiential design, AV systems, and acoustics.
• EnvoyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConnected customer experience consultancy building brand and digital experiences. Blends artful content, digital technology, and physical space to design destinations and experiences. Innovation recognized by Communication Arts, Fast Company, Forbes, The Verge, Vox, and Wired. Clients include T-Mobile, McDonald's, Disney, Amazon Web Services, Abbott Laboratories, and FedEx.
• Creative PrincipalsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDelivers creative leadership for brand experiences, briefing centers, visitor centers, museums and theme parks. Founded July 2017. Projects include American Airlines Museum, FM Global Learning Center, Qasr Al Watan in Abu Dhabi, and current work on Yokogawa customer experience center in Houston.
• BlondefishminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBoutique event experience agency helping brands connect with audiences in meaningful ways. Specializes in live events and experience centres. Based in UK, works globally. Clients include Philips, Pfizer, Smirnoff, and Jacob's Creek.
• Solution Partner Mentorship ProgramcoreOthersGACEP provides a mentor program to support Solution Partners during their first year of membership. Mentors reach out to new members for required 30-minute meeting and periodic check-ins throughout the year.
• Solution Partner Advisory CommitteecoreOthersCommittee made up of one representative per Solution Partner category that meets regularly. Established annual review process and Solution Partner Member Standards to maintain and enhance GACEP Solution Partner Culture.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• American Marketing Association (AMA): AMA is the largest professional association for marketers globally, with chapters, events, training, and certifications. Broad incumbent that overlaps significantly in target audience (enterprise marketing and CX leaders) but operates at a much larger and more general scale than GACEP.
• International Association of Business Communicators (IABC): IABC is a global professional association for business communicators with member chapters, events, and certifications. Broad incumbent with similar association model and enterprise member base, though oriented toward corporate communications rather than customer engagement specifically.
• Association of National Advertisers (ANA): ANA is a longstanding marketing/advertising industry association representing major brands with conferences, training, and member programs. Broad incumbent serving Fortune 500 marketers with overlapping audience to GACEP's enterprise member companies.

Direct peers

• ICMI (International Customer Management Institute): ICMI is a professional community and content publisher for customer contact/contact center leaders, operating events, training, and certifications. Directly comparable in business model (membership + paid events + certification) and customer base (enterprise customer experience/engagement leaders).
• Customer Experience Professionals Association (CXPA): CXPA is a global non-profit professional association for customer experience practitioners with a comparable member-driven, certification (CCXP), conference, and chapter-based model. Most direct peer because both organizations serve customer-facing professionals at Fortune 500 companies through membership, certification, and annual events.
• Customer Contact Week (CCW) by ICMI: CCW is a major industry event and community brand for customer contact/engagement professionals, with paid conferences and a digital media presence. Comparable as a competing community and event platform targeting enterprise customer engagement functions.

Emerging players

• Sales Enablement Society: Sales Enablement Society is a global community for sales enablement professionals with chapters, events, and a certification program. Emerging peer with similar membership/community model but focused on the closely adjacent sales enablement function.

Others

• Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA): PCMA is a global association for the business events industry, with membership, education, and an annual convention. Adjacent peer because it shares the association/events business model and serves enterprise professionals who organize executive experiences.
• Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS): SMPS is a professional association for marketing and business development in the AEC industry, with a comparable chapter-based membership and event model. Adjacent association with similar structure and target audience of professional services marketers.
• B2B Marketing Association (B2BMA): B2BMA is a professional community for B2B marketers with events, training, and benchmarking programs. Adjacent association with overlapping enterprise audience (B2B Fortune 500 marketing and engagement leaders) and similar event/membership business model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/globalassociationofcustomerengagementprofessionals

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Global Association of Customer Engagement Professionals (formerly ABPM)