IRD announces acquisition of look forward

IRD bolsters its portfolio of business critical information services

Sydney, February 19, 2009 – IRD, the leading provider of powerful prospecting tools today announced it has acquired Look Forward, publisher of Australia's forward planning events calendar. In acquiring Look Forward, IRD adds major events from every corner of the country to its suite of invaluable intelligence on the nation’s upcoming plans.

Look Forward provides the media with a calendar of upcoming events – from sporting to political – allowing journalists to plan their coverage, and advertising, marketing and media professionals to identify their own campaign opportunities or potential clashes.

IRD generates high volumes of sales leads, borne out of anticipated corporate movements including mergers, acquisitions, launches and appointments. Distributed through its online prospecting tools Prospector, Connector and Leadwire, business developers can immediately spot companies with a need to spend.

“Accurate intelligence is the basis of any smart planning, whether it be for editorial or business development purposes” said Matt Skinner, Managing Director, IRD. “IRD’s definition of intelligence is that which is actionable immediately for business gain – rather than just banked as business knowledge.

“For seven years, IRD has been providing the market with targeted, valid and immediate intelligence on opportunities to make money and prospect. Now with the acquisition of Look Forward, IRD can provide the most invaluable and useful planning information available to businesses,” Matt concluded.

Look Forward has become a wholly owned subsidiary of IRD and will continue to operate under its existing name and under the talented editorship of Byron Moore. IRD’s existing research team will now feed a plethora of entirely new event information into Look Forward, making it the most comprehensive forward planning tool on the market.

About Information Resource Development (IRD)
Information Resource Development (IRD) is an Australian company which provides smart prospecting tools that enable accelerated, measured and direct lead generation. It has a dedicated research team which reviews more than 30,000 information sources to identify new company activities, initiatives or change. Such movements usually require outsourced support to complete successfully. All relevant content is followed up for verification, detailed specifications and decision maker contact details, providing IRD customers with all the information required for powerful prospecting. www.irdgroup.com.au

About Look Forward
Look Forward is Australia’s forward planning tool for journalists, advertisers, marketers, public relations professionals and event planners. Founded in 2007, Look Forward lists thousands of future events across the nation, covering many areas of interest to the media industry, including business, sport, politics, entertainment, conferences and international events. The information means media professionals can schedule their coverage or plan and publicise their own events, without the risk of conflicting and therefore competing with another. www.lookforward.com.au

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