Conferon Global Services, the country’s largest independent meeting planning and events management company, yesterday officially announced its new name: Experient Inc.

The change was revealed during the company’s annual meeting in Denver, and later that day at a press conference. It follows an internal restructuring that took place earlier this year when the company’s three brands, Conferon, ExpoExchange, and ITS, were combined into a single enterprise, Conferon Global Services, to streamline customer service and align business strategies.

“The name change [from Conferon Global Services] is a natural evolution to follow the organizational restructuring,” Ed Shartar, Experient CEO, said at the press conference. He said company officials considered using one of the existing brand names, but the new name better describes and encompasses all that the company offers—meeting and event management, housing, registration, and exhibition services—as opposed to just one element of it. “Our mission is to bring people together to help drive business,” he said, and that’s accomplished by helping clients create value by creating experiences for them.

Earlier this year, Conferon Global Services tapped Atlanta-based public relations firm Manning, Selvage, and Lee to explore rebranding. It also received more than 1,000 name suggestions from employees of the Twinsburg, Ohio-based firm. Experient was a name generated by both employees and the outside consultant, noted Experient Chief Marketing Officer Rick Binford.

The name refers to the company’s experience and expertise, as well as the experience it seeks to create for clients, according to Binford. “We are not just in the event business, we are in the experience business--focusing on creating total event experiences that drive the business objectives of our clients.”

Experient will be using its new name immediately, though the Conferon name, a recognizable brand since the company was founded in 1970, will be phased out over the next four months. The company’s new Web site is www.experient-inc.com.