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Number 4 » September 24, 2008
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Deepen Your Customer Engagement |
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The era of integrated marketing programs is starting to give way to a new
concept: customer engagement programs. Rather than defining the program
based on the types of media or platforms, marketers are starting to look at
the levels of participation they can create with customers. At a time where
customers are empowered to select the content they consume, or even create
content themselves, there are whole new ways of making connections.
Live events offer one of the deepest forms of customer engagement. This
month's competitive edge is all about events: new events that are opening
up new markets, such as the Cloud Summit or the inaugural Embedded Power
Conference; updates on key events around the world, such as Web 2.0 Berlin;
and an interview with James Lonsdale-Hands, who is creating custom events at
TechInsights.
You'll also find some surprising new ideas in this newsletter, including the
first-ever Hispanic market online advertising network and some
fresh stats
from the game developer market. Let us know if we can get you more details!
Richard Wortman
Richard Wortman
Global Accounts Director
rwortman@ubm-us.com
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Research: Where's the Action in Game Development? |
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Game Developer Research has published its seventh report, the
2008 State Of
Game Development Survey, compiled by surveying almost 2,000 video game
professionals from North America and beyond who read Gamasutra.com or
subscribe to Game Developer magazine. Some key findings:
- 70% of those replying are making games on the PC or Mac, 43% for console and 28% for web platforms
- Of the console developers, 73% are creating games for Xbox 360, 58% for the PlayStation 3, and 42% for the Wii
- Of the largely North American and European developers surveyed, 75% of handheld developers are making games for Nintendo DS, and 45% for the PSP
The full '2008 State Of Game Development Survey' is available now via the
Game Developer Research website —
http://www.gamedevresearch.com/ —
priced at $2,495. To request more details or additional highlights,
contact our global accounts team.
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Interview: Set the Agenda with Custom Events |
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James Lonsdale-Hands leads the TechInsights Events Team.
He joined UBM in 2004 to build their custom event capabilities.
With over 23 years of experience in the events industry, James has extensive
knowledge of international markets, having produced conferences in Europe, Asia, and the Americas.
Q. Why are custom events so hot right now?
Because it's easy to define clear ROI metrics. The sponsor owns the time,
and does not share the stage with other vendors. It's an opportunity to
build a virtual eco-system, in which you can create deeply engaging
experiences for the attendees.
Q. So is there a right way to approach the creation of an event?
As with all marketing initiatives, the first step is to define the goals. But
then it's about the content. As I wrote in an Event Solutions article last
year, the content must be tailored and focused — but don't try to dictate it.
Your goal is to engage the audience and encourage participation in the content.
Finally, build a thoughtful, integrated marketing plan around the event. You'll
be investing in audience recruitment, so make sure those messages tie into your
broader marketing efforts for increased impact and leverage.
Q. Aren't most custom events fairly small? How much can they scale?
It all depends on your objectives. Many vendors want to create intimate
environments, but custom events can scale to be very large, even beyond
physical limitations. For example, we're working with Texas Instruments to
support their Developers Conference,
which consists of eight partner
events around the world, plus a multimedia environment for those who are
unable to attend the live events. It's a year-long, global event, without
walls.
Q. What's the right time to consider a custom events program?
Events provide a deep level of engagement that should be a key part of most
marketing programs. And there are so many different types of in-person
experiences, that they can be adapted to a given program's specific objectives.
A good time to consider partnering with an experienced events team like UBM's
is when you have an existing event that can be enhanced in some way. UBM
offers not only expertise in events creation and audience recruitment, but an
enormous database and global brands which we can leverage to take your event
to the next level.
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On the Agenda: News from Key Technology Events |
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- Inaugural Embedded Power Conference in San Jose, September 17-18
Over 20 expert-led practical courses, keynotes and panel discussions
addressed real-world power management issues faced by systems-level design engineers.
Key speakers included:
- Cisco's Director of Hardware, Jeff Cain, focused on the new green world
- Intel's Jonathan Luse presented innovations in embedded and low-power technology that meet the demand for more powerful computing abilities
Event sponsors included Platinum sponsor Intel, Gold sponsor National
Semiconductor Corporation and Silver sponsors Avnet and International Rectifier.
- IBM and F5 Networks sign on as Platinum Sponsors of Software Development Best Practices 2008
Taking place at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston October 27-30,
Software Development Best Practices 2008
is the premier industry
event where development leaders gather to learn about the latest
technologies, network with peers, engage with leading vendors and get
inspiration from software visionaries. The conference delivers
world-class, vendor-neutral training to an audience of 2,500
influential software development professionals. This year's program
features more than 140 forward-looking sessions that cover the
entire application development lifecycle plus nightly networking
events.
"We are thrilled to have the support of IBM and F5 Networks for the
sixth annual Software Development Best Practices," said Conference
Director Tamara Carter. "Attendees will greatly benefit from the
technical expertise of these two leaders in the software development
and networking arenas, respectively."
- Crack the Security Market in India with IFSEC India 2008
IFSEC India,
which takes place October 16-18 in New Delhi, will
give over 150 exhibitors direct access to thousands of security
professionals. Produced by CMP Information, IFSEC is supported by the Asian
Professional Security Association (APSA), India Chapter. Foundation
partners supporting the event include G4S, Alba Urmet, HID Global,
Honeywell Security, Intelligent Traffic Solutions, Nitin, Siemens
and Zicom.
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Tap into UBM's media experts |
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This week's FOLIO: show features UBM Executives Robert Faletra and Chris
Sullivan of Everything Channel and Pamala McGlinchey of TechWeb, lending
insights, ideas and perspectives about the media industry in Chicago. And
TechWeb's Chief Executive Officer, Tony Uphoff, spoke earlier this month at
the Interactive Convergence Conference 2008, sharing insights on evolving
new media trends. Uphoff is also scheduled to speak at the upcoming
American Business Media Los Angeles Regional Meeting.
»
To learn more about their remarks, or schedule appointments with these or
other UBM experts, contact your global accounts team.
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Get Fresh — Marketing Ideas with an Edge. |
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Fresh Idea #1: Take Your Brand to Europe with the Second Annual Web 2.0 Berlin
TechWeb and O'Reilly Media, Inc., co-producers of the annual Web 2.0 Summit
and the global Web 2.0 Expo event series, announced the second annual
Web 2.0
Expo Europe, a conference for Web 2.0 leaders and technologists who are
building, leveraging, and driving the European Web economy. Web 2.0 Expo
Europe, scheduled for October 21-23, 2008, will be held at a new venue, the
Berliner Congress Center in Berlin, Germany.
This year's event will provide a mix of inspirational, theoretical and
practical sessions with keynotes from major European and US entrepreneurs
and CEOs. Sample themes that will be discussed at this year's conference
include Financing your Start-up, Mobile 2.0, Cloud Computing, and Social
Network Advertising.
Fresh Idea #2: Efficiently Reach U.S. Hispanics Online
The Hispanic Digital Network (HDN),
a division of PR Newswire, is the nation's first internet advertising network
of U.S. Hispanic media. Its alliance with U.S. Hispanic newspaper web sites
efficiently delivers your message to Hispanic consumers in local markets
across the country.
Fresh Idea #3: Participate in the Next Paradigm Shift at the Cloud Summit
Cloud Summit
is the industry's first annual gathering of key influencers, industry executives
and venture capitalists focused on the emergence of cloud computing.
Scheduled for October 14th, 2008 at the Computer History Museum in Silicon
Valley, Cloud Summit takes the pulse of a major paradigm shift in computing.
"There have been only a handful of major technology shifts in our modern
computing history. We're currently teetering on the edge of another
profound disruption of the status quo with the introduction of cloud
computing and the Web as the new platform," said M.R. Rangaswami,
Sand Hill Group co-founder and Host of Cloud Summit.
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Everything Channel's VARBusiness 2008 Annual Report Card Winners Include Intel, IBM and HP |
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On August 18, VARBusiness hosted an award ceremony at Everything Channel's
XChange '08 conference, to announce the
23rd Annual Report Card (ARC)
award winners. The ARC recognizes outstanding partner programs and superb vendor
service in 18 major product categories. Winners include Intel, for Client &
Server Processors, IBM, for Data & Information Management and for Volume
Mainstream Business Servers, and HP, for Midrange (High-End) Servers.
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Meet IT Buyers and Solution Providers at the Top Tech Events |
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| Oct 15-17 |
Service Management Conference & Expo
Three days in October to drill into the hottest topics affecting service management professionals.
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Miami, FL |
| Oct 19-22 |
Bank Systems & Technology Summit
The 3rd Annual Executive Summit, "Competing in a Borderless World,"
will feature the industry leaders who are forging a new kind of
financial services industry. Senior executives/technology
decision-makers from visionary financial institutions will
come together with some of the industry's most innovative technology
solutions providers to brainstorm and learn about the technologies,
trends and risks that are transforming banking.
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Phoenix, AZ |
| Oct 20-22 |
Ethernet Expo
Light Reading's 4th annual Ethernet Expo in New York and the 10th major-carrier Ethernet event, will have a full range of speakers across the industry spectrum including service providers, enterprise users, investors, analysts, and equipment, software, and component suppliers.
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New York, NY |
| Oct 21-23 |
Web 2.0 Expo Europe Berlin
The pioneers of the 2.0 world innovate so quickly
that it's difficult to stay abreast of new developments and trends.
Meanwhile, the true depth of the impact of the Web 2.0 movement is
just beginning to show in the enterprise, as companies move
cautiously towards 2.0 technologies, processes, marketing strategies
and ways of thinking. Web 2.0 Expo extends the principles,
practices and tools of Web 2.0 to a broad audience, bridging the
safe center with the disruptive edges. It provides a testing ground
for new ideas while helping businesses articulate the advantages of
a 2.0 strategy and overcome the obstacles posed by legacy technology
and thinking.
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Berlin, Germany |
| Oct 27-30 |
GTEC
The shift to Government 2.0 will require equal combinations of
leadership and technology. GTEC 2008 is where the visions of
technology and government converge to form strategic solutions to
the questions of government service delivery in a web-driven world.
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Ottawa, Ontario |
| Oct 27-30 |
Software Development Best Practices
It's the most important software development management event of the year!
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Boston, MA |
| Oct 27-30 |
Embedded Systems Conference Boston
Network with system architects and design engineers at the fastest-growing embedded event in the world.
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Boston, MA |
| Nov 2-5 |
Insurance & Technology Executive Summit
A 2 1/2 day, exclusive, invitation-only event for senior-level insurance executives,
this summit pursues the concept of innovation and examines how to manage the risks of innovation, as well as reap the returns and rewards.
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Paradise Valley, AZ |
| Nov 3-5 |
RetailVision Middle East
The only Middle Eastern Event where new PC and consumer electronics
products and channel programs are unveiled, retailer/distributor-vendor
relationships are forged, and critical retail merchandising decisions are made.
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Dubai, UAE |
| Nov 5-7 |
Web 2.0 Summit
Increasingly, the leaders of the Internet economy
are turning their attention to the world outside our industry. And
the best minds of our generation are turning to the Web for
solutions. At the fifth annual Web 2.0 Summit, we'll endeavor to
bring these groups together.
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San Francisco, CA |
| Nov 10-13 |
VoiceCon San Francisco
At the inflection point of the migration from standalone TDM voice
networks to IP Telephony, converged networks and unified
communications continues, and enterprise IT/telecom executives
face pressure to leverage all of these options in order to strengthen
their business. This is the event that helps them to unify their
enterprise communications.
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San Francisco, CA |
| Nov 11-13 |
Telco TV
Telco TV is the telecom industry's premier event for the exploration
of a comprehensive entertainment convergence strategy. More than
3,500 attendees, 175+ exhibitors, and 125+ expert speakers comprise
the TelcoTV ecosystem. It's a must-attend event for telecom carriers of any size
looking to investigate, implement, and manage a comprehensive entertainment convergence strategy.
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Anaheim, CA |
| Nov 15-21 |
CSI Annual Conference
This year at CSI's annual event, the most innovative minds in security
will grapple with the tough questions, providing a reality-check and
alternative to cookie-cutter conferences that merely tweak the status quo.
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National Harbor, MD |
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