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Sponsors
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TRACKS:
Engaging Kids
| Engaging Youth |
Virtual Goods and Gifts |
At-A-Glance
Engaging Kids
Room
1E09
From partnerships to marketing to keeping kids engaged - this track
is a must for anyone operating a kids world or looking to extend
brand partnerships within kids worlds. Learn what it takes to
maintain and grow a successful world in a era where children are
spending more time in front of the computer than ever before.
Tuesday,
March 10, 2009
| 7:30 am 9:00 am |
Registration and Networking |
| 9:00 - 10:30 am |
Welcome and Engage! Expo Main Keynote
- Christopher V. Sherman, Executive Director, Engage! Expo
Keynote
Teemu Huuhtanen, Executive VP,
Marketing and Business Development, Sulake Corporation and
President, North America, Sulake Inc. and David Luner, Senior
Vice President Interactive & Consumer Products, FremantleMedia
Enterprises, North America |
| 10:30 - 11:00 am |
Networking Break and Demos |
| 11:00 - 12:00 pm |
The Evolution Of The Toy Industry: Retail, Virtual Worlds
And Kids
Virtual worlds are the most fundamental change to the toy
industry in decades. Where once it seemed every toy needed a
website, now it feels like virtual worlds are de rigueur. Come learn
from a leading financial analyst and toy industry expert where toy
market is headed in both the near and long term. Are toy and virtual
world combinations just the latest fad or are they far more
important - driving up perceived value and adding new revenue
streams?
- Sean
McGowan, Managing Director, Equity Research Dept., Needham & Co.
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Richard Gottlieb,
President, Richard Gottlieb & Associates, LLC
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| 12:00 - 1:00 pm |
Lunch |
| 1:00 - 2:00 pm |
It's The Activity, Stupid: Keeping Kids Engaged
The key to success for any virtual world is user
engagement. As virtual worlds become more competitive, it has become
increasingly important to make the online experience exciting for
new users and fresh and dynamic for its regulars. As developers rely
on similar tools and compete for overlapping demographics, how can
you stand out?
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Michael H. Pinkerton, COO, Metaverse Mod Squad (moderator)
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Izzy Neis, Senior Community Manager, Six Degrees Games, Inc.
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Regine Weiner, Service Game Director, NR2B Research, Inc.
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Laurie Petersen, General Manager,
Minyanville Family Media Inc.
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| 2:00 - 2:30 pm |
Networking Break and Demos |
| 2:30 - 3:30 pm |
Where The Boys Are: Evolution of Toys and Play
2008 saw a rush of virtual worlds aimed at girls, from Mattel's
BarbieGirls.com to Disney's Pixie Hollow to Stardoll to
Build-A-Bear. But what about virtual worlds for the boys? How do you
successfully build a virtual world for boys in an evolving world of
games, toys, and play? In this session, a panel of experts with
products that merge active gameplay and traditional toys shares how
they are now reaching out to boys as the target audience. Find out
what works and what design considerations need to be kept in mind to
reach boys in this space.
-
Richard Gottlieb, President, Richard
Gottlieb & Associates, LLC (moderator)
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Chris Bergstresser, Co-founder and CEO,
Webcarzz, Inc.
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Larry Andreini, ZEO,
RIDEMAKERZ
- Paula Brillson, President
and Founder, GoCarz LLC
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| 3:30 - 4:00 pm |
Networking Break and Demos |
| 4:00 - 5:00 pm |
COPPA And Security Issues In Kids Virtual Worlds
Virtual worlds have boomed among the under-13 set. They now
offer some of the most engaging, effective ways to reach this
younger audience. Questions and concerns rise, though:how can you
interact with kids and tweens while keeping them safe and secure?
Virtual world developers will join this session to discuss what
steps they are taking to reach this demographic, but also keep it
secure and meet legal requirements. Corporate policies, standards,
parental and user information, and technology tools will be
discussed.
-
John L. Nicholson, Senior Associate,
Pillsbury's Global Sourcing (moderator)
- Joi Podgomy, VP, Interactive Development,
Ludorum
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Dr. Andreas Lober, Partner,
SchulteRiesenkampff |
| 5:00 -
5:30 pm |
Evening Reception
View exciting demos
and have a drink. |
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Wednesday,
March 11, 2009
| 7:30 am 9:00 am |
Registration and Networking |
| 9:00 - 10:30 am |
Welcome and Engage! Expo
Main Keynote
- Christopher V. Sherman, Executive Director, Virtual Worlds Conference
Fireside Chat
With Jack Buser, Director of
PlayStation®Home Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA).
Interviewed by VirtualWorldsNews.com Editor Joey Seiler
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10:30 - 11:00 am |
Networking Break and Demos |
| 11:00 - 12:00 pm |
Monetization and Marketing Strategies for Kids Worlds
Subscription is no longer the undisputed king of revenue
streams and more changes are on the way as the virtual world and MMO
market continues to hit the mainstream. This session will review the
prevalent models, including free-to-play, paid subscription,
advertising, sponsorship, virtual goods, microtransactions, offline
retail, etc. Depending on your business model and target
demographic, you may want to choose a combination of these or all of
them. In this session, you will learn about the trends in the
industry and how to determine when each revenue model is
appropriate.
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Neil Harris, Executive Vice President,
Simutronics (moderator)
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Sibley Verbeck, CEO, The Electric Sheep
Company
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Maria T. Bailey, CEO, BSM Media
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Michael Gold, CEO, Electrotank
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| 12:00 - 1:00 pm |
Lunch |
| 1:00 - 2:00 pm |
Television And Virtual Worlds: What Works
Virtual worlds allow networks, channels and individual
shows to create interactive versions of their franchises and engage
fans directly, immersing them in their narrative environment.
Partnerships are now being formed to tell stories that bridge
screens and ask audience members to become involved in ways never
before possible, creating both more interest and new revenue
opportunities. Find out how to successfully extend a television
brand, including measuring audience participation and extending the
advertising business model.
- Amy Pritchard, Chief Executive Officer, Metaverse Mod Squad
(moderator)
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Kenneth Locker, SVP Digital Media, Cookie
Jar Entertainment
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Reuben Steiger, CEO and Founder, Millions
of Us
- Pierre Le Lann, Co-CEO,
Tribal Nova
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| 2:00 - 2:30 pm |
Networking Break and Demos |
| 2:30 - 3:30 pm |
Connecting Online Worlds To Offline Products
If your offline product does not have an online tie-in, you are
missing a major opportunity. However, simply adding a virtual world code
to a product after the fact is a quick path to failure. We will discuss
inventive ways leading toy manufacturers and entertainment properties
are integrating online and offline experiences and how to create those
strategies early in the product planning phase . We will also cover
various revenue and licensing models that are emerging in the toy and
entertainment industries as they explore the virtual world.
-
Joi Podgomy, VP, Interactive Development, Ludorum
(moderator)
- Tucker Aaron, Lead Strategist, Animax
Entertainment
- Thomas Swalla, President Online, Knowledge Adventure
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| 3:30 - 4:00 pm |
Networking Break and Demos |
| 4:00 - 5:00 pm |
What Motivates Kids: A Panel of Kids Tell All
This panel of kids gives it to you straight in a way only a
child can. Join us for an extremely unique session where the kids
get on stage and share their insights into what it takes to create a
compelling kids-focused virtual world.
-
Jorian Clarke, CEO,
Circle 1 Network
- and kids
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