THE SESSIONS - A CLOSER LOOK

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

7:30 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.

Registration - Continental Breaks - Networking - Exhibits

8:30 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.

State of DIS Amidst Crosscurrents:  Market Outlook And Opportunities - Three years into the launch of DIS portfolios, the industry is facing market trends and implications that are in crosscurrents.  A spate of online and voice services, from search titans and online yellow pages, to navigation providers and social networks, are crossing the path of DIS offerings.  On the flipside, competition is creating opportunities for DIS to evolve into the broader Local Information Services (LIS), making way for new monetization schemes.  The PELORUS Group will present its perspectives on market forces that are redefining the DIS sector and business models into multilateral revenue prospects. 

     Al Fross, The PELORUS Group

     Saroja Girishankar, The PELORUS Group

9:00 a.m. - 9:25 a.m.

Reaching New Heights In Search: Finding Answers Across The Board (Keynote) - Access to any information from any mobile phone at any time is a theme that is resonating with users.  Delegates will hear from the company that has made this proposition possible and has the benchmarks to show that the formula works.  This keynote address will highlight how mobile subscribers have found yet another compelling conduit to access DA/DIS.

     Scott Jones, ChaCha

9:25 a.m. - 9:50 a.m.

Tranformative Models For Transforming Markets: The Strategy For The Coming Decade (Keynote) - The leading global independent DA provider will unveil its strategic direction for the future.  The keynote will give attendees a close look at the company’s evolving transformation into a full-fledged search and information services provider.

     Charlie Anderson, kgb USA

9:50 a.m. - 10:15 a.m.

Networking Break & Exhibits

10:15 a.m. - 11:15 a.m.

Free DIS: New Services And New Business Models - In search of customers and advertisers, free DA providers are harnessing new capabilities and business models.  Facing flat growth in recent months, free DA space has not only expanded to include a broad sweep of typical directory information services, but the latest offerings are bringing comparison shopping plus unlimited domestic and international DA to the mix.  Delegates will get a close look at the evolving free DA segment that is embracing diverse hybrid business models with a clear goal to fuel usage and bolster the bottom line.

     David Applegate, 800Oncall

     Scott Kliger, Jingle Networks

11:15 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

The Next Wave of DIS: Mobile Concierge And Shopping Services - Even as DIS has gained encouraging acceptance, a handful of trail-blazers are pushing the envelope to give customers true transactional end-to-end fulfillment of need-based services.  This session will showcase strategies and offerings from two pioneers, one in mobile concierge services, and the other in voice shopping services.  Attendees will get an in-depth look into some of the leading-edge DIS implementations and their related monetization models.

     Reese Jones, SpeakSoft

     Nick Quain, Cellwand

12:00 p.m. - 1:15 p.m.

Networking Luncheon & Exhibits

1:15 p.m. - 2:15 p.m.

Mobile Marketing And Branding: New Monetization Tools for DIS? - This session will engage the audience in a discussion about the strategic role of emerging mobile marketing and branding tools in monetizing advanced DIS portfolios.  Even as DIS expands from business category search to location-based concierge and shopping services, customer loyalty becomes essential to generating sustainable revenues.  This session will examine key ingredients that make for a comprehensive mobile marketing and advertising solution, and discuss the details of an actual implementation and monetization at a customer site.

     Mike Crumlin, Cellfire

     Michael Hartung, HTH Worldwide

     Warren Wright, Gold Mobile

2:15 p.m. - 2:40 p.m.

Information Services For Wireline Users:  Compelling Value Proposition (Special Presentation) - In an industry first, wireline users have access to information services beyond directory listings, capabilities that typically have been available only to wireless subscribers.  A leading telecommunications provider has launched a broadband capable wireline phone that potentially opens the door to a range of multimedia information services.  This special presentation will examine the implications and opportunities for wireline DIS.

     Harry Campbell, Embarq

2:40 p.m. - 3:25 p.m.

Winning Models For Global DIS: Transformation Is The Name of the Game - Directory assistance providers in Europe and elsewhere are broadening their reach into comprehensive search and informational services that are in turn spawning new business models.  The goal is the bottom line, the primary catalyst to supplement and fortify their respective call volumes and breadth of service offerings.  This session will examine the implementations, benchmarks, and winning models in play.

     Mikael Benckert,Ahhaaa

     Kenneth Fredstie,Opplysningen 1881

3:25 p.m. - 3:45 p.m.

Networking Break & Exhibits

3:45 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Geotargeting Technologies: The Right Track for Local Information Services - Location-based services have been a long time in coming to the DIS arena.  The launching of LBS by wireless carriers coupled with the concerted introduction of broad DIS offerings by DA service providers has created the right formula for true LBS-based DIS portfolios.  The latest versions of mobile phones, outfitted with Global Positioning System, are making location-based DIS a no brainer.  In-car navigational devices are moving further along in their DIS offerings as well.  This session will give attendees a close look at some of the tightly integrated LBS-based DIS offerings along with their new monetization models.

     Tom Moran, Verizon LiveSource

     Stephen Petilli, Networks in Motion

     Marc Prioleau, deCarta     

4:15 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Consolidated Search And DIS Platforms: Time-To-Market Drives Turnkey Solutions - Comprehensive advertiser-supported DIS requires an industrial-strength system platform that tightly integrates varied capabilities.  This session casts a spotlight on two top solutions that offer turnkey system/hosted choices.  The solutions combine voice and text search, automation, business search, database, and seamless ad server management.

     Eric Fredine, Call Genie

     Richard Oldach, Volt Delta

     TBA, Nuance Communications

5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.

Networking Reception & Exhibits Sponsored By:

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

8:00 - 9:00 a.m.

Continental Breaks - Networking - Exhibits

9:00 a.m. -  9:30 a.m.

Keynote Presentation - Katherine Linder, President, Verizon LiveSource

9:30 a.m. - 10:15 a.m.

Voice, Multi-Modal And Browser Search: Scaling New Heights - Mobile voice/multi-modal search providers are upping the ante to new levels of flexibility for local and live Web search.  This session features an entrepreneur that lets mobile phone users exchange text messages to search for businesses and Web content through natural voice commands, plus a mobile search provider that is transforming its business model to encompass live Web search for broader choices to users. 

     Matthew Brodersen, MetroPCS

     Craig Hagopian, V-Enable

     Igor Jablokov,Yap

10:15 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.

Industry Lifetime Achievement Recognition - Surprise Guest

10:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

Networking Break & Exhibits

11:00 a.m. - 11:45 a.m.

The Road To Audio/Text/Video Advertisements: The ABCs of Monetizing the New Media - As audio, text, and video advertising prepares to become the next viable business model, DIS providers have to pin down the formulae that attract larger pools of advertisers.  This session will explore the basic requirements that will draw potential merchants to the advertising pool, while meeting their expectations of performance and accountability through to the transaction.  The presenters will take on the issue of how audio advertising and text ads can become viable alternatives/complements to other major advertising channels, including online.

     Brad Inman, TurnHere

     Richard Lobel,  CBS Radio

     Dave Newmark,Bid4Spots

11:45 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Session V Tapping Into People Search Across Vital Demographics: A Must For DIS – Even as a substantial percentage of DIS is focused on monetizing business search, a small but growing segment of people search offerings provides vital monetization opportunities.  Delegates will hear from the leading provider of online people search, and a leading academician in demographic marketing on ways to reach different customer constituencies. 

     Alex Algard, WhitePages.com

     Felipe Korzenny, Florida State University

12:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Networking Break & Exhibits

1:00 a.m. - 1:45 p.m.

DIS Stakeholders’ Panel: The March to Local Information Services - A panel comprised of industry evangelist and visionaries will, in an interactive session with the audience, field questions about the continued evolution of DIS into LIS, and the future of a market that finds itself increasingly crowded and characterized by varied, non-traditional providers.  DON'T MISS THIS SESSION!

     Mike Loftus, Broadcaster Media

     TBA

     TBA

Wrap Up

If Directory Information Services (DIS^SM) are important to your organization... if you’re looking for straight answers, then reserve your seat today.  Join The PELORUS Group and an audience of delegates from around the world for “DIS '08: The Vanguard Of Local Information Services^sm” event.  The cost is $1,595 per registration.  However, if you register and we receive payment before August 31, 2008, you can benefit from a $100 discount per delegate.  Additional discounts of $100 per person are available for team registrations of two or more individuals.  Most major credit cards are accepted.