Engage! Conference and Expo® 2011

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Parent Category: Expos and Conventions

Category: Previews

Published on Sunday, 13 February 2011 23:28

Written by Brad Balfour

Now in its 5th year, the Engage! Conference and Expo® 2011 takes place February 15-16, 2011 at the Javits Convention Center in New York City. Focused on how the toy industry can reach the constantly connected consumer, Engage! 2011 provides insight into the latest strategies, technologies and techniques.

The co-location of Engage! Expo and partnership with the American International Toy Fair -- the largest toy and youth product exhibition in the Western Hemisphere -- offers a who’s who of leading companies focused on the burgeoning youth market to join in on the discussion.

The show is a ‘must-attend’ event for entertainment and media companies looking to compete in the digital space. The proliferation of new devices and services allowing consumers to be “always on” creates a new set of challenges for companies eager to have an impact with consumers.

This year there are new speakers from Playdom, Whistlebox, Zhu Zhu Pets, PlayFirst, Digital Chocolate, Ogmento, Gazillion among others. And there are 34 speakers from Mattel, Zynga, Hasbro, Disney, Sears, Sesame Workshop, National Geographic, Cartoon Network and others scheduled as well:

Here is a short sampling of some of the confirmed speakers and the topics they will be covering:

• Natalie Hornsby, VP of Marketing, Cepia LLC (Zhu Zhu Pets)
 will share details their digital marketing strategy to promote the highly successful Zhu Zhu Pets products.
• Ori Inbar, CEO, Co-Founder, Ogmento
- A recognized leader in augmented reality, Ori joins us on the augmented reality track
• Raph Koster, VP of Creative Design, Playdom (Disney)
 -- A game and virtual worlds industry veteran, there is no one more knowledgeable to provide a state of the industry for  social games and virtual worlds.
• Chas Maston, CTO, Whistlebox
- Whistlebox  is doing some extremely cool augmented reality.  We are pleased to have Chas.
• Izzy Neis, Director of User Engagement, Gazillion Entertainment
 -- will present on the Digital Kids – Creative, Design and Development track.
• Mark Richman, CFO, Digital Chocolate
 -- If there is anyone who understands making money in mobile apps, it’s Mark.
• Chris Williams, General Manager, Mobile, PlayFirst
 -- With brands that include Diner Dash and others Chris knows the mobile apps space first hand.

Other confirmed Engage! speakers --  a who’s who of experts in the fields of social games, children’s entertainment, virtual worlds, mobile apps,  market research and online and retail-based marketing -- will include the following stellar individuals:

• Maria Bailey, CEO, BSM Media
• Eric Brassard, CEO, Woozworld Inc.
• Warren Buckleitner, Publisher, Children’s Technology Review
• Michael Cai, Vice President of Video Games, Interpret
• Scott Chambers, Senior Vice President of Worldwide Media Distribution, Sesame Workshop
• Ian Chisholm, Marketing and Licensing Director, Interactive Toy
• Jorian Clarke, CEO, Circle1Network
• Sara DeWitt, Vice President, PBS KIDS Interactive
• Mandeep Dhillon, co-founder and CEO, Togetherville
• Jason Everett, Executive Producer, Pixie Hollow, Disney
• Julia Fitzgerald, CMO Toys, Sears Holding Company
• Richard Gottlieb, President, Richard Gottlieb’s USA Toy Experts, LLC
• Minard Hamilton, Chief Executive Officer, Six Degrees Games, Inc.
• Teemu Huuhtanen, Executive VP, Sulake Corp., President, North America, Sulake Inc.
• James Jones, VP, Creative Production, Digital Media and Gaming, Hasbro
• Elaine Kitagawa, COO, Gaia Interactive
• Nicole Lazzaro, Founder and President, XEODesign, Inc.
• Paul Levine, EVP, Interactive Platforms Group and CSVP, Corporate Strategy and Development, National Geographic
• Cynthia Neiman, VP, Marketing & Business Development, Mattel Digital Network
• Rebecca Newton, Chief Community & Safety Officer, Mind Candy Ltd.
• Billy Pidgeon, Senior Analyst, M2 Research
Michael Pinkerton, COO, Metaverse Mod Squad
• Marty Poulin, CEO, ShadyLogic
• Luke Rajlich, Studio CTO, FarmVille, Zynga
• Reyne Rice, Trend Specialist, Toy Industry Association
• Daniel Ruby, Research Director, Chitika
• Bill Shribman, Senior Executive Producer, WGBH Educational Foundation
• Michael Smith, CEO, Mind Candy
• Carol Spieckerman, President, newmarketbuilders
• John Swords, Partner and Ringleader, Circ.us
• Wade Tinney, Founding Partner, Large Animal Games
• Scott Traylor, CEO, 360KID
Chris Waldron, VP of Games, Cartoon Network
• Jia Wu, Analyst, Strategy Analytics

This show is also the culmination of the launch of the new show web site which includes descriptions of the confirmed sessions and speakers. Get a strong sense of what things will look like including the following topics and themes.

• App Strategy and Development
Social Games
• Casual MMO’s and Virtual Worlds
• Digital Kids – Business Strategies
Digital Kids – Creative, Design and Development
• Digital Monetization Solutions
• Gamification

Below is a sampling of several panels and discussions taking place:

February 15, 2010 – 2:30 – 3:30 pm – Room 4
Augmented Reality – State of the Market
This session will examine the the state of Augmented Reality (AR). Speakers will discuss the various platforms and applications.  New and emerging platforms and trends will also be discussed. This session will also provide an overview of AR, including examples of some successful AR executions used with entertainment industries, marketing and toys and games.
Ori Inbar, CEO, Co-Founder, Ogmento
.

February 15, 2010 – 3:45 – 4:45 pm – Room 4
Want to Play? How Augmented Reality is Transforming Play Patterns and Enriching Brand Experiences
True to its name, augmented reality “fills in.”  It adds context.  It brings existing toys and games – from books to board games to durables and more – into another dimension, by adding elements that aren’t necessarily visible: character backstory, distinct time and place, new wrinkles in the narrative.  Adding AR enhances play patterns, extends engagement and expands the overall experience – for the child, but also for the brand.  Married to a game engine, AR plugs into various other digital components and the social web.
Greg Davis, North America General Manager, Total Immersion
Matthew Szymczyk, CEO and founder, Zugara
Chas Mastin, CTO, Whistlebox

February 16, 2010 – 11:00 – 12:00pm – Room 4
Defining your LBS Strategy, What does ROI mean to you?
This session will help you ID your goals and strategies using Location Based Marketing. Look at prior considerations from established players and hear planning that worked and planning that didn’t. What opportunities do Location Based Marketing hold over other, more established, media formats. How do you insure that your campaigns quantified and verified. What does ROI mean to you?
Joshua Karpf, Senior Manager, Digital Media Communications, PepsiCo
Allison Mooney, Vice President, Emerging Trends, Mobile Behavior

February 16, 2010 – 1:00 – 2:00pm – Room 4
Mobile Augmented Reality – Business Models
It may be fun and entertaining with a gee wiz feel but how do you make money using AR today.  Most consumer AR is primarily app based.  This session will take a look at the business models and ROI of today’s AR applications.
Chris Grayson, Director of Digital at Humble.Tv.

For more info go to: http://www.engageexpo.com/

the Engage! Conference and Expo® 2011
February 15-16, 2011
Javits Convention Center
New York City

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