.
Wednesday,
October 10, 2007
Wednesday, 11:00am - 12:00pm
Demographics and Numbers: Where Things
Are and Where They're Headed
This session lays the groundwork giving you the numbers you need to
understand how to take advantage of Virtual Worlds today.
We'll also look at forecasts for where Virtual Worlds are going. What are the growth projections? And what are
the factors that will promote or inhibit growth.
-
Yuanzhe (Michael) Cai, Director, Broadband
& Gaming, Parks Associates
-
Nic
Mitham, Managing Director, K Zero
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Mary Ellen Gordon, Owner, Market Truths
Limited
Wednesday, 1:00pm - 2:00pm
Event Planning - Keeping Users Engaged
One of the best opportunities to keep users engaged is to give
them something to do. Simply creating a presence in a
virtual world or launching your own virtual world is not enough.
This session disucsses the in's and out's of creating virtual
events, how virtual event planning differs from real world event
planning and how to manage, in-world builds with events in mind.
Other subjects to be discussed include: budget management,
staffing issues, planning issues, marketing and promotion - in
world and out of world.
-
David Peck, New Media Consultant, Britney Mason Productions
-
Brent Arslaner, VP of Marketing, Unisfair
-
Jean-Ann Mills, Events Producer, The Electric Sheep Company
-
Randal Moss, Manager of Futuring and Innovation Center, American Cancer Society
(moderator)
Wednesday, 2:30pm - 3:30pm
The Importance of Narrative: Keeping
Your Community Involved
This panel will discuss the importance of narrative in
Virtual Worlds. Panelists will explore current and historic
narrative components of Virtual Worlds projects and the role
narrative has played in the development of other forms of
communication and technology.
-
Mike Monello, Partner / Creative Director,
Campfire
- Eric
Rice, Executive Producer, Slackstreet Entertainment
-
Chris Carella, Creative Director, The Electric Sheep Company
Wednesday, 4:00pm - 5:00pm
Togetherness: what drives the virtual
human connection
If virtual worlds are a step forward in human communication,
what are the key ingredients making this all work (or not)? What
is behind this sense of togetherness in virtual worlds? How much
is technological versus cultural? Where is technology falling
short? What are the new technologies we need to put in place to
get to the next level?
-
Giff Constable,
GM, ESC Software, The Electric Sheep Company
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Betsy Book, Director of Product Management, Makena Technologies
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Beth Coleman, Professor of New Media, MIT
- Robin Harper, Vice President, Marketing & Community
Development, Linden Lab
- Susan Wu, Partner, Charles River Ventures
Wednesday, 5:15pm - 6:00pm
Fireside
Chat in the Attendee Lounge
in the Expo Hall.
-
Paul Yanover, Executive Vice President &
Managing Director, Disney Online
Thursday, October
11, 2007
Thursday, 11:00am - 12:00pm
Community Management in 2D and 3D Spaces
Communities have been thriving online since the dawn of the
internet. This session will discuss best practices in community
management in 2D and 3D spaces. Participants will draw
from experience in the online video game industry which has been
dealing with community management issues in virtual spaces for
10 years. Additional issues to be addressed:
community management as a division of marketing; dealing with
customer service issues in virtual environments; dealing with
irate avatars vs. dealing with irate forum posters.
-
Jodi
Turton, Community Manager, Makena Technologies
- Rich
Weil, Commuity Relations Director, Cartoon Network
-
Jeska Dzwigalski, Community Developer, Linden Lab
-
Ryan
Olson, Marketing Coordinator, Outspark
(moderator)
Thursday, 1:30pm - 2:30pm
Managing Social Interactions in Virtual
Worlds: Tools, Techniques, and Approaches
This panel will explore the complex social structures that
emerge within Virtual Worlds and the resulting management,
regulatory and social issues involved. Topics covered by the
panel will include: trade-offs between a publisher's duty to
manage and user freedom; applying social norms to virtual
spaces; the role of governments both 'in world' and in the real
world, and the use of management tools. The panel will consider
these issues in relation to adult spaces, kid spaces and mixed
environments. The session will place a heavy emphasis on
interaction with the audience and will incorporate real-time
input from a group of children in Whyville.net.
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Dr. James Bower, CEO, Numedeon Inc /
Whyville.net
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Darius Kazemi, President, Orbus Gameworks
-
Ren Reynolds, writer, philosopher and
consultant
Thursday, 3:00pm - 4:00pm
Case Study - American Cancer Society
The American Cancer Society's Second Life Relay For Life is
entering its 4th year and the prospective for growth continues.
As the largest virtual fundraising event on any platform
numerous challenges and opportunities present themselves as the
virtual world community grows. Director of the ACS's Futuring
and Innovation Center Randal Moss will share successes and
growth opportunities during his case study presentation. Points
of interest will be predicting growth, attracting and
maintaining volunteers, and managing conflicts and technical
challenges. It is fun for the whole family so get your popcorn
in advance because you will not want to miss one minute of this
extraordinary presentation from one of the nation's most
entertaining and best looking speakers. Autograph sessions to be
held after the event.
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Randal Moss, Manager of Futuring and Innovation Center, American Cancer Society
Thursday, 4:30pm - 5:30pm
Case Study - Vodafone
An exciting case study on Vodafone's uses of virtual
worlds.
-
Ben
James, Communications Strategy Director, Rivers Run Red
-
additional speaker to be announced
