Monday, March 9

Conference starts at 8:30 am

Opening remarks

Speakers: Andrew Martin, Shari Donnermeyer, Nancy Lane

Scene Setter: Welcome to the Roaring ‘20s

Will the Amazon boogeyman get you? Have you joined the millions of others selling OTT yet? Are you watching out for the stupid money? As the decade begins, Gordon Borrell opens the conference with his view of the path ahead and how the conference program addresses the biggest concerns.

Speaker: Gordon Borrell

KEYNOTE: The ABCs of Marketing Don’t Apply to Gen Y and Z

Those in their 20s and 30s account for more than one-third of consumers, and their spending power is growing fast. But how do you reach them? Youth marketing expert, best-selling author, and agency entrepreneur Matt Britton offers a fascinating, high-energy look at the reinvention of marketing beyond spots, dots, print, and banners. Is there opportunity at the local level to tap this rising bubble of young consumers?  You bet!

Speaker:  Matt Britton, CEO/founder, Suzy

Keynote: Tough Lessons from a CEO: Dismantling & Retooling for the Future

If any CEO knows the difficulties in retooling a large, century-old media business for the digital future, it’s Joe Walsh.  In the past five years he’s restructured and rebuilt the nation’s largest yellow page company into a $1.5 billion digital powerhouse called Thryv, now serving more than 400,000 local businesses. As CEO, he’s had to make some tough decisions about people, products, what to invest in, and what to shut down.  He’ll discuss not only what it takes to retool for the future, but also the consequences companies face if they forestall those tough decisions.

Speaker:  Joe Walsh, CEO of Thryv

Keynote: Amazon, Coming At You: Bracing for the 3rd Wave

Google represented the first wave in the 2000s. Facebook was the second, dominating the 2010s. How will Amazon – already taking $10 billion in ad revenue — dominate the 2020s? In this session, ecommerce and digital marketing expert Will Margaritis outlines how marketers are taking advantage of Amazon advertising capabilities. How is Amazon mobilizing marketing technology companies and ad agencies, and how is it likely to affect other media?

Speaker: Will Margaritis, SVP of E-Commerce & Digital Marketing, Sellwin Consulting/Dentsu Aegis

Rapid-Fire Case Studies

Up to eight “best of the best” marketing technology and industry partners deliver case studies in rapid succession, showing the results they’ve been able to drive for clients.

Speakers:  TBA

LUNCH (12:30-1:30 PM)

AFTERNOON TRACK SESSIONS

Three simultaneous tracks explore key growth opportunities: video, Amazon services, and Podcasting/Voice Search. Each starts with a session on the basics – designed to get the audience up to speed and to offer graphics and other information suitable for marketing kits. Each track will have three 40-minute sessions.

TRACK 1: TAPPING THE OTT & VIDEO CRAZE

• The Basics: Become a Video Expert in Less Than an Hour
• Selling into the OTT Platforms
• Tired of Piddling: Where the Big Money is in Video

TRACK 2: MAKING MONEY WITH PODCASTING & VOICE SEARCH

Audio Streaming by the Numbers

Get ready to take notes and capture pictures of the slides. Audio expert Steve Goldstein offers a scene-setting look at the latest stats on podcasting, voice search, smart speakers, and all the ways marketing and advertising has begun intertwining itself.

Networking Cocktail Reception (5-7 pm)

Tuesday, March 10

Conference starts at 8:30 am

Welcome

Scene-Setter: The Broad, Complex, Dynamic Marketing Environment (Demystified)

This no-holds-barred session examines the latest trends on where audiences are turning and how it’s affecting local marketing budgets, with a eye toward where ad-buyers are seeing their greatest ROI.

Speakers: Corey Elliott, EVP, Borrell Associates

KEYNOTE:  The Future According to Comscore

When Comscore acquired Rentrak and put its CEO in charge of the merged company, it signaled a new focus on video screens.  CEO Bill Livek offers rich insights of how consumers move across more than 600 million screens, from theaters to living rooms to office desks to coffee shops. What does a “multiplatform future” look like, and how can will marketers adapt to less-than-patient consumers who are more apt to “Skip Ad” than be patient?

Speaker:  Bill Livek, CEO, Comscore

The Local Ad Agency Perspective

How are agencies viewing the world these days? This session features executives from three regional agency who will discuss what they want from their media partners and which budgets they see as most vulnerable.

Panelists: TBA

MORNING TRACK SESSIONS

Two simultaneous tracks explore ways to diversify revenue beyond traditional forms of advertising sales. Each track features four 40-minute sessions.

TRACK 1: TAPPING CONSUMERS REVENUE STREAMS

• What Drives Consumers to Buy Information?
• Digital Subscriptions: Where it’s working best
• Are digital subs sustainable in small/midsize markets?
• Consumer Revenue Strategies for Broadcasters

TRACK 2: GOING AFTER BIG MONEY:  HOW TO TAP FOUR KEY VERTICALS

• Home Improvement
• Automotive
• Health Care
• Real Estate

LUNCH (12:30-1:30 PM)

Rapid-Fire Case Studies

Up to eight “best of the best” marketing technology and industry partners deliver case studies in rapid succession, showing the results they’ve been able to drive for clients.

Speakers: TBA

Channeling Local Advertisers

Always the most popular session, a panel of local and regional advertisers reveal how they’re changing their buying patterns and how local media companies can help them. Here’s where the rubber meets the road.

Panelists:  Gordon Borrell (moderator); panelists TBA

Wrap-up

Observations and Key Takeaways from 2 Days of Full Immersion

With a lot of help from attendees, this session boils it all down. What was most interesting? What was BS? What are the biggest takeaways you’ll bring home?

Panelists: Corey Elliott, Jim Brown, & the audience

Conference Ends at 3:00 p.m.