“Next Generation Classifieds”
Vienna, Austria, 3 – 6 November 2010
THIS EVENT HAS ALREADY TAKEN PLACE AND REGISTRATION IS CLOSED.
THE PRESENTATIONS ARE NOW AVAILABLE (YOU WILL NEED TO BE LOGGED IN)
The fall 2010 ICMA conference will take place in a backdrop of royalty, imperial palaces and amazing mountains, Vienna, Austria. Social Media, strategy, affiliates and partnerships are just a few of the hot topics that we will cover to ensure that the ICMA members and delegates are ready to tackle the “Next Generation” of classifieds.
The conference will run for a full 3-and-a-half days, from the Wednesday Welcome Reception and dinner through three full days of sessions and networking, and finishing with the Gala Party on Saturday. The draft programme is published below and will be updated as speakers are confirmed in the next few weeks.
Registration opens on 9 August for Early Birds (EUR 549 for members or EUR 799 for non-members) until 19 September when the Standard rate (EUR 699/EUR 999) will apply.
Wednesday 3 November
Vienna 2010 conference
14.00 – 17.00
Tour of Vienna
17.00 – 19.30
Registration
19.30 – 22.00
Welcome Reception and Dinner
Thursday 4 November
Vienna 2010 conference
Session 1
Chairperson’s Welcome and Opening Keynote Address
We have the pleasure of welcoming ‘one of the leading media futurists in the world’ according to the Wall Street Journal, Gerd Leonhard. Gerd’s work focuses on the Future of Media, Content, Technology, Business, Communications and Culture, and he is considered a leading expert on topics such as Web/Media 2.0, social networking and social media, cultural changes due to disruption by new technologies, copyright vs. technology issues, online content commerce models, media convergence, mobile entertainment, entrepreneurship, the future of advertising and branding, future planning, digital content strategies and next-generation business models. So buckle up and get ready for a cracking keynote!
Session 2
Where are we now with Marketplaces?
Users are looking for a one stop local shop and we are looking to fill that need… on all platforms. Marketplaces was the buzzword a few years back when it was emerging as a new application of local search technologies just making its way into classifieds, now with social and mobile apps it is more accessible than ever. The question is how many of us are tapping into our local marketplaces on all levels? Through qualitative research an expert in Marketplaces will inform us if we are on the right track and if not how to get there (STAT!)
Facebook Friendly
Don’t miss this session which covers different affiliate programmes that can be applied to three angles- generating content, traffic and revenue. We will hear first hand Oodle’s experience with AOL, MySpace and Facebook.
To Tweet or Not to Tweet
What is the impact of social media to classifieds? Waht role does it play to evolving your business? This session will discuss one publishers experience in implementing a social media strategy covering the big three – Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn… and how they prove to be critical in moving into the next decade of classifieds.
Panel: Captains of Media Ships
We are bringing in the three top guns from Directories, Newspapers and Classifieds and asking them the tough questions. Where do they see their respective industries heading? How can we make money when everything is free? How can we make it through these rough waters? Come with your questions ready.
Lunch
Sessions 3&4
SHARING BEST PRACTICE
(separate sessions for Business Leaders, Sales Managers and ICT Managers)
The aim is to ‘get behind’ the numbers and really understand what business decisions and strategies can impact these key markers.
Participants will be asked to submit in advance some easily-established business metrics relating to the principal areas of their online business. These will be shared with the session attendees, and then discussed in small groups, so that participants can quiz the star performers on how they have achieved their results, and in turn share their best practices with the group.
This will take place in two sessions (90 minutes then 60 minutes) informal and relaxed forum alongside a parallel sales and ICT managers track.
A fantastic opportunity to ask all the questions you’ve always wanted to!
Participation in this session is included in the registration fee, please indicate when registering that you wish to participate so that Head Office can send you the short questionnaire to complete.
Late afternoon: Solution Providers Hour
Evening: Viennese Heuriger
Friday 5 November
Vienna 2010 conference
Session 1
Driving Classifieds
What is the current state of classifieds? Who is successfully driving classifieds forward with new technologies, apps, social strategies? This and much more will be covered by one of the world’s leading experts who has his pulse on all that is happening within the classifieds industry.
Online Sales
What is the best way to sell advertising online? With automated systems, instant tracking and reporting it seems like it should be a solid sell. Is there a place left for the traditional sales force or should your website be all the sales force you need? How do you provide customer service and account management with online systems?
Rising Stars
ICMA is creating a rising stars programme to recognize the younger generation which ensures we recognize and develop new talent to help drive the international classifieds community. The rising star sub-committee will inform you of this programme outlining the benefits as well as providing a “younger” viewpoint on where they see the classified industry heading. Not to be missed!
Session 2
A New Form of Rentals
Classifieds are moving in many different directions, with the new kid on the block taking the lead with a site specific for rentals. That’s right – looking to rent a karaoke machine for one night – irent.fi is the place to go (if you are in Finland that is!) The current leader in the market share and possibly a new angle to bring to your business!
Cloud Computing
To compete today we have to understand the latest trends in technology – the wave of the future is in the cloud providing the ability to increase capacity and capabilities without training new personnel, investing in new infrastructure or licensing new software extending IT’s current capabilities. Sit back, relax and get ready to learn about the Microsoft cloud which includes quite the acronym mix – Azure, BPOS and SLPA.
Why 5 big changes at Google are great news for classified sites and how you can take advantage of them
Let’s be honest – Google hasn’t been particularly kind to classified websites over the last few years; but recently the tide has been changing in your favour. This session will cover what these big opportunities are, how you can take advantage of them and help you deal with issues like spotting the SEO charlatan, making link building something that happens naturally and not something that costs you a fortune plus how search marketing can help you in your quest to make more money from your site.
Lunch
Session 3&4
Workshops
We will be offering 3 workshops which will run for 90 minutes and which will be repeated twice. These interactive sessions allow 20 – 25 participants to work closely with an expert facilitator to guide their discussions and answer questions as they share experiences and ideas.
WORKSHOP 1 –MAXIMIZING PRINT PROFITS
Print is still alive and kicking (and for some thriving). So as requested by the delegates in Berlin we are providing a workshop focused on cross-promoting digital assets with print and other available media predominately using Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to help maximize print revenues.
WORKSHOP 2 – ADSENSE OPTIMIZATION FOR CLASSIFIED WEBSITES
Participate in this workshop if you want to learn how to increase revenues without harming your business model. This session will cover the potential of AdSense on classified websites, including best practices worldwide, special ad formats for classifieds, revenue potential and cannibalization effects and case studies.
WORKSHOP 3 – LESSIONS LEARNED: LEVERGING SOCIAL MEDIA TO CREATE MULTIPLE CHANNELS FOR USER ENGAGEMENT
This workshop will cover community engagement, building trust and evangelism, while also discussing honestly the successes and failures that have come about in learning to leverage social media marketing. “Poking the Bear” and responding to user demands “fast and flexible” will be discussed. You are asked to attend with a mind open to experimentation as Usedeveywhere.com saw 3x’s Facebook fan growth in less than 30 days!
Evening: Free time
Saturday 6 November
Vienna 2010 conference
Sessions 1-3
Biking across Africa
We guarantee you will not want to miss this spectacular Saturday kick-off where longstanding ICMA member, Gerald Coniel, who traveled from Cairo, Egypt to Cape Town, South Africa, a total of 12,000 km by bicycle, shares the life-affirming lessons gained in competing in the Tour D’Afrique. Many valuable insights were taken that parallel getting the most out of your business.
ICMA Member Meeting
The 2011 budget, Committee open seat election, report on 2010/11 projects – come and get involved in your Association!
Business Leaders’ Forum
The Business Leaders’ Forum is designed specifically for senior executives to come together in an intimate closed meeting in order to share their opinions and ideas with their peers. The Vienna “BLF” will take a look back over some of the main themes of the conference and provide an opportunity for us to debate the key issues affecting our businesses today.
Sales Survival Workshop
The Sales Survival Workshop will focus on the basic techniques and methods, necessary in today’s competitive, challenging media environment, to make sure that your sales teams are poised and postured to aggressively garner new business and attack the competition! The Sales Survival Workshop will challenge the attendees to become better at their jobs as media managers, through implementing better methods of sales accountability, training, coaching and mentoring the sales process, to achieve maximum performance from their sales people.
Business Operations Forum
This dedicated session will focus on marketing and ICT. The “BOF” is an excellent opportunity for middle management to have one session dedicated to their specialty while also participating and learning more about the other departmental needs, which allows for smoother operations overall and in the process they will come away with new revenue generating or process improving ideas from around the world.
