• How can we tap into existing communities (MySpace, Second Life)?
• How can we manage positive and negative feedback? What are the risks of connecting customers?
• How can (and when should) B2B publishers draw users into the creation process?
• How can we get experts, and more senior people, to participate?
• Can we make our communities persistent and sustainable?
• How do we build loyalty and trust?
• What's the value of community? Will people pay to be connected to one another?
• Can community be measured, and how?
• What social media are appropriate for my business?

Moderator:
Kate Noerr, CEO, MuseGlobal
Panelists:
Karen Christensen, CEO, Berkshire Publishing
Erik Mikisch, Vice President - Business Development, ThomasNet
Frans van Ette, Director of Product Marketing and Partnerships, Swets

B2B and B2C sites in the Middle East are proliferating. Websites addressing both these markets, as well as sites which offer content for any audience and for many verticals are on the rise. Middle Eastern companies focusing on different types of content are increasing in number, as is work through EMEA and other traditional channels by non-Middle Eastern companies. This briefing covers the topic from the perspective of a company that both originates in the Middle East and is a content provider.

Companies large and small want to gain a foothold in the United States because even though it has only 5% of the world’s population, the United States consumed approximately $25.1 billion of the total (according to AAP). But the U.S. is notably insular. Only 5% of titles are translated from other languages, and that percentage is falling. Questions this session will answer:

• What’s unique about the U.S. market?
• Where are the present and future opportunities for non-U.S. publishers?
• How can you identify potential partners? What is likely to appeal to a U.S. partner or distributor?
• Does the ‘long tail’ operate for non-U.S. publishers and can they sell directly into the U.S. market?
• What are the barriers to entry and how have companies overcome them?

A special discussion on:

• Business models that win in Germany
• The development of the information economy in Germany and Europe
• Why Germany and Europe appear to be losing their competitive edge vis a’ vis Asia?

Moderator:
Randy Marcinko, CEO, Marcinko Enterprises, Inc.
Panelists:
Jim Hammond, Executive Vice-President, Marketing ISI Emerging Markets
Jenny Zhan, Managing Partner, Power-info.com / Eivycom GmbH, Switzerland

Moderator:
Karen Christensen, CEO, Berkshire Publishing
Panelists:
Lou Celi, Senior Vice President, Publishing Director, Economist Intellingence Unit
Paul Evans, Senior Vice President International Publishing Development, Elsevier
Duncan McCampbell, Director International Online, Thomson

Friday, 7 September

The British Library, arguably the most significant library in the world, has successfully transformed its many and varied functions to the digital environment, building on the challenges and opportunities of Web 2.0. This keynote address focuses on these areas and talks about the British Library’s transformation under the stewardship of Lynne Brindley, its Chief Executive.

• Creating new high added value content,
• Repurposing existing content for multi-channel distribution (Print, Web, CD-Rom, etc.),
• Managing content production and distribution costs,
• Offering new access to content and information.

Publishers and vendors will present on how they have come up with best practices to compete in their markets.

Moderator:
Ed Keating, Vice President, Content Division, SIIA
Panelists:
Jörn Erbguth, Head of IT, juris GmbH
Mike Hale, Vice President, VitalSource
Jeff Schultz, Vice President, McGraw Hill Education
Vincent Smyth, VP of Information Publishers, Macrovision

Online user behavior and language preferences can have a direct impact on your distribution strategy. “Can’t Read, Won’t Buy” describes the results of an eight-nation survey conducted in July and August 2006. It includes the responses from over 2,400 consumers who answered questions about their behavior and preferences for website visits and purchases, in English and in their own language, across a wide range of product types.

Ben Sargent, Senior Analyst at Common Sense Advisory will present these finding and then discuss with the panelists.

• Content creators are concerned that they are losing exceedingly more control over their content while others welcome the great brand awareness these new content types promote.
• Users either don’t know what rights are associated with the content or don’t care.
• Lawyers have yet to enter the fray as no legal precedent or legislation has been developed-and while copyright still applies its interpretation varies as recent legal activities illustrate.
• Even technology providers are scratching their heads as to how they can provide world class solutions to develop and disseminate new forms of content while respecting the rights of content owners.

This session will delve into somewhat uncharted territory as we hear from experts from all sides of the equation sharing their own experiences with these new rights challenges and their observations of how things might pan out in the future. International implications will be considered and we will review relevant legal issues being explored by the courts in various countries. Key issues include:

• Who owns all this content and what rights need to be considered?
• How do these rights differ across the globe?
• What impact is social media having on intellectual property?
• What steps are being taken to make sure users have the freedom to create new content sources while the rights of the IP owners are respected?

Moderator:
Ed Colleran, Senior Director, Rightsholder Relations, Copyright Clearance Center
Panelists:
Dan Gisolfi, IT Software Architect, Emerging Internet Technologies IBM Software Group
Robert Lands, Partner, Finers Stephens Innocent LLP
Greg Merkle, Vice President, Creative Director, Dow Jones Enterprise Media Group