DPAA Adds Board Spots For Vendors

April 16, 2012 by Dave Haynes

The Digital Place-based Advertising Association (DPAA) has amended its bylaws and will now allow suppliers to serve on its board of directors alongside network operators, with as many as four new seats at the big boy table opened up to suppliers.

This would theoretically allow deep-pocketed research firms like Nielsen to get involved at a board level, which would be a good thing. I have my doubts many software or hardware vendors would get involved because of cost and focus, but NEC might be the obvious exception because of VUKUNET. Ayuda is already kinda sorta there through Zoom Media’s CEO Francois de Gaspe Beaubien, who is also Ayuda’s executive chairman.

Mike DiFranza, the president of Captivate Network, was reelected chairman of the board, a post he has held since forever.

Michael Maas, CEO of AMI Entertainment, and Ahmad Ouri, CEO of Premiere Retail Networks, were added to the board, joining Michael Bush, CEO, NTN Buzztime; Susan Danaher, President & CEO, DPAA; de Gaspe Beaubien; Jim Harris, CEO, Wall Street Journal Office Network; Garry McGuire, CEO, RMG Networks; Dominick Porco, CEO, Adspace Networks; and Charles Richardson, SVP CARE Media.

“We look forward to adding industry suppliers to our board,” says Danaher, “as it will broaden our base of expertise and lead to more robust discussions on issues of interest to all parties in the digital place-based media landscape.”

My guess is adding non-network spots to the board also sweetens the membership offer for suppliers, who the DPAA will need for fees as the number of actual networks of any size shrinks through consolidation and business exits.

 

Leave a comment