2012 DS Investor Conference Agenda Now Out

July 10, 2012 by Dave Haynes

The agenda has now been bedded down for the Digital Signage Investor Conference in New York in mid-October.

There are some head-scratchers, but also some folks I’ll be eager to hear from at what will be the 7th edition of the Strategy Institute event, which has been pulled together with the guidance and advice of co-chairs Steve Nesbit and Adrian Cotterill.

8:45 AM – Opening Address

Mr. To Be Determined (planned guy cancelled) on The Realities and Opportunities of Digital Media Investment from a Seasoned Investor

9:30 AM – Speed Networking Session

Furious card swapping

11:00 AM – National CineMedia (NCM) CEO Kurt Hall on Leading the Way: Creating Value and Achieving Growth

11:45 AM – PRN CEO Ahmad N. Ouri on the Direction of the Industry and PRN

1:45 PM – Market Strategy

Chris Polos, VP Media at VeriFone Media in NYC (think taxis) on Growth, Acquisitions, Expansion and Priorities in DOOH

2:30 PM – Industry Update

Wirespring CEO Bill Gerba on M&A, Divestures, Recaps and Bankruptcies 2010–2012: Opportunities and Risks for Investors

3:45 PM Case Study – BroadSign

CEO Brian Dusho on how his company has hung in there, recapitalized and restructured, over the past four years.

4:30 PM – European Outlook

Dirk Huelsermann, President of OVAB Europe on what’s going on over there.

5:30 PM – Cocktail Reception

12:30 AM – Faces hitting pillows

DAY TWO

8:30 AM – Opening Address

Eric Zinterhofer, Partner, Searchlight Capital (New York) on “From Rollups to M&A: An Investor’s View on Achieving Scale and Creating a Valuable Platform”

9:15 AM – Case Study: ComQi

ComQi CEO Ajay Chowdhury on “Creating the Framework of a Successful Merger to Drive Growth and Value for Investors”

10:00 AM – Investor Update

OOH Media: Special Q&A with investment banker Mark Boidman of Barclays Capital on the digital OOH space.

10:45 AM – Big Box Retail

Thomas Opdycke, CEO & Founder of DS-IQ, on In-Store Digital Signage: Leveraging Measurement Data and Closed Loop System to Drive Relevance (clients include Walmart)

11:30 AM – Digital OOH Adoption

Starcom CEO Lisa Donohue on An Agency’s Perspective on Digital Media

1:15 PM – Insider’s View

Jeff Dowell, Global Marketing Manager, 3M Digital Merchandising, on Innovating and Investing in Digital Signage/OOH: Maximizing Value Creation

2:00 PM – Case Study: Care Media Holdings

CEO Phil Cohen on Why the Healthcare Vertical Is Profitable and What Can Investors Learn from It

2:45 PM – Peer-to-Peer Debate Session

Some sort of closing session to “Identify Key Factors to Help You Develop a Roadmap to a Successful Digital Signage Venture.”

The perspectives and experiences of individual delegates will be brought together for this exclusive exchange on strategies that have worked, and some that haven’t. Discussion points will include but not be limited to the following:

• What are the revenue models that worked for you?
• What factors are required for a successful fundraising round?
• What will make or break an investment/fundraising deal for you?
• What are agencies, brands, and partners asking from you today?
• How do measurement efforts impact the decision making process in your deals?
• One person from each table will be nominated to share the findings with the rest of the delegates.

So, some good sessions, at least one “why would I possibly care?” moment, and the odd one when I will go out in the hallway and eat all the raspberries and blueberries left on the fruit plates, and answer some emails.