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Last post for a while…

For those of you referencing this blog regularly, I must apologize.  But the next steps in furthering interactive marketing and media education for professionals will probably explain my absence.  Around October last year, I started to notice there to be a surge of offline/traditional media folks desiring more education around our digital media space.  For over a decade, it was always “oh, that’s internet, talk to our internet guy” or “digital stuff needs to be handled by our interactive group” when traditional media professionals were faced with opportunities they didn’t typically work on.  Not anymore.

If you look at job position discriptions today for Marketing Managers or Directors, you’ll find that companies are requiring online/interactive media experience.  It used to be a specialty but now that the web and other digital mediums are coming around full-scale, they are being included in required job skills by average marketing positions.  In addition, senior-level positions are requiring this background as well – or at least some management experience with digital applications.  For those of us used to educating strictly interactive marketing professionals, we are now faced with a new audience that either wants to learn or has to learn these channels and strategies.  This is the same group that dismissed online media for years and now it’s come around that they must learn the principles in order to stay marketable in today’s workforce.

While observing this trend, I also noticed that many conferences today were still catering to ‘advanced’ strategies, not really the best point for someone to jump in without knowing anything.  Yet with media technology emerging so quickly today, it’s literally impossible to stay on top of it all as it is.

Since first noticing this, I started putting together a curriculum for both advanced and beginning strategic education around digital media.  The result is a new conference, catering to both groups of understanding with a little more flavor than the run-of-the-mill conferences that exist today.  Digital World Expo will be held in Las Vegas on September 25th – 27th at the Mirage Events Center.  I’ve involved a number of thought leaders and professionals to help with feedback and innovative ideas to make it a show like none other.  The conference holds over 30 class topics with over 60 sessions, sporting an exhibit hall as well as special events.  The timing is intentional as well.  We looked at dates out there and decided that late September was perfect because for most companies, it’s the middle of their planning ‘season’ for next year’s advertising plans.  Not only will attendees get much-needed education around the fundamentals and advanced subject matter, they’ll also find opportunities for their company’s marketing strategies and objectives for 2012. 

You can find more information at www.digitalworldexpo.com and I urge everyone who is looking for a new experience with hands-on training in digital media channels to attend.  We are coupling entertainment with education and after living and working in Las Vegas for over 16 years, I guarantee the best resources are being utilized to compose an unforgettable experience.  The exhibit hall is free to attend and the full-access pass is priced to be affordable for small to mid-sized business as well.  This is where I’ll be dedicating all my time and passion towards as it is my firm belief that education will spark innovation and can only contribute to the next-generation of advertising, branding, communications and marketing.

My regular writings will now be posted on the conference Web site so be sure to check in to see what the latest is.  See you there!