8:00 a.m.
Registration & Continental Breakfast

8:30 a.m.

Chairperson's Welcome, Opening Remarks & Presentation
The Read/Write Intranet: How To Drive User Engagement
And Productivity

Commitment. Trust. Credibility. Focus. Hallmarks of engaged users and high-performance organizations...and the holy grail for most communications strategies.

So what does the Read/Write Intranet have to do with employee communications and engagement? Everything. Growing percentages of your user population prefer - and increasingly expect - to interact with their organizations in the very same way.

With the power of user-generated content roaring across the internet, organizations have been slow to enable such read/write capabilities on their existing intranets and enterprise portals.

At this stage in the rapid evolution of social media, there are many different strategies, tools, and approaches. Some organizations are thinking about basic collaboration, others about two-way communications, and still more about workflow, motivation and a range of other issues.

In this session, we will explore the various facets of user-generated content, and how such robust technology can be harnessed within the enterprise.

Michael Rudnick, Global Intranet & Portal Practice Leader
Watson Wyatt Worldwide

9:40 a.m.

Speed Networking

Become acquainted with your fellow conference attendees in this fun and fast-paced forum! You'll have a chance to meet and greet your colleagues.

10:40 a.m.

Changing Channels: Using New Media In A Shifting Environment To Extend Your Organization's Brand Internally

Much has been made -- and rightfully so -- of the opportunities and challenges that the external "blogosphere" presents for organizations. But an often-overlooked benefit of blogging can happen inside the firewall.

• General Motor’s experience with its internal blogging initiative
• How General Motors is taking advantage of blogging to enhance its internal culture and extend the company brand inside the firewall
• How other companies might use blogging to the same effect inside their own organizations

Christopher Barger, Director, Global Communications Technology
General Motors

11:35 a.m.

How A Fortune 500 Company Is Using Blogging To Communicate With Its Global Customer And Employee Audience

While most non-tech companies approach blogging cautiously, Marriott International, a leading lodging company with more than 2,900 lodging properties in 69 countries and territories, jumped right in with its "Marriott on the Move" blog hosted by its Chairman and CEO J.W. "Bill" Marriott, Jr. For the company, it was an easy decision to make since communicating with guests and associates has been one of its hallmarks. Driven by a core cross-functional team, members dedicated themselves to launching the blog in just one month's time.

• Being led by an executive champion
• Making senior leaders comfortable by involving them in the process and educating them
• Creating a sense of excitement and urgency
• Building trust by developing safeguards

In addition, you will learn why the blog is considered a critical success within the company, in the blogosphere and among customers and associates. Marriott has since launched internal blogs to augment communications within the global corporation, and it has begun exploring other social media as part of its communications transformation.

John Wolf, Senior Director of Media Relations
Marriott International, Inc.

Join a group of your colleagues for lunch with an informal discussion facilitated by one of our expert speakers. Take this opportunity to connect with others in a small, interactive group setting to network and brainstorm solutions to your most pressing social media concerns.

2:00 p.m.

Social Media School Of Hard Knocks:
How To Avoid The Most Common Social Media Sand Traps

Social media presents opportunities for companies to increase visibility, augment sales models and interact more effectively with customers but there are many ways – if not managed properly – that social media can take a wrong turn.

• How to avoid the most common social media pitfalls
• The three things you need to know before your company delves into social media
• How to measure success with hard and fast numbers to tell if you're on track or not
• How to take corrective action if your social media initiatives have derailed
• What Trump University wished they had known before they began using social media

Josef Katz, Director of Marketing
Trump University

Lena West, CEO & Chief Strategist
xynoMedia Technology

3:10 p.m.

How To Make Social Media, Including Word Of Mouth, Work For Your Organization

New insights regarding social media and word of mouth must be imparted to brand marketers, program directors, and product managers, in order for them to understand today’s market. Understanding how young adults fuel viral pass along, and migrate word of mouth conversations and content across social networks, is essential to captivate new customers.

• How knowing key motivators - by gender and age - can amplify your viral campaign success
• How interest, not acquaintance drives viral pass along and word-of-mouth dialogs among young adults
• How traditional media outlets and campaign integration can rejuvenate relationships and desired behavioral objectives
• Why content category (information vs. entertainment) choices impact the size and frequency of pass along among participants
• How brands play a significant role in word of mouth dialogs

Marcela Tabares, Vice President of Research
MTV

Todd Tweedy, CEO
BoldMouth LLC

4:05 p.m.

A Virtual Stroll Through Web 2.0: The Role Of Games, Sims, And Virtual Worlds In Engaging Next Generation Employees And Consumers

The under-35 generation is wired differently. With a mindset informed by Xbox, MySpace, iPod, and YouTube, they expect information on demand and to "have it their way," and disengage when messaging does not reflect their digital worldview. The old model for brand communications will not cut it anymore.

That's where custom brand-driven videogames and Virtual Worlds come in – delivering a relevant experience of employer brand and product knowledge, in a language that this generation values and understands.

• The latest videogame technologies to attract talent, orient them to company culture, and build brand relationships
• Case study and a "live" demo of Arrow Electronics multimedia orientation that tells their story in a fun and engaging way to make the message stick
• A strategic overview of Virtual Worlds and their growing role in brand communications, including “live” immersion into a 3D corporate Brand World

Joel Jay Cataldo, Director, Organization Effectiveness & Global Sales Excellence
Arrow Electronics

Scott Randall, President
BrandGames

5:00 p.m.
End Of Day One

We invite you to join us for a drink as you relax with your peers. All conference attendees and speakers are welcome to join us for this special opportunity to continue networking. Don't miss this chance to benchmark new ideas over complimentary drinks!

Sign up during the day for dinner with a group. Take advantage of New York City's fine dining while you continue to network with your colleagues.