2012 e-Marketing and Technology Summit

                             Detailed Agenda with Moderator/Panelist/Speakers

Wednesday, February 29, 2012
7:30 am - 1:30 PM

Maneely's, 65 Rye Street, South Windsor

Hosted by: the Hartford Business Journal

 

Executive Luncheon: Real Business Value from Cloud Computing and Google Apps

Working with business owners and executives, we are often asked to demonstrate the real benefits of cloud computing and Google Apps. Competitors and IT staff with a vested interest in the status quo often claim that cloud solutions and Google Apps are no better than on-premise and hosted solutions. How can we convince them otherwise?

To answer this question, Google engaged 100 Google Apps customers, ranging in size from 20 to 1 million users, to quantify Google Apps' value proposition. In this session, we will review the responses from Google Apps users in their words and experience.

Beyond looking at how these businesses evaluate the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), we will present their calculated savings in terms defined by the customers themselves.

Click here to register for the luncheon only

                                                                                                                                                                                    ______

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Optimize Your eMarketing

• Profound changes in eMarketing
• Trends in social, SEO, email and web marketing
• 5 actions to instantly improve and integrate your marketing

Keynote Speaker: Robert Fleming-President and CEO of eMarketing Association

Robert Fleming is an expert guide in education, professional development, certification and legislation for individuals and companies engaged in e-marketing.

Mr. Fleming helped co-found the eMarketing Association in 1999, with a vision of bringing Internet marketers together to share ideas and processes. Today, the eMA enjoys the status of being the world's largest international association of eMarketing professionals with members in over 40 countries around the globe.

Mr. Fleming has spoken at many conferences and seminars including, the Aruba Tourist Bureau, Caterpillar Dealers Meeting, The United States Army, Ad:tech, DECCA and many others. His work is on permanent exhibit at the United States Library of Congress Collection of excellent Corporate Communications. In addition to leading the eMarketing Association, Mr. Fleming provides marketing consultation services to senior management and corporate directors of several Fortune 500 companies.

                                                                                                                                                                                     ______

(e-strategy) Executive's Guide to a Cohesive Internet Marketing Strategy

Track 1 - Session 1

Internet marketing is not about one specific platform or strategy. It is about integrating all of your efforts across multiple platforms and communication methods.  The goal of this workshop will be to be to give executives a strategic overview of the areas below, while citing specific examples of good execution.

• Integrating Formats: Traditional web, mobile, tablet.
• Social Media: Brand, value to the consumer, managing your reputation
• Online Marketing: SEM, On/Off Page SEO, video marketing, viral
• Integrating traditional formats with Web: Radio, mobile, TV, using search to drive interest, direct mail, PURLS, Print, QR codes
• Bringing each element together. 

Speaker: Jim Pond

Jim Pond, Founder/Strategist at Compassed, brings over a decade of marketing and sales related experience across a wide variety of industries.  Having consulted with restaurants, building supply companies, food manufacturers, contractors and retailers, Compassed's solutions are rooted in real world experience and bottom line results.  Organizations facing the challenge of standing out from the competition look to Compassed to produce innovative and groundbreaking campaigns.  Recently, Compassed, was recognized as one of the TOP 15 AD FIRMS for 2011 in Worcester County by the Worcester Business Journal.
                                                                                                                                                                                    ______

(e-Sales Tools)- e-Commerce How to Quantumly Grow Your Business

Track 2 -Session 1

• Implementing the best e-commerce technologies for your web store
• e-marketing with the latest techniques and strategies
• Competing effectively against the giants with more resources
• 10 ways to improve ROI- Now: Management, marketing, technology and operations tips that will provide a quick boost in ROI
• What all e-retailers need to know about tomorrow's technology: understanding recent evolution, what's coming down the road and what tech investments you should be prepared for in the coming year.
• How to Analyze, and Outsmart Your Ecommerce Competitors

Speaker: Manish Chowdhary

Manish Chowdhary is the Founder and CEO of GoECart. GoECart is leading the ecommerce revolution with innovative software as a service (SaaS) solutions that enable retailers to Sell more™ products and services on the World Wide Web. 

Manish provides business and technology leadership to GoECart and its clients.  He has guided GoECart to become one of the most admired ecommerce platform providers in the world.  Manish is a recognized expert in his field and a sought after public speaker on topics ranging from ecommerce and online marketing to business leadership and entrepreneurship.

He holds a BS in Computer Engineering from the University of Bridgeport. He also holds multiple business process patents in collaborative commerce.

Manish is often quoted, interviewed and featured in leading publications including the New York Times, Entrepreneur Magazine, Internet Retailer, Website Magazine, India New England, Hartford and Stamford Business Journals, Housatonic Community College, WGCH, WebMaster Radio and many others.

                                                                                                                                                                                     ______

(Social Media) Building Business Via Social Media

Track 3 - Session 1

• Leveraging the social platforms for increased awareness, prospecting and building advocacy
• Choosing which platform
• Learning how to create the content that will engage your audience
• Integration with other online and traditional marketing initiatives: Synergy
• Where is the ROI? How do you measure the success of your social media marketing efforts and read analytics
  

Speaker: William Derosa

Bill has been involved with advertising and marketing for around 22 years. He has spent extensive time in corporate branding and marketing, trade show displays and graphics, and traditional media. This, along with his experiences in everything from building companies to helping other companies grow, has enabled him to create a solid foundation for the next generation of marketing while utilizing social media platforms, smart phones apps and social search.

Bill's main focus is to keep up with the latest trends in social media marketing and to bring those trends to the business owners, organizations, municipalities, and non-profits that he currently works with. He enjoys creating and implementing strategies on many platforms and integrating them into an overall marketing initiative.

Co-Speaker: Erik Granato

20+ Years in Sales and Marketing
Programmer/Coder
Graphic Design
Direct mail marketer
Print advertising creator
Online security consultant
Social media strategist

                                                                                                                                                                                     ______

(e-office) Cloud Computing

Track 4 - Session 1

Forget the hype about "Cloud Computing" and join Allen Falcon, CEO of Cumulus Global for this interactive seminar.  Allen will discuss and take questions about how businesses can improve communication and access to information while saving money.

By looking at cloud solutions as an ecosystem, you combine services and applications that work together with each other, and with your other IT assets.

More than just a technology session, Allen will cover key business issues involved in selecting cloud solutions.

The agenda includes:

• Defining "cloud computing"
• Selecting cloud solutions that fit your business
• Creating your cloud ecosystem in stages
• Changing the way you pay for IT

Speaker: Allen Falcon

Allen Falcon is a technologist and entrepreneur with more than 20 years in the industry.  Allen's background includes a unique history of software development and marketing, CIO-level consulting and entrepreneurship. As CEO of Cumulus Global, Allen works to help small and mid-size businesses leverage the advantages of Google Apps for Business and other Cloud Computing Solutions.

Allen is a recognized leader on technology issues for small and mid-sized businesses.  His work and entrepreneurial spirit won him recognition from the Hartford Business Journal as one of the "40 Under 40." Allen served two terms as a director and officer of the Smaller Business Association of New England and has served a term on the board of the Institute of Management Consultants New England Chapter.  Allen holds a Bachelor of Science Honors degree in Computer and Communication Sciences from the University of Michigan.

                                                                                                                                                                                     ______

(e-strategy) Panel: Critique of 5 Web Designs

Track 1- Session 2

• What are the critical components of a good web site beyond appearance and tech items?
• How can you make the most out of SEO and SEM?
• How can you get visitors to a web site to engage with you and your business?
• What is the proper balance between providing information on a web site and obtaining information from interested visitors?
• How to measure your web site marketing against other marketing expenditures in your budget.
• If you have a great site and it contains all the elements needed for it to perform, but nobody sees it, you have a billboard on the moon.
• How a web site can be a great sales tool and how you can make "traffic" pay off in establishing relationships with registrants rather than simply count anonymous "hits"- visitors.

Moderator: Andrea Obston

Andrea Obston is the president of Andrea Obston Marketing Communications, LLC.  The firm works in partnership with its clients to maximize the impact of their marketing dollars. The firm creates and executes marketing strategies that improve clients’ bottom lines. It mobilizes traditional and social media in an approach it calls B2E (Business to Everyone) to bring a client’s message directly to the people and organizations it needs to reach. The firm’s expertise includes strategic marketing planning, brand development and marketing, public and media relations, social media and other website-based connections as well as communications training.   Its subsidiary, Andrea Obston Crisis Management, provides public image crisis planning and management. The firm, which celebrated 25 years in business in 2007, is based in Bloomfield, CT.  Since the firm began in 1982, they have handled local and national accounts that range from a law firm to publicity for an astronaut.  Andrea received her MBA from the University of Connecticut; and her BS in public relations from Boston University, School of Public Communications.

Panelist: Allison Lantieri

Allison joined Ovation in early 2011 as Marketing Director. Allison brings sixteen years of marketing and communications healthcare experience to the team and has worked for both B2B and B2C companies in both the non-profit and for-profit arenas. Prior to her position with Ovation, Allison provided strategic marketing consultation to the Pioneer Network. She spent 7 years as Director of Marketing and Communications for the Institute of Caregiver Education. Allison has worked for Apple Rehab, an Avon-based eldercare company with healthcare centers in Connecticut and Rhode Island as their Marketing Director.  It was during her time at Apple that she developed a love for elders and made long term care advocacy a personal commitment.

Allison holds a Bachelor of Arts in Speech Communications and a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and a Minor in Public Relations from West Virginia Wesleyan College.  She is a member of the International Association Business Communicators and the American Marketing Association.  She is a blogger, antique lover and storyteller, and lives in Broad Brook with her husband and two children.

 Panelist: Tambra Bonatti

As a creative partner for both print and web, Tambra provides a 360° marketing approach to her clients – offering creative solutions that support the business strategy while engaging and exciting the audience. She has extensive experience working with a variety of small and large clients, in a diverse array of industries from B2B and B2C. Tambra’s diverse background in print, interactive, and promotional advertising embodies the core philosophy of Bright Spot Creative.

 
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

(e-sales Tools) Driving Sales through Mobile Apps

Getting into Your Customer's Pocket with Mobile Marketing

Intermediate- Beyond the basics, more tools and techniques for business

Mobile Marketing:  Discover the next marketing technology frontier with more than 5.6 billion mobile cellular subscriptions worldwide.

Our lifestyles leave many of us overbooked and short on time.  Our time away from our desks and computers is continuing to grow leaving people more dependent than ever on their mobile phones for information and a way to stay in touch.  Grab the attention of your target market while they are on the go!  A recent marketing study indicates that more than 64% of mobile phone users have internet access with over 74% of them having unlimited plans and 88% having unlimited text plans.  Within the next 10 years mobile phone applications will be as popular as websites are today.  It is estimated that by 2020 there will be over 10 million mobile applications in the market place.  With that being said, now is the time to initiate your mobile campaign as this technology can be the most cost effective and efficient ways for businesses to market, promote and sell their goods and services to a mobile audience.

This seminar will teach you valuable tips and traits on how to stay in touch with time starved customers as they depend more and more on their mobile devices.

 Seminar highlights:

• SMS (Text) Messaging
• MMS (Multi-media) Messaging
• Voice Blast Service
• Voicemail communication
• iPhone/ Android Application Development
• Mobile Coupons/ Promotions
• Mobile work force
• Mobile-Enabled Website Development
• M-Tailing- Ecommerce applications on mobile phones
• QR Codes
• Near Field Communication (NFC)

Speaker: Jon Rondeau

As a teenager, Jon started Virtual Design & Storage- a business that developed and installed custom computers.  By the summer of 1999, the company had evolved, with many more technology offerings, and was renamed New Wave Industries.  New Wave Industries consists of several divisions and has grown over the years.  In 2000 Jon started Walk on the Web, a website hosting and Internet service provider and in 2001 he started PIT Industries (Public Interactive Terminals).  New Wave Industries has continued to expand into other related areas and the company has become a one-stop shop for business technology needs. Jon has continued to launch new products and services year after year.  New launches include: Night Manager Content Management Software in 2002, CTPhonebook.com in 2003, software in 2005.  In 2011, Jon Rondeau excitedly launches myappmaker.com, allowing both technical and non-technical people to create their own mobile application for the iPhone, iPad, Android and Blackberry devices through the use of a user-friendly app building website. 

                                                                                                                                                                                    ______

(social media) 20 Questions on Social Media: Ask our Panel of Experts (client prospect engagement, measuring results, legal and human resource)

Track 3 - Session 2

Questions about social media? Come ask our experts as they answer questions to topics surrounding client prospect engagement, measuring results and legal and human resource.

Moderator: Jody Ferrer

Jody Ferrer is owner and president of The Perfect Promotion, a West Hartford-based advertising specialty firm that works closely with clients to increase their brand visibility by developing creative and effective programs utilizing imprinted apparel, promotional products, print and graphic design services.

As a woman business owner, Ferrer is passionate about creating support networks for women in business.  Volunteer positions include: Advisory Board of CT Women's Hall of Fame, she is the Founder of Fostering Hope, Co-chair of Go Red for Women's Circle of Red and Sponsor Chair of Susan G. Komen CT Race for the Cure 2011.  Ferrer also serves on school board committees and is active in many non-profits.  A graduate of University of Maryland with a B.A. degree, Ferrer lives with her family in West Hartford. 

Panelist: Amy Graver

Amy Graver is president and principle designer of Elements.  In the fourteen years since founding her agency, she has become a respected member of the graphic design field.  Her work has been recognized for excellence nationally and internationally winning numerous awards from the Connecticut Art Director's Club, The Public Relations Society of America, Neenah Paper, Graphic Design USA Magazine, and Print international magazine.  Amy's work has also been widely published in many print publications.

Amy is regularly requested to speak and write on the topics of marketing, design and social media and is frequently asked to contribute her expert opinion to many national design and marketing publications such as Communication Arts, How Magazine, Felt & Wire (design blog) and Package Design Magazine where she is a board member at large.  She has also just finished co-writing a book with Ben Jura, the senior designer at Elements, entitled "Best Practices for Layout Design" by Rockport Publisher being released this spring.

Panelist: Daniel A. Schwartz

Daniel A. Schwartz represents employers in various employment law matters such as employment discrimination, restrictive covenants, human resources, retaliation and whistle blowing, and wage and hour issues. Dan is a frequent presenter on a wide range of employment law topics, including the impact of social media on the workplace, and has been interviewed by newspapers, radio and television programs, and legal blogs.  He recently published a chapter on social media and human resources issues in, "Think Before You Click":  Strategies for Managing Social Media in the Workplace (Thompson Publishing, 2011).  Dan is the author of the independent Connecticut Employment Law Blog, one of the most widely-read blogs of its kind in the nation.

He received his J.D. from Washington University School of Law in St. Louis and his B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania.

Panelist: Christopher Paradiso

Chris Paradiso started selling life, health and annuities in 1998.  In 2002, Chris branched off on his own, continuing his insurance career in the property/ casualty area. "You get to learn all about a client's business and I liked the challenge and the intellectual stimulation that provided." Chris since then opened Paradiso Insurance and Financial.  The formally small, independent agency has grown to 13 employees, several locations and growing.  Chris has also taken interest and dedication into e-marketing/social media and the effects and benefits it not only had on his business, but the "partners" of Paradiso Insurance.  As a result, Chris and his agency have been featured in industry leading publications including Rough Notes and the Insurance Journal E-Marketing Minute.  Chris also was nominated as a 40 Under 40 professional from the Hartford Business Journal.  He has been a lifelong Stafford Springs resident for 37 years.  With his continued growth and success in both the insurance and marketing industry, he gives his wealth of knowledge back to the small businesses struggling to advance in the marketing world.  He continues to all Stafford his home with wife Mary Alice and children Mia and Gianni.

                                                                                                                                                                                    ______

(e-Office) Show & Tell: Gadgets and Gizmos for Business Improving Productivity

Track 4 - Session 2

Moderator:  Fred Wergeles

Fred Wergeles is the founder and Principal of Fred Wergeles & Associates LLC, a consulting practice that specializes in Strategic Planning and Competitive Intelligence process improvement. He has over 25 years experience managing intelligence collection and analysis in support of strategic decision making in both the federal government and a Fortune 100 corporation. He has advised companies in a diverse array of industries, including utilities, oil and gas exploration, insurance and financial services, pharmaceuticals, advanced manufacturing, consumer products, and high tech start-ups. Fred has developed innovative methods and tools for clients – from Fortune 500 companies to small firms – to quickly and effectively improve their Strategic Planning and Market Assessment capabilities.

Before entering the private sector, Fred spent 18 years at the Central Intelligence Agency. He was the senior intelligence analyst in the White House Situation Room and the National Security Council, and also spent time as an analyst in the Pentagon. Fred managed large, multi-agency collection programs and diverse groups of intelligence analysts during his tenure at the CIA.

Fred earned an MA in National Security Studies at the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, and a BS in Physics from the University of Lowell (now UMass-Lowell).

Panelist: Bonnie Sharon 

Exuberant - energetic - bouncy - brash --- say what you will about Bonnie Sharon, chances are indifferent will not come to mind. It is exactly that spirit that has made her such a valuable part of Wireless Zone®'s marketing efforts for the past two years, adding to her career of 11 years at Wireless Zone®. Wireless Zone®, the largest cell phone franchise in the US, offers an ever evolving and increasingly complex product line of wireless devices. As Director of Social Media (a new position created in January 2009) Ms. Sharon has spent the last two years introducing Wireless Zone® to a constantly increasing audience.  Her approach is simple and straightforward: provide expert reviews of the latest phones and educate with a variety of "how to" videos.  The results have been impressive.  The Wireless Zone® YouTube channel has been viewed over 2.5 million times.  The Wireless Zone® blog which provides more in-depth information receives approximately 1,000 distinctive visitors every day.  Both are continuing to increase at an exponential rate. Her secret?  Bonnie respects the audience, listens to them, and tells the truth.

Panelist: Greg Gondek

Greg Gondek is the President of Advanced Copy Technologies, Inc. located in Cromwell, Connecticut.  He has held this position for the past ten years, during which the company has grown an average of twenty percent per year.  Prior to this position he was the New England Regional Manager, overseeing the direct sales operations for an office equipment manufacturer.  With over twenty five years of outstanding achievement in this fast paced industry he has been featured in Selling Magazine and Professional Selling Magazine and was one of the model subjects for the book, Superstar Sales Managers Secrets by Barry Farber.  His focus on providing the right solutions for clients has kept him at the forefront of the latest tends in his industry along with the challenges that clients face when implementing new technology into their organizations.