The Interactive Promotion Summit, Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, March 26-28:
Interactive promotions agency ePrize hosts the annual event. This year's theme is trends and best practices in interactive promotions in branding and direct marketing.
“What we're seeing is those two worlds collide,” ePrize CEO Josh Linkner said.
Speakers include authors Seth Godin and Joseph Jaffe, Coca-Cola Co. marketing executives Carol Kruse and Mike Jones as well as Wunderman's David Sable. The 300 registered attendees, up from 110 last year, also can expect presentations from executives at Yahoo Inc., Citibank, Harrah's, Kodak, Target Corp. and Procter & Gamble Co.
“There's no presentation by ePrize,” Linkner said. “We're trying to make this an industry event, not an ePrize promo.”
Chicago DM Days & Expo '06, Navy Pier, Chicago, March 27-28:
The Chicago Association of Direct Marketing hosts this annual event at the scenic Navy Pier. Attendees include executives from leading direct and interactive agencies in the Chicago area as well as those from the printing, envelope manufacturing, database marketing, lists and merchandising sectors.
The show includes education and trends in direct and interactive marketing. Keynote speakers this year are British motivational expert Sir Ken Robinson and Q Interactive (formerly CoolSavings) president/CEO Matthew Moog. The Tempo Awards ceremony honoring the best direct and interactive marketing submissions from the Chicago area takes place the evening of March 27.
Moog's theme is how interactive is changing DM and vice versa, keeping in mind how consumers now control their interactions with marketers.
“Where the rubber meets the road is the steps companies like ours and those of people attending the conference can take to deal with the changes,” he said. “You need basically a roadmap of where this world is moving and how the products and solutions we deliver need to change as a result of the changes in the medium.”
DMA International Echo Awards:
April 24 is the deadline for the 2006 Echo awards entries. The Direct Marketing Association is offering a 25 percent discount on entries submitted by April 14. For details, visit the site at www.dma-echo.org.
