Here is a preview of a press release going out on tomorrow’s wire:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Karamy Muessig
Xposure Unlimited
Phone: 503.750.9041
Email: karamy@xposureunlimited.com
Interactive Convergence Takes Center Stage in Portland at Inverge 2007
New multi-disciplinary conference brings together national and local thought leaders, aligns with city’s top cultural events
Portland, Ore. — Aug. 14, 2007 — On Sept. 6 and 7, Portland will play host to Inverge 2007: the interactive convergence conference, a new event that will bring together experts in advertising, marketing, entertainment, media, retail, product design, public relations, virtual worlds and interactive technology to demystify today’s – and unearth tomorrow’s – trends in the interaction between consumers and content. Inverge 2007 will take place in the heart of Portland’s Pearl District (Gerding Theater at the Armory, 128 NW Eleventh Ave), and will focus on the constantly evolving interactive convergence, or what conference founder Steve Gehlen calls “invergence,” that is shaping how people and companies engage with each other.
“With the digitization of content and the democratization of distribution, the lines are blurring across industries, professions and corporate silos. So, the timing seems right for a multi-disciplinary conference where we can come together, interact with experts across various fields, and learn from each other,” stated inVerge conference founder Steve Gehlen of IndePlay, Inc., the company producing the event.
Speakers at the conference, including executives from MTV Networks, Ensequence, Wieden + Kennedy, frog design and Nau, as well as researchers from MIT and Leiden University in The Netherlands, aim to shed light on a business and entertainment landscape that is currently being redefined by several types of invergence. Examples include the invergence of media platforms, online + offline, content + advertising, and corporate + consumer-generated content. Both traditional and new media will be explored across various industries and disciplines, with Portland’s quintessential creative approach to business serving as the backdrop.
“As a location for inVerge, Portland has the advantage of being away from traditional industry centers while also being one of the country’s most lauded cities and a well-regarded source of creative innovation,” said Gehlen. “It’s an obvious neutral location to bring together thought leaders, influencers and cultural creatives to discuss new ideas about how to invite and excite consumers to interact with brands and each other.”
Inverge Speakers Include:
> Joshua Green, Research Mgr, Convergence Culture Consortium, MIT
> Jeff Yapp, Executive Vice President, MTV Networks
> Chris Van Dyke, CEO, Nau
> Dalen Harrison, CEO, Ensequence
> Ken Papagan, President & Chief Strategy Officer, Rentrak
> Renny Gleeson, Director of Digital Strategies, Wieden + Kennedy
> Adam Richardson, Director of Product Strategy, frog design
> Jason Stoddard (Managing Partner) and Ken Brady (VP, Asia), Centric
> Bill Barnett, General Manager, 926 ventures
> Mark Deuze, Professor, Journalism and New Media, Leiden University
To provide attendees with a unique experience, the Inverge conference is integrated with three other top Northwest cultural events that will all start on Sept. 6 in Portland: the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art’s Time-Based Art Festival, MusicFestNW, and the First Thursday Gallery Walk. A pass to inVerge includes full access to MusicFestNW (which runs for 3 days and features more than 125 indie bands) and vouchers to 3 Time-Based Art Festival events.
The price for attendance of the two-day Inverge conference is $495 in advance or $595 at the door. inVerge 2007 is sponsored in part by the Portland Development Commission.
For more information and to purchase tickets: http://www.inverge.com.
To read more about invergence: http://invergence.com.
For more information on the Time-Based Art Festival: http://www.pica.org/tba.
For more information on MusicFestNW: http://www.musicfestnw.com.
For more information on First Thursday: http://www.firstthursdayportland.com