MITEF/TAG Event

May 7, 2008
7:30am - 12:00pm
Windsor Ballroom at the InterContinental Hotel

2008 Featured Industry: Convergence

View Presentations!

How Georgia is leveraging its core strengths in media and telecommunications to lead the world from the "Digital Age" into the "Age of Convergence"

This event is the third in an annual series highlighting Georgia Technology Centers of Excellence "Growing Vertical Technology Industries in Georgia"

Presented by MIT Enterprise Forum and Technology Association of Georgia

Register Here for Exhibit, Tables of 10, and Individual Tickets
Sponsorship opportunites are also available! For more information, please call Amanda Shook at (404)920-2023.

Download Event Packet

Sponsors	About the Featured Industry: Convergence
Sponsorship Information	About the Annual Forum
Agenda	Speaker Biographies
About MIT Enterprise Forum of Atlanta	About Technology Association of Georgia

 

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Sponsors

Platinum Sponsor

 

Silver Sponsor

 

Gold and Silver Sponsorships are Available!

 

 

Bronze Sponsor

 

 

 

 

Media Sponsors

TechLINKS TechJournal South

 

 

 

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About the Featured Industry: "Convergence"

The past decade has been marked by extraordinary developments in the media and telecommunications industries, issuing forth what some have dubbed the "Age of Convergence". Rapid wide-scale consumer and business adoption of cellular devices and the Internet have led to a fundamental shift in the way we live, interact and transact. The convergence of information access, media distribution and communication mediums across multiple user platforms has created entirely new consumer and business demands, opening the door for new industries to emerge. This has spawned the growth of new enterprises and provided and significant opportunity for entrepreneurs.
The 2008 Annual Forum on Leading Technologies will provide insight into the current state of convergence and its future direction, as well as highlight areas of opportunity for entrepreneurs in the region. We will hear from some of the biggest names and most innovative minds in the old line and new media space, as well as cutting edge convergence carriers, as to where they see the industry moving and what they are doing to keep their companies ahead of the curve. In addition, top research and consulting experts will share their perspectives on what the future holds for consumers and businesses and how convergence will alter the way in which we live, work and play.

Target Attendees:

• Entrepreneurs
• Venture capitalists
• High tech companies
• Web technologies companies
• Integrators
• VARs
• Software providers
• Media companies
• Telecom carriers
• Attorneys

Reasons to Attend:

• Stay connected to Cutting Edge Technologies
• Hear insight from high level executives from today's most exciting companies
• Learn how to differentiate you business and grow revenue
• Network with venture capitalists, and top executives
• Meet potential customers and suppliers

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About the Annual Forum

This event is the third in an annual series highlighting Georgia Technology Centers of Excellence: "Growing Vertical Technology Industries in Georgia." The MIT Enterprise Forum of Atlanta (MITEF) and Technology Association of Georgia (TAG) spearhead this high level conference each year in an effort to further economic development efforts in the technology industries in Georgia. Each event focuses on a vertical technology market that is or has the potential to become a recognized leading industry in our state, and among the top three to five nationwide. Topic selection is based on industries that have a strong foothold in Georgia and appear to have the characteristics/profile to make Georgia a leader nationally.
The event brings together top local and national figures from within the target industry as well as academia and professional research organizations to help Georgia's leaders support and grow Strategic Industry Clusters and Centers of Excellence. Events focus primarily on overall industry trends and the path to further economic development, educating business leaders, entrepreneurs and policy makers about the strengths and weaknesses of a specific industry. The program analyzes the specific economic and product opportunities as well as the threats faced by that industry, with an eye toward driving growth in related and complimentary technologies.

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Speaker Biographies

Dr. Neale Martin, Ntelec, Inc.
Jim Straight, Verizon Communications
Mark Taylor, Content Markets for Level 3
Bob Schukai, Turner Broadcasting System Inc
Allen Weiner, Gartner
Stephen Fleming, Georgia Tech

Dr. Neale Martin, Founder and President, Ntelec, Inc.
Dr. Neale Martin is founder and president of Ntelec, Inc., an Atlanta-based technology research and consulting company. Neale has helped a variety of Fortune 500 companies across industries anticipate and prepare for the radical changes brought about by the technological revolutions of the past 15 years. Recently, Neale has developed a new marketing framework based on research from neurobiology and cognitive psychology that shows that most customer behavior is the result of unconscious habits. His groundbreaking book on this subject, The Force of Habit, is due out next year.
Neale has a Ph.D. in Marketing from the College of Management, Georgia Institute of Technology.
http://www.nealemartin.com/ 

 

Jim Straight, Senior VP Consumer Product Management, Verizon Communications  Jim Straight today serves as Senior Vice President of Consumer Product Management & Development for Verizon Communications. He leads the company's product development teams in developing new services and enhancing legacy products. Jim started in 1994 as a Wireless data system engineer. In 1997 he was promoted to Director of Wireless Data for the Washington DC and Maryland areas for Bell Atlanta Mobile. In 2001 after the formation of Verizon Wireless Jim was promoted to Vice President for all Data & Multimedia products nationwide.
Prior to joining Bell Atlanta Mobile, Jim served in the elite White House Communications Agency 1985-1994 where he designed and implemented worldwide communications support for the President of the United States and key staff members for over ten years. Jim is a graduate of University of Hawaii Pacific. (Request Presentation by emailing Greg.Heenan@verizonwireless.com)

Mark Taylor, Senior Vice President, Strategy & Business Development, Content Markets, Level 3 Communications
Mr. Taylor is Senior Vice President of Strategy and Business Development for Level 3's Content Markets Group with responsibility for managing emerging market opportunities. Over the past five years, he has held a variety of positions within the company, most recently as head of Strategy and Mergers & Acquisitions in Europe and previously, as head of the IP & Data Services Strategic Business Unit in Europe.
Prior to joining Level 3, Mr. Taylor spent two years as a Business Leader for Concert, a joint venture between AT&T and British Telecommunictions (BT), where he managed global customer contract origination and execution. He also worked with BT Syncordia Solutions, the Information & Communications Technology unit of BT.
He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Telecommunications Engineering from Plymouth University and a post graduate Diploma in Management Studies from Kingston Business School.

 

Bob Schukai, Vice President of Wireless and Broadband Technologies, Platform Research and Development, Turner Broadcasting System Inc.
Bob Schukai is vice president of wireless and broadband technologies for Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., (TBS, Inc.). In this capacity, he is responsible for global research and development activities for TBS, Inc. in the areas of mobile/wireless, broadband, Internet protocol television (IPTV) and games. Schukai is based in Atlanta and reports directly to Alastair Hamilton, corporate senior vice president of platform research & development and worldwide distribution technology for TBS, Inc.
Prior to joining Turner Broadcasting in early 2005, Schukai spent more than 18 years working for Motorola, Inc., in the United States and United Kingdom. Most recently, he served as director of global 3G strategy and business development for Motorola, overseeing global strategy and business development activities for 3G handsets. While at Motorola, he was also involved in research and development; engineering; design, development and management; and product marketing and strategy.

Allen Weiner, Managing Vice President, Global Media, Gartner
Mr. Weiner has more than 25 years of experience as an analyst, writer, editor, publisher and broadcaster. He has written about media trends in daily newspapers and magazines as well as serving as a chief analyst and architect of Gartner Dataquest's Internet/E-Commerce/E-media cover from 1994 to 1999. Prior to re-joining Gartner in August 2003, Mr. Weiner, launched a new publishing company, Convergence Publishing, in March 2002, and published its flagship product, Biotech Tech, a monthly trade magazine focusing on technology and its role in life sciences. Before that, in March 1999, Mr. Weiner joined the startup team at NetRatings as vice president of analytical services, a position he held until February 2002. He was responsible for the build out of several vertical-based research services, based on the company's proprietary audience measurement data. In addition, he was a speaker worldwide at company and industry events. Mr. Weiner also wrote weekly columns for Forbes.Com, ZDNet and MSNBC. Mr. Weiner joined Dataquest in November 1994 (prior to Gartner's acquisition in December 1995) to develop and implement the company's Internet research strategy. During the next four-plus years, he and his team developed a series of successful services focusing on the Internet, e-commerce and e-media marketplaces. During his time at Gartner Dataquest, Mr. Weiner spoke worldwide at a number of company events as well as top industry events including keynotes at Internet World. Mr. Weiner was among the industry's most quoted analysts and appeared regularly on CNN, CNN-FN and CNBC. Previous to his experience at Gartner Dataquest, in 1993, Mr. Weiner was general manager of new media for the San Francisco Chronicle & Examiner. While in this position, Mr. Weiner built and managed the first daily newspaper site on the Web, The Gate. Before that, from 1989 to 1993, Mr. Weiner headed the technology group at a trade publishing company, Virgo Publishing, based in Scottsdale, Arizona.
The excitement is getting firsthand knowledge about the large, medium- and small-size companies as they enter the digital media universe. It's a rapidly changing world with drama, intrigue and surprises; it's better than any TV show or movie out there for pure entertainment value. Request Presentation by emailing Ashook@tagonline.org

Stephen Fleming, Chief Commercialization Officer, Georgia Tech
Stephen Fleming has 13 years of private equity experience at the General Partner level. Prior to his venture capital career, he spent 15 years in operations roles at AT&T Bell Laboratories, Nortel Networks, and LICOM (a venture-funded startup).
An Atlanta native and summa cum laude graduate of Georgia Tech, Stephen returned to his alma mater in mid-2005 as Chief Commercialization Officer. His appointment led a reorganization designed to streamline the handling of intellectual property, accelerate the licensing of technology, and make the Institute's resources more readily accessible to business and industry.
In addition to his role at Georgia Tech, he is also a general partner of the Seraph Group, an early-stage venture capital firm. Stephen is active in the "alternative space" industry; he is an investor in three private aerospace companies and is a founding member of the Space Angels Network. Mr. Fleming also serves on the Board of Trustees for Tech High School, a charter high school emphasizing science, math, and technology in urban Atlanta.

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About MIT Enterprise Forum

Our Mission
The MIT Enterprise Forum of Atlanta is a volunteer, non-profit organization whose mission is to provide educational programs and services that promote and strengthen innovation at the intersection of business and technology in the Southeast.

We invite anyone who is interested to attend our regular events and become a member of the Forum. No prior affiliation with MIT is necessary to participate or join.

Goals and Objectives
* Educate the business community by bringing together entrepreneurs,
high-technology business managers, venture and angel investors and
representatives of the service community in a stimulating, interactive
setting.
* Assist individual entrepreneurs during the critical early phases of their
business development.
* Stimulate local risk-taking by helping Forum participants become more
informed and more successful.
* Serve as a catalyst for improving funding prospects.
* Discuss the Leading Edge Technologies that will transform our economy
in the 21st century.

(Note: The MIT Enterprise Forum of Atlanta is an independent organization, focused solely on the southeast region of the United States. Although we benefit from our affiliation with the global MIT Enterprise Forum, all funds raised by the Atlanta Chapter are used strictly for Atlanta Chapter events and activities.)

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