Heavy hitters line up for Interact 2009

IAB Europe assembles impressive line up of speakers for June Congress

Brussels 18th March 2009:  IAB Europe is delighted to announce the line up of its Interact Congress to be held in June on 10-12 in Brussels. The three day event has the theme ‘Digital advertising gets innovative’.  Delegates will hear from inspirational speakers from across the digital advertising world who will address the topic through keynote presentations, panel debates and interactive sessions. Headline speakers on June 11th include:

Nikesh Arora, VP Operations EMEA, Google Europe, one of the company’s most senior executives outside their California headquarters. He will open with the keynote speech, presenting his views on innovative digital media.

John Mangelaars is Regional VP of Microsoft’s new Consumer & Online International division for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). COI is responsible for Microsoft’s consumer business in all markets outside the US. George-Edouard Dias has been head of L’Oreal e-business group since 2001. He was previously VP of Interactive Development at L’Oreal USA, where he defined the company’s policy on electronic commerce and launched the first selling sites in his company’s history.

Robert Madelin became EC Director-General for Health and Consumers in January 2004. He has overall responsibility for the day-to-day running of the work of the Directorate-General in its three main areas: public health, food safety and consumer protection. Ruud Wanck, COO Interaction of GroupM – one of the world’s leading media agencies. Ruud’s talk is intriguingly entitled 'Campfires of the 3rd Millennium'.

Thought-provoking panel debates will be led by two of the most respected and influential figures in the digital advertising industry – Michael Nutley, editor-in-chief at New Media Age and Guy Phillipson, CEO of IAB UK.

Michael Nutley has been a business journalist for 22 years. He maintains a strategic overview of the entire new media sector, from both a client and a service provider perspective. He’s also particularly interested in online advertising, the convergence of TV and the internet, and the transformative effect of interactive media on organisations. When Guy Phillipson took over as CEO of IAB UK in January 2005 he restructured and repositioned it as a valuable resource for marketers to help them make the most of online advertising disciplines including search, display, e-commerce and sponsorship.

Day one kicks off with the IAB Global Summit and IAA Global Brand Think Tank with IAB Europe working groups and the release of the latest AdEx findings and the final day sees the continuation of the IAB Global Summit and a Research Showcase with some of the latest thinking and insight into Social Media. Throughout the event there will be opportunities for delegates to network including a Gala Dinner on June 11th.

In welcoming the news of the speakers at this year’s congress, the theme of which is innovation in digital advertising, Alain Heureux, President, IAB Europe says, “The fact that we have attracted an imposing array of speakers for this year’s event demonstrates the rapidly increasing importance of digital advertising and the widespread acceptance of the need for continuing innovation. Even in these gloomy days of global recession it is encouraging to know that there is an area of commerce where growth, innovation and creativity are alive and well.”

For more information or to register at the early bird discount rate, please visit www.interactcongress.eu

Ends

Media please contact: Lucy Green, PR Consultant
publicrelations@iabeurope.eu Tel: +44 (0) 7817 698366