Last Year’s Conference Schedule

DAY ONE – JUNE 10, 2009

8:00 am: Registration Opens
9:00 am: Conferences Open

9:00 am – 9:30 am: CEA’s Mid-Year Reality Check
(Conference Room 1)

Join CEA’s top economist and analyst as they provide a mid-year reality check on how January predictions are faring and how the second half of the year is shaping up. What surprises or changes are in store for the CE industry? Are CE industry sales on track with earlier estimations? These questions and more will be addressed at this timely and important session that can shape your 2009 coverage and analysis.

Presented by: Shawn Dubravac, Economist, Director of Research, Consumer Electronics Association; Steve Koenig, Director, Industry Analysis at the Consumer Electronics Association

9:30 am – 10:00 am: Press Conference (Media Only) – Monster
(Conference Room 1)

10:00 – 10:45 am: New CE Business Models Cater to New Media Appetites
(Conference Room 1)

No Fee, free and subscription-based CE products deliver entertainment to go and show from pocket to HD screens alike. Learn what key pioneers in the CE industry see ahead for new business models and consumer pricing options for Holiday 2009 and beyond.

Moderator: Richard F. Doherty, Research Director, The Envisioneering Group

Panelists: John I. Taylor, Vice President of Public Affairs and Communications, LG Electronics USA, Inc. and Zenith Electronics; Greg Gudorf, Chief Executive Officer, Digeo; Martin G. Kienzle, Chief  Architect – Media Systems, IBM; Carl Yankowski, President and CEO, Ambient Devices

10:30 am: CEA Line Shows Exhibit Floor Opens

11:00 am – 12:00 pm: Rise of the Smartphones: Capabilities, Convergence, and Confusion
(Conference Room 2)

Without sacrificing style, smartphones are delivering leading-edge mobile Internet access that bridges navigation of social networks and geography as they center rich ecosystems spawning thousands of applications. However, the whirlwind of features, operating systems, data plan options and app stores could create a cloud of confusion that even the best GPS features can’t help consumers steer through. A critical examination from the industry and consumer perspectives evaluates the state of the smartphone market, how it is redefining the wireless business, and what’s needed to advance the experience.

Moderator: Ross Rubin, Director of Industry Analysis, Consumer Technology, The NPD Group

Panelists: Peter Rojas, Co-Founder, gdgt; Dennis Crowley, Co-founder, foursquare; Nigel Rundstrom, VP of Services, Nokia

11:30 am – 12:00 am: SoundSense Training: Acoustics 101
(Conference Room 1)

Presented by: Dr. Bonnie Schnitta, Founder and President, SoundSense LLC

Home theater equipment has become so affordable that the once grand home theater has evolved into media rooms throughout a home, including the family room, dining room, exercise room and master bedroom. The design process of the entertainment room is comprised of two equally important tasks: the acoustic separation or isolation and the acoustic environment of the room. Due to the impact that the acoustics of a room has on the quality of life, it in itself, has evolved into a LEED requirement. Knowledge of the critical aspects of the acoustic design allows you to increase the joy of the client, while increasing your profit.

12:30 pm – 2:30 pm: CEA Line Shows Café: Networking Luncheon

2:30 pm – 3:15 pm: Meet the Market Analysts: Are We There Yet?
(Conference Room 1)

Top analysts from the consumer electronics industry will provide insight on whether we’ve reached the bottom of the recession, the factors that are indicating a rebound and the smart moves major CE players have executed to weather the storm.

Moderator: Jeff O’Heir, Editor in Chief, Dealerscope

Panelists: Andrew Frank, Research VP, Gartner;  Steve Koenig, Director, Industry Analysis at the Consumer Electronics Association; Ross Rubin, Director, Industry Analysis, NPD; Elaine Warner, Director of Consumer Technologies, Compete, Inc.

2:30 – 3:30: Netbooks: Fad or Change Agent
(Conference Room 2)

The surprising demand for low cost netbooks is creating an entirely new product category that lies between smartphones and laptops. Their focus on always-on connectivity, web-surfing, non-voice modes of communications anticipates a time when people view email, IM, micro blogging and social networks just as important as voice when it comes to staying in touch. The netbook market is expected to continue to grow in 2009 as smartphone and notebook brands eagerly compete to meet consumer demand in this nascent category. Laptop Magazine Editor-in-Chief Mark Spoonauer leads a roundtable discussion that will examine the trends driving consumer interest in netbooks and predict who the winners and losers will be both on the outside and inside of these innovative devices.

Moderator: Mark Spoonauer, Editor-in-Chief, Laptop Magazine

Panelists: Sarah Bussell, Senior Manager of Product Marketing for Business Notebooks, Hewlett Packard; Noury Al-Khaledy, General Manager Nettop and Netbook Computing, Intel; Todd Bouman, Director of Product Marketing and Development Mobile Computing, Samsung; Bruce Simon, Director, Data Marketing; Tim Bajarin, President, Creative Strategies

3:30 pm – 4:15 pm: Variety Presents: 3D Technology Update
(Conference Room 1)

What’s coming this season in 3D?. New enabling technologies are already here or are already on their way that will add a new dimension to the entertainment experience for motion pictures, broadcast TV, Blu-ray discs and video gaming.

Moderator:  Marc Finer, Technical Director, DEG: The Digital Entertainment Group

Panelists:  David Naranjo, Director Product Development, Mitsubishi Digital Electronics; Jim Bottoms, Director, Futuresource Consulting, Steve Schklair, CEO, 3ality Digital Systems; Anthony Bailey, Sr. Vice President, Emerging Technologies, ESPN

4:30 pm – 5:30 pm: Press Conference (Media Only) – Mitsubishi
(Conference Room 1)

4:30 – 5:30: Mobile Video Report - Is the little Screen Going to be Something Big?
(Conference Room 2)

Is mobile video ready for the masses; and are the masses ready for mobile video?  Consumers are adopting more mobile multimedia devices and recent studies show pockets of heavy use around the world. New platforms have sprung up – like the iPhone – and a spike in mobile video usage has occurred.  A new MEF/KPMG report shows the turnaround has begun in user experience such that the majority surveyed have had a quality video viewing experience on mobile. This panel will discuss the next generation mobile devices and services coming on the market, and explore whether there is a business model for mobile video that will both create revenue and spur adoption.

Moderator: Jim Beddows, Board Chair, Mobile Entertainment Forum Americas

Panelists: Brett Jenkins, VP Technology, ION Media Networks; Mike Bailey, Vice President of Programming, FLO TV; Paulette Pantoja, CEO and Founder, BluFocus 

5:15 pm – 7:30 pm: Industry Networking Reception Exhibiting Sponsors: Toshiba and Mitsubishi – Media Sponsors: Media Bistro and PC Magazine

7:30 pm: Exhibit Floor Closes

7:30 pm – 9:00 pm: NY Tech Start-Up Classic
(Conference Room 1)

The most creative digital innovations will be put to the test in June as entrepreneurs and their companies will be competing to become the big winner at the “NY Tech Start-Up Classic”. Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), Digital Downtown and NY Tech Meetup will be hosting the ”NY Tech Start-Up Classic” contest in front of hundreds of leading trade, business, and financial press, the investment community and prominent industry leaders attending the Digital Downtown Conference Program and CEA Line Shows on June 10-11, 2009 at 7 West 34th St. in New York. The “NY Tech Start-Up Classic” will feature product demonstrations and presentations of the most dynamic, cutting-edge technology emerging in the marketplace. The top prize for the winning product will be a booth at the 2010 International CES in Las Vegas.

Judges: Joshua Fruhlinger, Editorial Director of AOL Tech, which includes Engadget, Switched, TUAW, and DownloadSquad; Aaron Cohen, CEO, anyclip.com; Albert Wenger, Partner, Union Square Ventures

DAY TWO – JUNE 11, 2009

8:00 am: Registration Opens
8:30 am: Conferences Open

8:30 am – 9:30 am: iBreakfast Presents: Intermission is Over — Time for Traditional Media Act II
(Conference Room 1)

According to Google’s Eric Schmidt, Newspapers (and media) had a great Act I in the 90’s when they first went online. They simply took their old media content from and shoveled it onto a new searchable medium. Now, they are struggling and it’s time for Act II. What strategy will allow old media publishers to not just survive, but thrive? How are publishers making their content more interactive and engaging and how are they distributing it to the plethora of different devices consumers access for news and entertainment today? iBreakfast’s Alan Brody assembles a panel of media luminaries to spill the beans on their Act II plans.

Moderator: Alan Brody, CEO, iBreakfast, TECHmarketing & eTV World

Panelists: Bradley Inman, Founder, Vook.tv; Eric Frank, Founder and Chief Marketing Officer, Flat World Knowledge; Debbie Stier, SVP, Associate Publisher, HarperStudio

9:30 am: Welcoming Remarks by CEA’s Gary Shapiro
(Conference Room 1)

9:45 am – 10:30 am: After the Transition: New Product and Technology Trends From DTV and Beyond
(Conference Room 1)

Barring any further delays, the transition to digital television signal will finally happen June 12. We’ve all heard about the long road leading up to the transition, but very little on the new products and technologies that broadcasters, manufacturers and retailers will begin introducing after the switch is flipped. CEA’s top analysts will discuss what to expect, as well as future trends in the digital realm

Panelists: Shawn Dubravac, Economist, Director of Research, Consumer Electronics Association; Ben Arnold, Senior Research Analyst, Consumer Electronics Association

9:45-10:30 am: New Media Meets New Interfaces, New Gadgets
(Conference Room 2)

Whether you’re touching, tapping, gesturing, speaking, or even waving your mobile device over the bar code of an item you are interested in purchasing to get more information, there’s no denying that the wireless technology is changing how consumers interact with their gadgets and how their gadgets interact with the world around them. In some countries, consumers can already use their smartphones to make purchases. Sasha Segan, Lead Analyst Mobile Phones, PC Magazine  moderates this cutting edge panel that looks at the enabling technologies and devices available today as well as those in the pipeline that are striving to take things to the next level.

Moderator: Sasha Segan, Lead Analyst Mobile Phones, PC Magazine

Panelists: Anthony Belpaire, General Manager, Touchatag; Tom Tiernan, President and COO, Synaptics, Dominic Tolli, SVP, SpinVox; Danny Grant, Principal Engineer, Immersion

10:30 am: CEA Line Shows Exhibit Floor Opens

11:00- 11:30: The State of Internet Safety
(Conference Room 2)

Symantec executives brief us on just how safe today’s Internet is. What are the latest threats, the next big hurdles and the next wave of innovation? How do social networks and mobile computing change the safe computing landscape?

Presented by: Marian Merritt, Internet Safety Advocate, Symantec

11:30 am – 12:15 pm: Pre-Luncheon Keynote: The Future of Retail: Empowering the Customer Experience with Digital Technology
(Conference Room 1)

During the last decade the online shopping experience has improved greatly while the brick-and-mortar experience has remained stuck in the past. Gilbert Fiorentino, who drove many online improvements as CEO of Tiger Direct, is now transferring those innovations to CompUSA’s retail model. Fiorentino will explore future trends in retailing and how digital technology can empower the shopping experience, both online and in bricks-and-mortar stores. Find out how CompUSA is combining the best of both worlds with its new Retail 2.0 shopping experience.

Keynote Speaker: Gilbert Fiorentino, Chief Executive of the Technology Products Group at Systemax, parent company of CompUSA and TigerDirect

12:30 pm – 1:15 pm: Luncheon Keynote: Aneesh Chopra, Chief Technology Officer and Associate Director for Technology in the White House Office of Science & Technology Policy

Prior to his appointment, he served as Secretary of Technology for the Commonwealth of Virginia from January 2006 until April 2009. He previously served as Managing Director with the Advisory Board Company, a publicly-traded healthcare think tank. Chopra was named to Government Technology magazine’s Top 25 in their Doers, Dreamers, and Drivers issue in 2008. Aneesh Chopra received his B.A. from The Johns Hopkins University and his M.P.P. from Harvard’s Kennedy School. He and his wife Rohini have two young children.

2:30 pm – 3:30 pm: Mobile Apps ShootOut
(Conference Room 2)

3:30 pm – 4:30 pm: Gadget Nation Presentations: What’s Wow Now!
(Conference Room 1)

Author and TV Personality, Steve Greenberg, will be showcasing innovative products to national and New York area journalists. Steve will demonstrate cool new products and talk their features.

Hosted by: Steve Greenberg, Author, TV Personality, Board Member United Inventors Association

4:30 pm – 5:30 pm: Women’s Editors Technology Shootout
(Conference Room 1)

What are women buying? What are the best tech products for women? How are tech products being covered in women’s media outlets? We’ll present the latest market research data on women’s buying preferences. You’ll find out which products made it to the finalist round of the Techlicious Women’s Tech award, why, and who’s walking away with the award. Plus, you’ll hear directly from media outlets about how they select products for coverage and what types of stories they run.

Moderator: Suzanne Kantra, Founder and Editor-in-Chief, Techlicious.com

Panelists: Liz Cutting, Analyst, The NPD Group; Erin Scottberg, Community Editor, AOL’s Lemondrop.com; Natali Del Conte, Correspondent, CBS Early Show; Lauren Gould, Associate Producer, Martha Stewart Living Radio, Jenny Rosenstrach, Features Director, Cookie magazine

5:30 pm – 7:30 pm: Closing Reception Sponsored by Techlicious and Women in Consumer Electronics

7:30 pm: Show Closes

“CEA Line Shows is a critical event for my teams at Engadget, Switched, TUAW, and Download Squad. In a tech editorial environment that is increasingly (and understandably) remote and mobile, in-person shows like these are a welcome rarity. Not only do they get my guys and girls out of their home offices, but they have also created innumerable hands-on and breaking stories chock-full of the video and images our readers have come to love and expect. The smaller size of CEA Line Shows means that my journalists can get their job done in a consumable environment as compared to the multi-day, exhausting conferences. Both have their place, but I am for one forever a fan of the smaller CEA Line Shows.”

— Joshua Fruhlinger, Editorial Director, AOL Tech.