The Conference

Digital Downtown Preliminary Conference Program (schedule is subject to change)
Last updated 3/15/10

DAY ONE - JUNE 22, 2010

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

9:00 am - 9:15 am: Welcome Address
Natali Del Conte, CEA Line Shows Conference Chair

9:15 am - 9:45 am: CEA’s Mid-Year Reality Check

Join CEA’s top economist as he provides 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 2010 coverage and analysis.

Presented by: Shawn Dubravac, Chief Economist, Director of Research, Consumer Electronics Association

9:45 am - 10:15 am: The Soul of a Green Machine

Green needs to be more than just a buzzword when it comes to consumer technology. So why are there so many confusing standards (but no real official standard) when it comes to claiming that a gadget or product is green? Join Journalists, manufacturers, and standards representatives as they discuss regulating and demystifying the green technology trend.

Moderator: Martin LaMonica, Senior Writer, CNET News

10:30- 11:30 am: Press Conference - TBD

10:30 am: CEA Line Shows Exhibit Floor Opens

11:30 am - 12:15 pm: Keynote Address

12:15 m - 2:00 pm: Networking Lunch

Brown Bag Chats with Natali: Ed Baig, USA Today

2:00 pm - 2:30 pm: IPTV: This Program Brought To You by The Internet

Online TV has come a long way from the days when YouTube was the best thing since sliced bread. Now you can buy streaming movies as easily as you can buy groceries, but the delivery models are so different. Do we want to download on our mobile devices or stream? Do we want full episodes or clips? Dow we want to subscribe to premium cable providers or can we just put together everything we want using spit and glue from the internet? How will the dust finally settle? Join content providers and experts to sort it all out.

Moderator: Lance Ulanoff, Editor in Chief, PC Mag.com

2:45 pm - 3:45 pm: Press Conference - TBD

4:00 pm - 4:30 pm: Smartphone vs. Smartbook vs. Netbook vs. Notebook

What in the world is the difference between all of these gadget naming classifications? And does it even matter? Of course we are going mobile but why do we need to classify so many different types of mobile devices? Will the new generation of tablets change this confused and cluttered category?

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

4:30 pm - 5:00 pm: Beyond the Geeks: Gadgets for Every Demographic

Gadgets are not just for pubescent or pubescent-minded boys. Now they are ideal for moms, grandparents, kids, and even the family pet. Join technology and non-technology reporters and producers as they talk about the gadgets and gear that the non-geeks among us get really excited about.

Moderator: Andrea Smith, Technology Producer, ABC News
Panelisits: Elise Loehnen, Editor at Large of Lucky Magazine,
Stacy Genovese, Editor, Good HouseKeeping

5:00 pm - 6:30 pm: Opening Night Cocktail Reception

DAY TWO - JUNE 23, 2010

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

8:30 am - 8:45 am: Welcome Address
Natali Del Conte, CEA Line Shows Conference Chair

8:45 am - 9:15 am - iBreakfast: eReading the Tea Leaves

eReaders seem to be the new black. They go with everything.. or do they? Why is this market exploding so quickly and what sets the ‘good ones’ from apart from the “duds”? Will eReaders remain single-function devices or will they merge into our mobile devices the way the PDA and the camera have? Join experts and analysts to discuss this exploding sector of personal electronics.

Hosted by: Alan Brody, Founder, iBreakfast

9:15 am - 9:45 am: The Digital Divide: Why it Should Matter to All of Us

9:45 am - 10:15 am: Game Changing Gadgets

What are the gadgets that stand out in 2010? How different are they from the gadgets that turned our heads last year? Learn what top technology reporters and analysts think of this year’s game changers and why.

Moderator: Clayton Morris, Host of Fox & Friends, Author, Social Media Expert, Fox News

10:15 am - 11:15 am: Press Conference - TBD

10:30 am: CEA Line Shows Exhibit Floor Opens

11:15 am - 11:45 am: Social Networks: Harnessing the Power of Me

Why does so much business and technology happen within the confines of our social networks? What are the psychosocial principles at work that make us share and share alike? Do we have to be someone to share at all? And how we cut through all the noise in order to move the needle in our personal and professional lives?

Moderator: Ella Morton, RocketBoom

11:45 am - 12:30 pm: Keynote Address: Jeff Jarvis, Author, Associated Professor CUNY

12:30 pm - 2:00 pm: Networking Lunch

Brown Bag Chats with Natali:

2:00 pm - 2:30 pm: The OS vs The Browser

These days it seems as though the browser IS the operating system. So what will become of the operating system? Is it still useful to think of the operating system as the ecosystem of computing anymore? Join representatives from the top browsers to discuss their plans to house your digital world from here on out.

Moderator: Randall Bennett, Technology Journalist & Executive Producer, TechVi and Manager of Broadcast Production, Justin.TV

2:30 pm - 3:00 pm: Show Me The Money: Where is the ROI in Consumer Electronics These Days?

Where is the money trail in consumer electronics today? From micropayments to freemium models, it is hard to know what the best business model is for making your device or application move the needle from red to green. Join analysts and experts to figure out how to show yourself the money.

Moderator: Jason Hiner, Editor in Chief, TechRepublic

3:00 pm - 5:30 pm: 3D Summit

3:00 pm - 3:30 pm: 3D is here in a big way but who cares? And June is a vital month in the new format’s launch, with Blu-ray players and flat screens hitting the stores, ESPN and Discovery Channel going live in 3D, and the release of a 3D Toy Story 3 expecting to fuel 3D movie mania even more. Manufacturers care. Movie studios care. Do consumers care? Will these expensive screens make their way into our homes or will we only ever use them in group watching experiences? The top TV manufacturers discuss their vision for the future, which may already be here.
Produced by: 3D@Home Consortium
Guest Moderator: Seth Porges, Writer/Editor, Popular Mechanics

"CEA�s Line Shows have become critical events 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. What�s more, 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.

"All in all, the CEA Line Shows was a big success, especially for an initial effort. I urge other manufacturers of home-theater products to sign up for next year — you'll save loads of money compared to putting on an individual line show, and you'll save journalists loads of time, a commodity in very short supply these days. It's a win-win in an otherwise lose-lose economy."
— UltimateAVmag.com Editor, Scott Wilkinson. For the complete article, click here.