Clare: IIS is an opportunity for Information Industry executives to meet in a convenient NYC location, for a brief 1.5 days, covering a rich agenda of highly-relevant topics and excellent networking. Being an IIS co-chair and a part of the planning team presented an opportunity to shape the agenda and ensure that IIS is a “Must Attend” event for all Information Industry executives.

Kathy: What are your goals for the conference this year?

Clare: Two principle goals: to enlist speakers who will talk about the business, content, and technology opportunities and issues that are shaping our industry AND to create an environment that is conducive to networking, meeting new colleagues, and strengthening relationships with existing partners and colleagues.

Kathy: What is unique about IIS?

Clare: IIS is always held in January, so it’s one of our industry’s first annual conferences to kick off the New Year, providing conference delegates some new thinking right out of the blocks. The agenda is filled with topics that are top of mind – no fluff. This is a meeting where substantive conversations happen on the stage, at the lunch table, and around the bar.

Kathy: What should people expect this year and why is that different from previous years?

Clare: This year you may notice a little bit more of a focus on technology, a key driver of differentiation, but above all, IIS will continue its tradition of providing extremely relevant topics covered by top speakers who will impThis year you may notice a little bit more of a focus on technology, a key driver of differentiation, but above all, IIS will continue its tradition of providing extremely relevant topics covered by top speakers who will impart wisdom based on knowledge of their subject stemming from years of experience.art wisdom based on knowledge of their subject stemming from years of experience.

Kathy: Any favorite sessions you are looking forward to?

Clare: Terry McGraw’s keynote is on the top of my list because of all that McGraw Hill has accomplished during the company’s transformation. The McGraw Hill story is fascinating and who better to tell it than Terry McGraw? I am also eager to hear Gil Elbaz, CEO of Factual, and Jim Swift, CEO of Cortera, talk about building successful Big Data Companies. But, I must add, I am eager to hear all of the keynotes and panel discussions, as each has its own purpose and lesson to share.

Kathy: Anything you learned or were surprised by in your work planning IIS 2013?

Clare: A lot goes in to planning this day and a half event, the amount of discussion and debate about things as seemingly small as the timetable for Previews is thoughtfully considered. The SIIA and IIS have a very large and strong network of willing participants – potential speakers, attendees, sponsors and committee members – who see the value of this important industry event and work hard to ensure its success.

IIS Breakthrough 2013

• Register – Early Registration ends December 15
• Schedule
• Sponsor
• Present at Previews
• Peter Jackson Innovation Award