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Innovation and Growth Diagnostic Exclusively for IIS Registrants

December 20, 2012 By

How do you facilitate heightened, sustainable performance from your team to achieve innovation and breakthrough ideas?

Whether you lead a multi national information company or a midmarket to early-stage content company, you’ll gain tremendous value from a presentation on this very topic at IIS 2013: Breakthrough on January 30 by Gifford Booth of the Tai Group.

I encourage you to register now to catch Gifford’s presentation and to join the impressive roster of media, publishing, and information services executives already confirmed to attend.

If you register by January 15, you’ll be invited to take your own performance diagnostic that will provide you with an immediate personal profile on your behavior and skills around innovation and risk. (Note: instructions for taking the diagnostic will be sent on January 21 and you will have until January 25 to complete it. The process should take no longer than 15 minutes.)

Background on The Performance Diagnostic

Breakthrough ideas, innovative products, and new ways of doing things don’t happen by accident. They’re the result of teams working in purposeful, collaborative, risk-taking ways. As leaders of an industry that relies critically on the speed and quality of innovation, it’s your job to create the chemistry, direction, and guidance to make this happen.

Take advantage of this diagnostic to experience how you can get a new line of sight into your organization and how ready you are to innovate in ways which can change your business. Based on critical factors of business purpose and risk-The Performance Diagnostic is a simple online tool that quickly reveals the innovation environment in which you and your team are operating. The tool is designed to give you insight on how you can change your team’s behavior to achieve sustained performance and innovation.

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Breakthrough Talk: Navigating Transformation

December 13, 2012 By

Marc Strohlein, Agile Business Logic

In a relatively short period of time, technology has moved from the back office to the front office, and then out the door to the mobile Internet, all the while growing in impact and disruptive potential. In the process, technology moved from a business strategy-enabling tool, to one of transformation, at least for those information companies that have figured out how to truly leverage it.

It’s no secret that Google, Apple, and Amazon have mastered using technology to transform their businesses-not just once or twice, but continuously. Information publishers, on the other hand have often struggled to achieve such transformational effects. That’s because the challenges of selecting and exploiting transformative technologies are significant. So are the people and cultural issues that come with major technology shifts.

Executives are lulled by vendors’ siren songs of big data, cloud computing, tablets and mobile computing, semantic technology-the list goes on and on. But which ones will deliver breakthrough business impact and have staying power? And how do technology executives manage complex transitions from legacy environments without disrupting business operations?

The answer, and the subject of this upcoming panel at the SIIA IIS conference, “Navigating Transformation,” is that technology and business strategy need to become intertwined and embedded in the DNA of publishing firms. In effect, those businesses need to become technology firms that publish-ot just newspaper, book, journal, or online publishers.

The panel is comprised of Richard Belanger, Chief Information Officer, ProQuest, Peter Marney, Senior Vice President, Thomson Reuters, along with myself, Marc Strohlein, Principal of Agile Business Logic as moderator. Expect a lively discussion about the opportunities afforded by new technologies as well as their challenges and our collective wisdom about how to ensure success.  Our goal is that attendees will leave with clear ideas about how to leverage the transformative potential of information technology.

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Interview with IIS Breakthrough Co Chair Clare Hart

December 10, 2012 By
I sat down with IIS Conference co-chair Clare Hart, Former President & CEO of Infogroup, to discuss IIS, what sessions she’s most looking forward to, and what she has learned as a result of co-chairing the industry’s premier conference for information executives.
Kathy: Why did you decide to co-chair IIS this year?

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

 

 

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Titans of a New Information Order

December 7, 2012 By

I sat down with Jim Kollegger, Session moderator and organizer of the CEO panel – Titans of a New Information Order – to find out what’s in store for this year’s discussion. Jim will take the stage at IIS Breakthrough on Wednesday January 30, alongside Kurt Eichenwald, Contributing Editor with Vanity Fair and a New York Times bestselling author, Vanity Fair, Thomas Glocer, Former CEO, Thomson Reuters, David Kirkpatrick, Senior Technology & Internet Editor, Fortune, and Michael Perlis, President & CEO , Forbes Media LLC. To see this session, register at siia.net/IIS

 

Jim Kollegger, CEO, Genesys Partners, Inc.

Kathy: Jim, over the years you have put on a showstopper session at IIS where you gather a team of industry “heavy weights” to discuss their perspectives on the shifts in the industry, all from different perspectives. What is the goal/ purpose of your industry outlook panel?

Jim: There have been eleven Summits, and even before IIS became a formal Summit I was hosting keynote panels going back all the way to the 80s! I feel like the Dorian Grey of the SIIA and its predecessor.

Kathy: What can the audience expect to take away from the Titans of the New Information Order?

Jim: Our biggest objective is to provide the audience with perspective, a longer view, maybe a different view as to where things are heading. This is the Wayne Gretzky metaphor — “why are you successful? Because I skate to where the puck is going to be!” You’d be amazed how that sticks.

Kathy: What are some of your most memorable moments as moderator of this session over the years?

Jim: One unforgettable panel was a powerhouse of Ted Leonsis of AOL, Nancy McKinstry of Wolters Kluwer, Jim Fallows of the Atlantic and Martin Sorrell of WPP. Two of them held forth so the others had a hard time getting a word in; and one of them was actually texting while on the panel. I won’t tell you which one!

Kathy: Did anyone in particular get the audience’s blood to boil?

Jim: We go for light, not heat. There’s plenty of cross-fire on the air, as Jon Stewart pointed out. But reasoned discussion where people are frank and not posturing is a rarity.

Kathy: Who would you invite back to reflect on their original prediction VS what really happened

Jim: Many, many of them. Especially John Patrick, IBM’s former Internet CTO, who predicted the coming of wi-fi and blogging, when it didn’t have a name, and when blogging was a joke.

Also Ted Leonsis who early on spotted “the wisdom of crowds” and John Markoff, of NY Times, who said it was NOT too late to start a new search engine—when Yahoo and Excite seemed to own the market.

Kathy: What are YOUR Industry predictions on what’s in store for 2013-2014?

Jim: Mobile, mobile, mobile. Continued consumerization of the enterprise, smarter Siri’s, and verticalization of market approaches. We’ll also see continued domination of markets by the four horsemen of the Internet–Apple, Amazon, Google, and Facebook. There will also be more conflict as some of those put their own interests above their content partners.

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Meet IIS Breakthrough Conference Chair Simon Beale

December 3, 2012 By
Simon Beale

Simon Beale, IIS Co-Chair

I sat down with IIS Conference co-chair Simon Beale, Senior Vice President Global Sales and Training of ProQuest to discuss IIS, what sessions he’s most looking forward to, and what he has learned as a result of co-chairing the industry’s premier conference for information executives.

Kathy: Why did you decide to co-chair IIS this year?

Simon: This is my second term on the SIIA Content Board and, given that the IIS is our most important annual event, agreeing to co-chair the conference with Clare Hart has proved to be an excellent way of providing guidance and input into its shape and development. With the dramatically accelerating pace of integration of technology into the content business, the SIIA IIS has the opportunity to become the cornerstone for thought leadership for the key leaders in our industry in debate and discussion.

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

Simon: The goal for January’s conference has been somewhat different this year. For the 2013 IIS Conference we wanted to ensure that C-suite executives from across the media, publishing and information landscape would be able to spend a couple of days at IIS in New York watching, listening and participating in a discussion between the industry leaders as to where we see this industry heading. IIS will be raising the bar for the debate amongst our most senior execs.

Kathy: What is unique about IIS?

Simon: We’ve always been lucky in that the range and diversity of the membership of SIIA gives us the ability to tap into an incredibly rich seam of knowledge and experience from across the information industry. The combination of existing SIIA member companies and start up and emerging companies, all sharing ideas and contrasting views is what makes IIS a unique event. You will not get a room with this level of focused industry firepower at any other conference.

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

Simon: The 2013 IIS will be more focused towards C-suite executives than previous conferences. We are narrowing our focus. We have put together the premier line up of speakers and panels. We have assembled an agenda that will provide thought provoking sessions for the leaders in our industry. The schedule has been tailored to provide the maximum value for time spent for these execs. The key executives from across the software and information industry will not want to miss these two days.

Kathy: Any favorite sessions you are looking forward to?

Simon: I think the George Colony keynote will provide a great exposition of the impact of some of the key technology trends, while several of the panel discussions have got stellar industry lineups. I also think the leadership dinner, hosted by Nicholas Thompson of the New Yorker will be a wonderful evening!

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

Simon: I learned few things. I was stunned by how much work the IIS steering committee has put into this event. I have no doubt that it will be the most successful and though provoking IIS for many a year and this will be down to the hard work that the committee has put in (all in their spare time, I hasten to add). I learned how great an impact a creative and decisive co-chair like Clare Hart can have on shaping an event of this type. Her influence has been profound. I also learned how much of a juggling act putting all the moving pieces together can be and, for that, we have you Kathy to thank, ably assisted by Jenny.

IIS Breakthrough 2013

 

 

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From the Judges Interview Tips for Previews Applicants

November 5, 2012 By

 

Larry Schwartz, President, Newstex
Larry Schwartz, President, Newstex

With the Previews application deadline coming up November 21, I sat down with Previews Chair/Judge Larry Schwartz, to get some tips on what makes for a successful previews presentation, both to the judges and at IIS 2013 in January.

JH: What sparked the Previews concept?

LS: Wow that tests my memory. It started organically with me and Ed Keating. I was frustrated that small companies were not getting enough exposure at SIIA, and SIIA was not enough to bring small companies/startups into the SIIA community. Ed and I had several lobster roll sessions and came up with the idea, originally as a stand alone conference the day before IIS.

JH: What is your most memorable Previews moment?

LS: Two come to mind, first when Fred Wilson spoke at I believe the first Previews event. It was a great speech about information wants to be free. Watch it here.

My second moment was the Alumni lunch we had in 2008 and 2009 I believe. It was a great to see all of these content related companies networking under the SIIA previews banner.

JH: Rumor has it that you are the “Simon Cowell” of the Judges. If you’re Simon, then who is Paula?

LS: Ha! You mean who gives the love? Randy Marcinko :-)

JH: You have been judging previews since it launched in 2007. What is the best advice you could give potential applicants?

LS: When presenting your company in 5 minutes tell a story! The audience does not want facts and figures about your startup or hear your 10 page resume. They want you to tell a story about the problem your company is trying to solve. Some of the best Previews companies were the ones that described the problem and then showed how they were solving it. Boardroom Insider is a great example. They are helping to solve the problem of finding detailed information about senior executives by using public source data to build deep and insightful profiles of senior executives at major companies nationwide. Tell a great story that solves a problem.

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About Previews

Previews showcases innovative B2B content companies – publishers, media, content aggregators, and technology plays – who have at least a Series A round of financing, generate less than $10 million in sales, and have actual customers. If that describes your company, apply now.

Selected companies will present at IIS 2013 to over 300 leaders from the information industry. Previews presenting companies present to secure funding, strategic partnerships, new customers or even an exit.

Apply Now

Questions? Contact Jennifer Hansen.

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Apply to Present Your Company at the 2013 SIIA Previews

November 1, 2012 By

Do you want to present your company to over 300 information industry leaders and decision makers? Are you interested in finding investors, partners, or acquisition opportunities? If you answered “yes” to either of these questions, then you should apply to present your company at the 2013 SIIA Previews.

For the past six years, SIIA Previews have showcased innovative content companies, including publishers, media, aggregators, and technology plays, and the 2013 SIIA Previews will feature the 100th Preview Company!

You can view updates on all of the SIIA Previews alumni and apply to present at the 2013 SIIA Previews on the SIIA website. Browse through the alumni list and you’ll see companies that have achieved great success. Examples of companies that have been acquired since they presented at an SIIA Previews event include:

  • Pubget: Acquired by Copyright Clearance Center
  • Associated Content: Acquired by Yahoo! for $100 million
  • FeeDisclosure.com: Acquired by Bankrate
  • Keibi Technologies: Acquired by Lithium Technologies
  • TutorVista: Acquired by Pearson
  • Generate, Inc.: Acquired by Dow Jones

SIIA Previews Qualifications and Application Instructions

Does your company qualify?
To apply to present your company at the 2013 SIIA Previews, yours must be a B2B content company that provides content or content technology products or services (e.g., publisher, content aggregator, technology play) with under $10M in revenue and actual customers. Furthermore, your company must not have received more than a Series A round of financing and must not generate more than $10 million in sales.

How do you apply?
You can apply online. Nominations open on October 9, 2012 and close on November 21, 2012.

How are presenting companies selected?
Nominated companies will present a 5-minute pitch to the Previews Selection Committe via webinar during the first two weeks of December. The committee will identify the top companies to present at the January 30th SIIA Previews event during the SIIA’s IIS 2013: Breakthrough conference, which will be held from January 30-31, 2013 at Pier Sixty in New York City. The final five SIIA Previews presenting companies will be announced the week of December 20, 2012. Selected SIIA Previews presenters will have an opportunity to be coached by the Selection Committee, which will be scheduled during the first two weeks of January 2013.

What should presenters know about the event and their participation in the event?
Presenting companies will get five minutes plus a question and answer session in front of leaders of the information industry. The audience will vote on the “Most Likely to Succeed.” Presenting companies also have an opportunity to exhibit and showcase their product throughout the two-day IIS 2013 conference, and they can attend the IIS Reception where they can network with other IIS attendees.

When the winning company be announced?
The SIIA CODIE Awards event wraps up the IIS 2013: Breakthrough conference on January 31, 2013. The presenting company that received the most “Most Likely to Succeed” votes during the SIIA Previews event will be announced during the ceremony.

Newstex President Larry Schwartz will be a member of the SIIA Previews Selection Committee again this year. Even if your company isn’t a match to apply to present at the SIIA Previews, we hope to see you at IIS 2013: Breakthrough.

You can get all of the details and apply on the SIIA website. Good luck to all of the 2013 SIIA Previews applicants!

_______________

This post was written and originally posted by SIIA Member Newstex.

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