Thought leadership events that help people and organizations engage with forward thinkers and market leaders to gain valuable insights on new ideas and trends that are shaping our world.

About the event                                 Date: Fall 2010                                 Location: San Francisco Bay Area

From social networks and mobile phones to our everyday work environments, gaming is becoming a big part of who and what we are. It's no longer just about epic titles like World of Warcraft or SIMs, or even the new types of casual games such as FarmVille and Diner Dash which are reaching millions; gaming is beginning to permeate every fabric of our lives and is changing the way we experience "play". The games we play and our success with these games can say a lot about us and can increasingly define our social profile.

But what has made gaming such a big deal? Why the change and why should we care? It turns out "play" is becoming a new way of engaging audiences in a world where the ability to “get attention” is becoming increasingly critical. And it appears games do get our attention… People use game play as a way to connect and collaborate among groups. When they have fun they share their experiences with their network of friends. In other words, the act of sharing becomes part of the play experience beyond the game itself. This sense of "play" extends into social network communications as well as business interactions. But many companies are unaware or unprepared to manage this growing paradigm in gaming. Does game "play" represent an opportunity for businesses to engage with online buyers about new product offerings? Can games help foster collaboration and innovation in companies and improve education for students? Are we in fact ready to share work and learning with "play"?

This Forum will explore new trends and the application of game play in business, both for engaging external clients and prospects for profit, and internally within organizations to improve employee education and performance, to solve problems and to increase areas for knowledge management and innovation.

Questions to be explored:

* What can businesses learn from the game world? * How can games increase customer engagement, foster retention and drive brand loyalty? * How are games able to improve an organization’s knowledge management,employee education and drive new product innovation? * What are the new trends in business gaming? * Howmight mobile games change the dynamics of business-related interactions?

 

Key takeaways:
Learn how a new generation of games is helping companies to engage prospects and retain customers
Discover how games can help motivate employees, encourage team collaboration and foster product innovation
Find out how other companies are using gaming technology both internally and externally
Learn about the market, its future, who’s active in this space and what the competitive landscape looks like
Find out who is currently investing in this new trend and where the money is going

SPEAKERS

Byron Reeves Professor and Behavioral Scientist Proponent of Interactive Gaming & Virtual Worlds In the Workplace Stanford University

Bob Johnson VP, Principal Analyst IDG Connect

Nicole Lazzaro Chief Executive Officer XEODesign, Inc.

Tim Chang Principal Norwest Ventures

Rajat Paharia Founder Bunchball, Inc.

Mary T. Duda Chief Executive Officer VirtuePlay, Inc. & Virtue Arts

Kenny Lauer Executive Director, Digital Experience GPJ Experience Marketing     Additional speakers being added

Ross Smith Director, Windows Core Security (Productivity Game Focus) Microsoft Corporation

PROGRAM TOPICS

It’s Time for Enterprises to Start Playing Games
How business customers choose & buy products based on playing online games
– Presented by Bob Johnson, VP, Principal Analyst, IDG Connect - New Research

Panel Topics

Biz-Game-Play with Customers:
Companies are beginning to use games for marketing and sales purposes - to engage prospects, retain and improve customer relations. How can business and social games be effective in creating new customer engagement that delivers value to the players along with customer intelligence and ROI to the company? How is social gaming creating new business opportunities and educational solutions related to different industries, e.g. health, energy, education and finance? What will be the effect on how people share information and interact?

• Showcasing examples of current online applications that use gaming technology/design for customer engagement, marketing , online sales and lead generation, etc...

 

Biz-Game-Play with Employees:
Taking games from the virtual world into the real world. Learn about the new trends in game play being used within companies to innovate, solve problems, train and educate employees. Find out what kinds of games are being used today to foster team building, improve employee education and business processes such as knowledge management. What is Gamestorming and what difference can it make to your company?

• Showcasing examples how game play can be used effectively within organizations to innovate, improve knowledge management, train and motivate employees.

 

Future-Game-Play:
What are the new trends in business gaming? Who’s currently investing in this arena and where is the money going?

Where will this market be in 3 years? How will mobile gaming technologies change the way businesses interact with customers in the future?

• Showcasing gaming trends for business, social and mobile games – B2B and B2C.

 

SPONSORS

Media Partners

 

The Biz-Play Forum will have its own Biz-Play Channel on FORA.tv. (100,000+ subscribers). The conference will be promoted on FORA.TV and its affiliates and will be filmed with Live Webcast access to the event via paid registration. Afterwards it will also be viewable online throughout the year on FORA.tv and via Comcast.

Sponsorship Opportunities

Thought leadership events help to position your organization and speakers as forward thinkers and market leaders. Gain valuable exposure and help build your organization’s reputation as a trusted advisor.

We offer custom packages for thought leadership events that are integrated into your company's larger thought leadership branding objectives. We work closely with you on all phases of the event: pre-event, at the event and post-event to maximize tangible returns on your investment.

Sponsorship Benefits:

• Sponsor’s brand name referenced with media associated with the event

• Showcase sponsor’s expertise as a speaker at the event

• Event filmed and use of video for sponsor’s own brand marketing campaigns

• Sponsor’s logo and web links on The Thought Bank Event website

• Meet with senior decision makers in your markets

• Distribute key thought leadership research and your company's value added materials

• Invite key target customers and partners to attend the event

• Opportunity to host exclusive dinner or breakfast with speakers and attendees

Who will attend: We anticipate a dynamic gathering of 250-300 business executives, gaming and social media company executives, game developers, marketing executives, academics, venture capitalists, entrepreneurs and the media. This event pertains to those who are interested in getting a better understanding of this market, its future, the current players and those who wish to tap into new ways to improve customer engagement and generate leads via game methodologies. It will offer companies a new way to attract the next generation of workers, foster product innovation and encourage team collaboration by harnessing the power of engagement through play using gaming technologies and social communities. In addition to the in-person audience there will also be an online audience viewing the event live through a Webcast on FORA.tv and Comcast.

REGISTRATION

Both in-person attendee and live webcast registration for the Biz-Play Forum will be available soon. If you would like us to send you an email notification when registration becomes available, please send an email to registration@thethoughtbank.com with Subj: Registration for Biz-Play Forum. Thank you.

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