The format is a two-day seminar featuring visionary business leaders with keynote speeches from UK government ministers.

Time	Wednesday, 4 October - PRINCESS ANNE ROOM	Time	Thursday, 5 October - PRINCESS ANNE ROOM
9:15-9:30	Intro from Elspa	9:00-9:15	Intro from Tiga
9:30-10:00	Opening Keynote by Lord Sainsbury	9:15-9:45	Keynote by Shaun Woodward
10:00-11:00	Virtual Customers:  Competing in the Online Entertainment Business Cindy Armstrong Webzen America	9:45-10:45	The Games Industry: Competing for Audiences and Wallet Share Chair: Adam Singer MCPS-PRS Alliance
11:00-11:30	Networking Break	10:45-11:00	Networking Break
11:30-12:00	Epic Games Sponsored Session: Unreal Engine 3	11:00-11:30	The Future of Games Recruitment: The UK a Talent Pool in Crisis? Matthew Jeffery Electronic Arts Europe
		11:30-12:00	The State of the US Gaming Market Mike Vorhaus Frank N. Magid Associates
12:00-13:00	Lunch sponsored by	12:00-13:00	Lunch sponsored by
13:00-14:00	Keynote: Digital Reality Michael Denny Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studio	13:00-14:00	Digital Distribution Panel Moderator: Gabe Zicherman Boonty
14:00-14:45	Alternate Reality Games - Five Years In Adrian Hon Mind Candy	14:00-14:45	Making Licensing for Mobile Work David Gosen iPlay
14:45-15:15	Networking Break	14:45-15:15	Networking Break
15:15-16:00	Taking Lionhead from Inception to Microsoft Peter Molyneux Lionhead Studios	15:15-16:00	Everything You Know About MMOGs is Wrong: Why the Online Business Model is the Way Forward in a Global, Digitised Economy Thomas Bidaux NCsoft Europe
16:00-17:00	Information is power - What You Need to Know - When - to Succeed with New IP Sean Dromgoole Some Research and GameVision		NO SESSION

Session Descriptions

Virtual Customers: Competing in the Online Entertainment Business
Cindy Armstrong, Webzen America

Massively Multiple Player Online Games (MMOGs) have reached phenomenal levels of success in Asia and are reaching into Europe and the US. Developers, publishers, investors and even retailers are looking into the model to see how they can tap into the potentially lucrative market. However, with any new opportunity, challenges exist.

In this session Cindy answers among other questions the following:

Who is the online gamer?
Why are customer service and community so important?
Do you market differently to an online gamer vs. a traditional retail consumer?
Will the online business model change?

And finally, what are the "got-ya's" when developing and publishing an MMOG

Keynote: Digital Reality
Michael Denny, Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studio [Europe]

Digital Distribution is the current industry topic that evokes constant
debate and the most polarised of opinions. Michael Denny takes a closer
look at what a Network focused future will mean for the Industry. In
particular: Consumer choice and demands; Content planning and production;
Community creation and retention; Economic rules and realities.

Information is Power - What You Need to Know - When - to Succeed with New IP
Sean Dromgoole, Some Research and GameVision

Using the example of a new game Tribe, the world's first massively multiplayer beat'em up, Sean Dromgoole will explain what consumer knowledge is available and how to find out the extra knowledge you need to get your game to the top of the maximum number of gamers most wanted list....

The role and importance of each of the following will be discussed:
· Developing a clear cut concept
· Sizing the potential market
· Assessing the competition
· Positioning
· Ensuring product polish
· Communication and Media Strategy
· Execution research
· Pre- and post-tracking
· What-do-we-do-next?

Get these ducks in a row and your new IP will fly...

The State of the US Gaming Market
Mike Vorhaus, Frank N. Magid Associates

Mike Vorhaus will present a summary of key findings for the U.S. gaming industry based on a study in Spring of 2006 focused on 1800 U.S. households, speaking to primary and secondary gamers, from ages 12 to 64, across all platforms – console, online, PC, handheld, and mobile.

Gain a fresh look at the state of the U.S. gaming consumer – the overlap across platforms, motivations for play, key marketing essentials, as well as a look at female gamers and lapsed gamers – how do we get them back? We will also look at new console penetration and intent to buy in the U.S.

Alternate Reality Games - Five Years In
Adrian Hon, Mind Candy

Five years ago, alternate reality games (ARGs) burst onto the internet in the shape of The Beast and Majestic. Since then, the genre has grown into many areas, including TV, film and book tie-ins, and the term 'ARG' now encapsulates all cross-media entertainment projects, including the 'Lost' TV series. Despite this progress, ARGs still trail behind more traditional MMOGs in size and profit. This talk will explore what the next five years will hold for the genre, and present a post-mortem of the first commercially successful ARG, Perplex City.

The Future of Games Recruitment: The UK - A Talent Pool in Crisis?
Matthew Jeffrey, Electronic Arts Europe

In this presentation Matthew Jeffrey will talk about the future of recruitment and address issues including: The UK talent pool in crisis; warns of wage spiral; talks on next generation; The service of recruitment agencies; the perils of headhunting; the rise of gaming degrees in the UK and why a number will fail; the need for diversity hiring; moving to a freelance model; and is gaming the next Hollywood.

Making Licensing for Mobile Work
David Gosen, I-Play

David Gosen from I-Play discusses his approach to successfully developing licensed properties. He focuses on techniques used to work effectively with Hollywood as well as the natural benefits of working with the mobile platform (time to market, distribution, etc).

Everything You Know About MMOGs is Wrong: Why the Online Business Model is the Way Forward in a Global, Digitised Economy
Thomas Bidaux, NCsoft Europe

Massively multiplayer online games (MMOGs) have hit the financial headlines but what are the hidden truths behind the media hype surrounding this rapidly evolving marketplace? Who are the real players and who are the pretenders? And just how does the business model work, both locally and on the global stage?

At a time when traditional console publishers are taking a serious look at the online sector and becoming enthralled at the much-mooted potential customer base, the established heavyweights from the Far East have been flexing their muscles as everyone else plays catch up.

In this session, Thomas Bidaux seeks to overturn the traditional perceptions of MMOGs. He will explore the issues of accessibility and the impact on potential audience figures; there will be a frank discussion on ROI - the opportunities and the pitfalls; and he will take a long hard look at the strategic future of the genre.

Taking Lionhead from Inception to Microsoft
Peter Molyneux and Mark Webley, Lionhead Studios

Having your development studio acquired doesn’t mean the loss of creative freedom if you can find the right partner. In fact in the right circumstances it can give developers the financial security to focus on what they’re really good at - making games, whilst letting the experts take care of the financial headache of running a business. However getting there can be anything but smooth. Lionhead Studios’ Peter Molyneux and Mark Webley retrospectively cover the eventual acquiring of Lionhead Studios by Microsoft and document the events that culminated in the companies joining forces in April 2006. This talk frankly covers the highs and lows of this process and hopefully will help other developers avoid some of the pitfalls that Lionhead encountered during this long and arduous process.

The Games Industry: Competing for Audiences and Wallet Share (Produced by the British Screen Advisory Council)
Chair: Adam Singer, Ofcom Content Board, and Group CEO, MCPS-PRS Alliance
Panelists to be announced

The presentation provides a snapshot overview of audience levels and average consumer spend levels (segmented into different demographic groups) across a number of different forms of entertainment and platforms. It also shows the extent to which games are growing their audience bases and revenues compared to cinema, DVDs, TV, music etc. Panelists respond to the presentation, and discuss the various ways in which the games industry can maintain and build its audience bases, as competition for audiences increases across a number of different media and delivery platforms. For example - how can games broaden their appeal to relatively untapped market segments (e.g. females, young children and people over the age of 30) and bring in new revenue streams? How might marketing strategies for games change in the face of ever increasing competition for consumers' wallet share?

Digital Distribution Panel
Moderator: Gabe Zichermann, Boonty

Industry analyst reports indicate that the growth in the digital distribution of videogames is expected to grow dramatically in the next couple of years. At the forefront of digital distribution are a select group of companies that have turned it into a viable business and will continue to define what is still being looked at as an emerging market. But at what cost and how are they really doing it? What are some of the advantages and challenges these developers are facing? What are the market trends?

This panel of experts discuss what's happening now in the trenches of the digital download revolution. Attendees hear perspectives about the realities of this tough channel, what is and isn't working, and what its future holds –not only for those that have a stake in the market but for those interested in entering it.