Dallas, TX June 6, 2005 — Parks Associates today announced the preliminary topics for Fall Focus: Making Media Meaningful, an executive conference on media personalization and consumer habits that will take place November 9-11, 2005, at the Fairmont San Jose in Calif.
Hosted annually by Parks Associates, Fall Focus: Making Media Meaningful will address changing consumer habits in this era of digital entertainment and media personalization. The event will feature industry-leading speakers who will discuss in an interactive environment the opportunities, successes, and obstacles in this evolving digital domain.
“The notions of media personalization and easy access have changed significantly from the days of the remote control and car radio presets,” said Kurt Scherf, vice president and principal analyst for Parks Associates. “Fall Focus will provide attendees with analysis and commentary from many companies shaping the future of media delivery and consumption. Attendees will leave with a fresh perspective on the critical role of the consumer in determining the success of new solutions for both self-created and commercial media.”
Fall Focus sessions will address the following issues, among others:
• Does having high-quality digital content at home decrease the consumer’s propensity to go to movies and concerts?
• Does ownership of wireless technology affect other consumer habits — TV viewing or consumption of music, movies, and news?
• Do easy access to local information and the ability to buy movie tickets online tend to increase, decrease, or have no effect on movie attendance and movie rentals?
• If consumers have the ability to skip commercials, do they actually use it? If so, how can advertisers reach these consumers?
• In an era of pop-up ads, spam, product placements, and additional advertising beyond the traditional broadcast model, which methods are working, and which need adjustment?
• Since digital technology allows for the creation of identical high-quality copies of commercial content, are people getting what they want from friends or family, or does the increased exposure to high-quality content increase their purchase of DVDs?
• What influences changes in consumer habits? Are changing habits a combination of product and Internet, a function of Internet alone, a function of comfort and time with these new tools, or some combination of the above?
• Are there specific market segments that based on discovered habits, demographics, or product ownership patterns show predictable patterns in the acquisition and use of today’s advanced products and services?
Keynotes, presentations, and discussions at this event will cover topics such as software tools for media editing and sharing, new designs and functionality for user interfaces (both graphic and physical), the growing role of niche content, and the changing nature of advertising and marketing in the digital age. Parks Associates is currently accepting speaker submissions through the Call For Papers form at www.fallfocus.com. Deadline to submit is July 28, 2005.
Fall Focus events host 250-300 executives and provide a full analysis and evaluation of the “focus” topic. Early sponsors for Fall Focus 2005 include Gold Sponsor Entropic Communications and Silver Sponsor Digital 5, Inc. For more information on attending this event or participating as a sponsor, visit www.fallfocus.com.
About Fall Focus
Hosted annually by Parks Associates, Fall Focus provides a full analysis and evaluation of the “focus” topic. This executive conference features speakers who are leaders in their industries, with Parks Associates’ analysts providing consumer data and analysis of the topic. The moderator creates an interactive forum for each session, providing attendees with time to ask questions, network with peers, and actively investigate the “focus” topic. A Display Area showcases the Fall Focus sponsors and their technologies and products.
