Agency Blog – January 2009
WHITEPAPER ON HOW ECOMMERCE CUSTOMER SERVICES CAN MAXIMISE SALES
30 January 2009
Teleperformance has today issued a whitepaper with eDigitalResearch, one of the UK’s leading providers of digital research.
The paper shows the findings of the latest benchmarking study, highlighting the aggressive sales tactics used by online retailers in the lead up to Christmas.
Teleperformance is the world’s largest contact centre outsourcer, employing over 88,000 people worldwide. It works with many leading retail brands, helping to maximise their sales and customer retention rates from onshore, nearshore and offshore locations.
“We know from our global experience that many UK high-street retailers are not using the multi-channel marketing techniques that we know are delivering great results. There are many who still do not offer services such as buy online and pick up in store, “click to call” or knowledgeable agent support for customers who do not wish to self-serve, “ comments Adam Gould, Director of Commercial Sector Services at Teleperformance.
Chris Russell, Director of eDigitalResearch comments: “The underlying message that runs through these results in continuing consumer confidence in the online channel which has remained robust throughout the festive period. We expect to see this continue with the online retail channel at the forefront of aggressive sales activity during 2009. No doubt the consumer will continue to respond to these aggressive tactics and search out the bargains.”
A copy of the whitepaper is available from Teleperformance on +44117 916 8000 or email liz.taylor@teleperformance.co.uk
TIME TO INVEST IN A DIGITAL TV AERIAL
29 January 2009
With the ‘switch-off’ of the TV analogue signal starting to roll out nationally, it’s time to invest in a new digital aerial to replace the old analogue one on your roof.
Even now, if you live in a weak signal area, there’s no reason for your television reception not to be clear, sharp and beautifully defined.
The One For All Digital Antenna gives you a cost-effective solution to bringing outdoor terrestrial signals into your home – and it’s ‘future-proof’ too! Part of a range of aerials, the One For All SV 9355 is a Digital Terrestrial aerial (DVBT/Freeview/TNT) and is HD ready.
It’s easy to install in just three steps – or you can have it professionally installed at a specially discounted price.
For full details regarding the digital switchover, visit
http://www.digitaltelevision.gov.uk/ Your current aerial may need to be replaced or upgraded to receive digital TV through your aerial after the switchover.
IRISH WEB DESIGN COMPANY INNOVATES TO BEAT RECESSION!
26 January 2009
With a recession upon us, many companies find themselves with cash flow problems and inevitable budget cuts to be made. For the past few years, business was easy to come by and little marketing was required for many companies but it is now time to brush up and show potential customers out there why they should choose your company over your competitors. The internet offers a wealth of opportunities but in order to capitalise on
those you need the right tools.
Flo Web Design Ltd, an Irish based company with over 7 years of experience may have the solution to your problems. They have just launched an innovative solution and are now the first and only web design company in Ireland to offer a website finance option.
The idea is simple, Flo Web Design Ltd will build a website entirely tailored to your company, as it would for any other project and will spread the payments for a period of between one and three years. They offer options for their customers to pay part of the site up front or use their finance option for the site’s entire value. At the end of the finance period the site will belong to the customer in full. This option is also available on larger websites such as e-commerce websites and bundles with website design and search engine marketing packages.
“Recently we have seen a substantial increase in demand for website revamp and first time sites,” Olivier Florence managing director of the company explains, “obviously businesses are concerned about their image and competitiveness but we increasingly find that people have to put such projects on hold because they simply don’t have the money, even if the services we offer are very competitive. Some opt for the very cheap options available out there and end with websites that are incomplete, not looking professional or badly finished, hence ending with a site reflecting badly on their company.
“We wanted to offer those companies an alternative and the option to have a professional site at a very affordable price. We then came up with the idea of ‘payment by instalments’. It is a known fact that businesses that promote in a recession do much better than those who don’t.
“I am confident that our website finance option will appeal to many,” adds Florence, “after all we are now able to deliver a full 20 pages brochure site including contact forms, image galleries, news, blog etc and an easy to use content management system for under 70 per month. The number of projects we will take on under our finance option will be limited and based on approval, after all, we too have to look after our cash flow!’
The company, which operates nationwide, believes in price transparency and offers fully inclusive packages. As part of its extension plan for 2008/2009 Flo Web Design Ltd were already innovating by launching its own brand of content management system earlier this year, Flo CMS version 3.
Further information can be found at www.flocms.ie
RECESSION-BUSTING MARKETING – STRATEGIES TOP COMPANIES USE TO BOOST MARKETING ROI
26 January 2009
Success in today’s budget constrained, ROI-dominated marketing world can be achieved by following three best-in-class principles, according to a recent webinar from Aberdeen Group and Portrait Software.
Based on Aberdeen Group research ‘Customer analytic segmentation beyond demographics’ into best-in-class organisations; and real-life experience from Portrait Software, the webinar explored how top-performing organisations are leveraging more than just demographics for campaign segmentation, and are delivering demonstrably higher performance as a result.
During the webinar Ian Michiels, Aberdeen Group’s Practice Leader, Customer Management Technology Group, discussed the changing ‘real-life’ definition of SPAM, how message relevance is now king and the role heavy personalisation plays in the success of best-in-class organisations.
Portrait’s EVP, Sales and Marketing, Mark Smith, also noted the growing proportion of mental opt-outs due to lack of relevance, the amount of captured data that is being overlooked in campaign analytics and how one organisation achieved a 327% increase in incremental revenue and 400% ROI through the application of the three principles.
As noted in the webinar, the three best in class guiding principles used by organisations to weather the downturn and achieve segmentation success are:
1. Increased focus on message relevancy and intimacy to build a personal relationship
2. Apply analytics for greater results in cross-sell, up-sell and retention
3. Focus on tangible measurement
Due to the overwhelming response to the live webinar, a recorded version is now available as an on-demand download
BRAND REPUTATION PROVES THAT SMART CSR WILL PAY FOR ITSELF
26 January 2009
Brands that employ smart cost-saving CSR programmes could generate enough cash to fund their entire CSR strategy, according to London marcomms agency Brand Reputation, after their MD helped a national restaurant chain save over £180,000 in landfill taxes.
Brand Reputation’s MD Graeme Crossley, who has worked with a range of household names including The Coca-Cola Company, Sainsbury’s and WHSmith, was enlisted by a national restaurant chain to identify and implement a CSR strategy, which resulted in the chain saving over £180,000 this year in landfill taxes. Crossley claims that there are a host of similar organizational ‘hot spots’ in which valuable cost savings can be made, freeing up more cash to reinvest in CSR without having to cut costs in other areas.
“Think about the potential impact of instantly saving of £180,000 in current climate. Even if you reinvested £80,000 of that into community-focused initiatives, you’d still be £100,000 up on last year. Not only would the brand gain valuable publicity through donating such a sizeable amount to charitable initiatives, but the company would be financially better off too, which in the current climate is an achievement in itself”, says Crossley, who has over 15 years experience in communications and CSR.
Amidst news that big brands such as General Electric and Intel have pledged to maintain their CSR spends over the coming year, Crossley believes that many brands still seem to be competing for who can invest the most money into their CSR programmes during the credit crunch, rather than on whose initiatives provide the most benefit to the business itself, as well as the wider community.
“While it is great to hear about the $160 million that General Electric donated in 2007 and Intel’s commitment of $300,000 to education and development in countries like Afghanistan and Cambodia, what concerns me is that it seems like the focus is always on cash going out of a business through CSR, rather than the savings that can be made through implementing smart CSR initiatives. Most brands that I speak to don’t realise that CSR initiatives aren’t just about leveraging PR but can actually save the business a substantial amount of money, which in the current climate will help the business to be more financially stable and ultimately, sustainable”, says Crossley.
ELSIS SOLUTION LETS OPERATORS BREAK THROUGH BARRIERS TO ADVANCED SMS SERVICES
26 January 2009
Telsis today unveils the new era of SMS, the world’s first and only complete solution for the rapid creation, roll-out and management of custom advanced SMS services throughout their entire life cycle.
Surveys carried out for Telsis in three major European cities showed up to half of phone users want to do more with SMS and would use and pay for advanced services.
The Telsis new era SMS solution gives mobile operators a low-risk, low impact way to meet and grow this demand, exploiting a complete technology and services model to build, roll out and manage advanced SMS services that create differentiation and generate new revenues – and do it in days, rather than months or years.
The Telsis model has four-tiers, first of which is the proven foundation of SMS Router, pioneered by Telsis and now acknowledged globally as the gold standard in next-generation messaging network technology.
Tier two, which Telsis debuted at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona last year, is Telsis Advanced Services, an application-hosting platform pre-loaded with a suite of core SMS services and able to run many more.
Today, the two final tiers of the Telsis solution are unveiled –
ServiceCentral, a service creation platform, and FrontRunner, a complete consultancy and technical assistance programme.
ServiceCentral uses the same Intelligent Network service creation technology that Telsis has widely deployed in voice networks throughout the world. It enables Telsis or its partners to rapidly build the most complex of fully custom service flows, then edit them to smoothly transition applications from live service trials to full roll-outs. Usability is a key element in new service acceptance by subscribers, so ServiceCentral enables a range of options for phone-user control including SMS and Web interfaces, plus dedicated control by external systems for enterprise applications.
The FrontRunner programme lets operators supplement on an as-needed basis in-house marketing, engineering and operations teams with Telsis specialists. Together, they conceive, market-test, build, roll out and manage any number of advanced SMS services, exploiting to maximum advantage, lowest risk and lowest cost the power of the model’s technology layers.
“For some time operators have been telling us that they see the revenue growth and churn reduction opportunities offered by advanced SMS, but are fearful of the perceived risk to the stability of their networks and frustrated by the competing demands on in-house resource,” says Telsis CEO Simon Brown. “With our new era solution we’re showing a practical, affordable and low-risk route to achieving major competitive and bottom-line pay-backs through advanced SMS.”
Says Declan Lonergan, vice president of Yankee Group’s consumer research group: “SMS is a core element in what subscribers look for when choosing a mobile service, but until now operators have only had one lever to pull to make their offer more attractive, and that’s price. This is a sure sign of a commoditising product. The net result is that in some markets SMS revenues are flattening off despite volumes continuing to climb. The emergence of more advanced SMS schemes give operators the opportunity to compete on service, utility and innovation.”
Telsis products are in use with major mobile and fixed network operators worldwide. The company has an extensive range of carrier-grade infrastructure solutions including SMS Routing and IN voice platforms, as well as media gateways for NGN and VoIP support. Telsis has a long history of enabling operators to benefit from the introduction of innovative value added services, and is now leading the industry in defining a new global standard for SMS service usability and customer experience.
USE SEO SERVICES TO BEAT THE CREDIT CRUNCH IN 2009 AND INCREASE WEB TRAFFIC BY UP TO 1000%
23 January 2009
With businesses and consumers complaining about the ‘credit crunch’ crisis, Lee Smith, Director of Marketing for Utopia Creative Solutions says: “2009 could be the best time to get your website to the top of the search engines using search engine optimisation (SEO), due to the cost effective and long-term benefits to businesses”.
With high returns on investment (ROI) and proven results, website SEO is in high demand and to win new business you need to be on the top ten results to attract lucrative web traffic.
19% of companies have increased their online advertising spend, just when marketing budgets are being lowered. The UK’s top two websites in November 2008 were Google with 30.3 million visits and MSN/Windows Live with 23.9 million visits, this is a clear indication that website owners need to capitalise on the proven powers of website promotion via SEO.
With industries being hit by the economy and companies finding it harder to win contracts, now is a good time to invest in a reputable SEO company, which will have long-term benefits for your company web sites if done correctly and ethically.
JOHNSTON PRESS RELEASES ‘BUYER DATA LIST’ THROUGH HOWSE JACKSON MARKETING
21 January 2009
Johnston Press, one of the UK’s top three local newspaper publishing groups, is releasing its buyer data list exclusively through Howse Jackson Marketing.
Completely new to market, the file has been generated by retail transactions, competitions, reader offers and personal classified advertisers across the full suite of Johnston Press’ local titles & websites throughout the UK.
Consisting initially of 160,000 postal and 32,000 TPS-screened telephone records, the file volume is expected to rise to well over one million records by late 2009.
The data set profile consists primarily of people aged 35-55, 61% female, who are affluent high spenders and heavy mail order users with children at home. Financially savvy, these individuals also highly value their immediate community and are interested in local issues. The file is expected to work well for mail order, financial, credit cards, book clubs, magazine subscriptions and gardening offers.
Selections include: geographic; recency; gender; source; telephone
numbers.
Base Rental: £110/000
Telephone Numbers: £50/000
Selections: £15
Minimum Order: 5,000 records
Lindsey Sandom-Brown, Head of Data at Howse Jackson Marketing, says: “This is an important source of fresh data for direct marketers – not only is it completely new to market but it is made up of financially astute individuals who are used to ordering online or via mail order. We expect it to perform at the higher end of expectations and are delighted to have been appointed to bring it to market.”
ORGANISATIONS WORLDWIDE CONTINUE TO INVEST IN MARKETING WITHOUT EFFECTIVE
20 January 2009
Alterian Annual Survey reveals difficulties facing marketers and predicts on and offline spending patterns for 2009
2009 will see companies continue to invest significantly into online marketing, although less than half (47 percent) of marketers actually use analytics to measure their campaigns. This is the key finding of the sixth Alterian (LSE: ALN) Annual Marketing Survey.
Online marketing investment is predicted to increase for the 6th consecutive year as organisations begin to look to social networks as well as email, SEO and pay-per-click advertising. Yet alarmingly, only 47 per cent use analytics to measure the success of this activity. A quarter of those surveyed cite analysing results as the hardest part of any campaign.
David Eldridge, CEO Alterian said: “With the current economic climate, it is refreshing to see results that show businesses investing in areas that can directly drive sales – essential in this market. What is less encouraging is the low number of marketers who use analytics to evaluate and refine their campaigns.”
With responses from more than 1,500 marketers, agencies, marketing services providers and systems integrators, the survey provides a comprehensive analysis of spending and investment priorities for the industry over the coming year.
Despite the widespread coverage of the death of offline media and marketing, only a fifth of those surveyed are predicting a reduction in offline marketing investment, with 38 per cent predicting it will actually increase. Online direct marketing is also set to see healthy growth this year, with nearly two-thirds (62 per cent) of organisations citing planned increases in budgets.
Marketers are still using multiple applications to do their job, with around a quarter of respondents using more than seven applications on campaigns. With more than half of those surveyed (51 per cent) using between three and six applications it means that a vast majority of marketers are attempting to analyse data from disparate systems, with little or no integration.
Eldridge continued: “Multichannel marketing is commonplace in 2009, but the challenge for marketers is to measure the value and draw results across these various systems in order to provide a true picture of ROI back to the business. This seems to be a tough challenge for many organisations as they continue to market in the dark.”
The survey also provided interesting insights into the importance of a website in the overall marketing mix. One-fifth of respondents claimed that their website was only ‘basic’ and not at the core of its marketing activity, but with increased investment predicted in online marketing channels, companies need to better understand the importance of the website in effectively underpinning its online presence. This demonstrates a need for companies to better understand the channels available to them before investing their marketing funds.
Eldridge concluded: “Online marketing offers organisations almost limitless ways of engaging with their customers and prospects, but in the rush to make the most of these new technologies some businesses are getting the basics wrong. Marketers must not forget that their own website is the destination that many of their activities drive customers and prospects to, and they need to be extracting the maximum value this cornerstone of any forward-thinking company’s marketing activity.”
SURVEY FINDS 6% OF SME OWNERS MORE LIKELY TO DIVORCE THAN CHANGE IT SUPPORT COMPANY!
19 January 2009
A survey of small business owners in Hertfordshire and Essex by Shadowfax Technology has revealed that 6% would be more likely to divorce or change their life partner than move to a new IT Support provider!
Says MD Adam Pedder “We were astonished by the findings. We knew that many companies felt that the perceived ‘pain’ of changing supplier prevented them moving but we never thought that some would rather get divorced! It shows how important a good IT Support company is to a small business!”
The survey was undertaken with 210 small businesses in Hertfordshire and Essex in January.
Potential reasons for changing IT Support provider included the business outgrowing them (30%), too expensive (41%), poor value for money (47%) and not being knowledgeable enough (47%)
As a result of the survey Shadowfax (www.shadowfaxtechnology.co.uk) are now amending their services to improve the changeover process.
PR TRAINING IS THE LOW-COST SOLUTION TO BEAT THE CREDIT CRUNCH AND SAVE ON MARKETING BUDGETS
19 January 2009
London, 19 January 2009: PR training courses can assist organisations to save money on marketing at low cost to beat the credit crunch, according to The PR Training Centre’s principal presenter Jacqui Green.
Says Jacqui: “Our one-day PR training workshops have been designed to be the most cost effective way of dealing with adverse market conditions, when sales slow down. Advertising is expensive, and price-cutting product promotions can damage revenue.
“But PR is the lowest-cost way to build brand awareness and extend market penetration of products and services.
“Companies of every size are finding it pays to deploy the very latest PR skills, especially in the field of Online Digital PR as well as Web PR and marketing, and our one-day workshops are the ‘royal road’ to acquiring those skills, enjoyably and efficiently.”
PR Training courses from The PR Training Centre exceeded customer satisfaction levels of 98 per cent for all courses delivered in 2008. The proportion of delegates saying that courses met their needs ‘well’ or ‘very well’ has reached its highest level ever.
PR Skills Workshop, the PR Training Centre’s most popular one-day course, will next be run in Covent Garden, London, on Monday 2 February and a few seats are still available. For details see
http://www.theprtrainingcentre.com/pr_training_courses.html.
OVER HALF UK SET TO INCREASE ECOMMERCE SPEND FOR CHRISTMAS 2009
19 January 2009
Third annual Logan Tod Online Shopping Index reveals increased satisfaction and rising ecommerce uptake from older demographics are driving growth.
According to figures released by the IMRG, e-tailers enjoyed a rise in online Christmas shopping, despite the economic downturn. The figures highlight that, as predicted in the 2008 Logan Tod Online Shopping Index, there was an increase in online shopping equivalent to £653.2 m.
Released today, the 2009 edition of the Index, which reviews and predicts consumers’ attitudes towards online Christmas spend, has forecast that UK adults intend to increase online purchases for Christmas 2009. The research also indicates that consumers will spend more with e-tailers who demonstrate better availability of product, effective search tools and smarter delivery options.
Matthew Tod, Chief Executive at Logan Tod, explains: “It is encouraging to see how accurate the 2008 Index and predictions have proven, despite such a turbulent year.
“With 53 per cent of those surveyed intending to increase online purchases for Christmas ‘09, online retailers can look to see a sustained growth level as consumers continue to adopt the habit of online shopping.
“The main challenge for online store managers during Christmas 2009 is therefore going to be maintaining average order values in the face of lower prices and greater competition”.
The 2009 Logan Tod Online Shopping Index has highlighted which attributes lead to an increase in Christmas sales. Retailers who had previously met consumer expectations benefited over the Christmas period, with online being no different. 70 per cent of UK adults cited previous good experience as a key factor in which sites they visited.
Once arrived at an online retailer, consumers listed in order of importance for conversion: availability of product (71 per cent), effective search tools (70 per cent) and smarter delivery options (70%). In terms of delivery, the research highlighted that people are happy to wait for delivery if it comes at a discounted price.
The wider use of search engines has been the key to driving traffic to sites. While social media was not a prominent driver this year, it did have a larger effect amongst younger audiences.
The previous Index (2008) predicted that those in the 45-54+ age bracket signified the biggest opportunity for online retailers. As this demographic has become more comfortable with online shopping, they now represent the best growth sector, with over 60% of respondents from this group indicating they will buy more online this Christmas.
Matthew Tod concludes: “Based on the results of the 2009 Logan Tod Online Shopping Index, while consumers will buy more through the internet, they are going to be shopping around more than ever before. Intelligent retailers will be those who improve the overall customer experience, and who focus on the high growth demographics”.
PR SUCCESS MONTHLY e-NEWSLETTER IS LAUNCHED
19 January 2009
The January issue of PR Success Monthly, a new e-newsletter for PR and marketing professionals, features 10 top tips for handling PR in the recession.
The newsletter, published by New Venture Publishing, also includes the first of a regular “five minutes with…” slot in which editors explain frankly what they want and don’t want from PR.
In the January number, Andrew Sawers, editor of Incisive Media’s Financial Director magazine, points out: “The most successful PR people don’t try to solve their client’s problems. They try to help editors solve their readers’ problems.”
The e-newsletter has a feature on why singer and fashion designer Gwen Stefani became such a great celebrity endorsement for maternity fashion and children’s goods retailer Mamas & Papas.
In the first of a regular series, Press Release Clinic looks at how to craft a release introduction that has editors sitting up and taking notice rather than reaching for their delete button.
And there’s news of a survey in which 115 PR clients tell what they look for when they study proposals from agencies pitching for their business.
PR Success Monthly is free to professionals in public relations and marketing who register to receive it.
The January issue can be seen at http://www.prsuccess.co.uk
COMPANY DIRECTORS ‘SHOOT THEMSELVES’ AS THE RECESSION STARTS TO BITE
19 January 2009
Using Online Video to promote your business is often seen as more Footse 100 than Farmers market, but Somerset -based Video Direct is rapidly turning the world of online video production on its head.
Video Direct provides its unique ‘white labelled’ service on a wholesale basis to the UK’s largest magazine and newspaper publishers, online directory owners and web designers who resell the service to advertisers and clients at their own retail price.
Rewind a few years and Video Direct founder Richard Counsell aged 32, was starting his career selling food at Farmers’ markets. It was here that he quickly realised how much people enjoyed meeting the producer of the food and getting to know them in a way that was totally different to visiting a supermarket.
This insight gained from working on a cold market stall, was the inspiration he needed to look for a way to combine the convenience of the internet and a better way for people to meet the person behind the product or service before they buy. The answer was affordable online video promoted by some of the biggest brands in the UK.
With the rise of sites like YouTube and the BBC’ss iPlayer, watching video on your computer is now increasingly familiar for consumers. The big challenge for Video Direct was how to make online video production affordable and effective for SME sized businesses.
The solution was to create a low cost system that is ‘more Ryanair than British Airways’ to reflect the current climate. To compliment its premium videos created by a nationwide network of over 200 local cameramen, its recession-busting Value Package involves the business owner using an easy to use filming kit for them to ‘shoot’ themselves. This is then sent back to Video Direct to be professionally edited and hosted for 12 months. This unique approach has enabled publishers to hit the magic £500 retail price point for a professionally edited and streamed online video.
This groundbreaking approach is allowing businesses of all sizes and from every sector to use online video to tell their story, helping customers to see behind the scenes and understand the quality of the product or service.
Just like a farmers market, a wide range of firms from fashionistas to farmers are now using the service to show their customers more about their product or service, how it is made and what makes them different in these uncertain times.
Says Richard: “We are delighted Video Direct is running on fast forward using innovation to deliver exceptional value for money in these difficult times has kept us on course to produce over 2000 videos in 2009 and as an added bonus our office is a lot warmer than the market stall!”
End: Example videos can be seen at http://www.video-direct.co.uk
DON’T UNDERSELL YOURSELF SAY WOMEN IN IT
15 January 2009
“Many women graduates in all sectors start on a lower salary than male graduates with the same qualifications because they don’t ask for a higher amount in the first place. Don’t undersell yourself!”
This is the message from just one of the inspirational female technologists profiled by womenintechnology.co.uk in anticipation of W-Tech, an event that the career and networking portal is hosting with the British Computer Society in February.
Penny Bailey, quoted above, is a single mother of two, who after creating her own database programme founded her own company, which now has 170 clients worldwide. Becky Duffy’s IT career has taken her to Australia, Sri Lanka, Thailand and the Philippines, while after facing redundancy from her consultancy position, Diane O’Brien used her career break to combine freelancing, networking and training all while looking for a permanent job.
“Through BCS and other events I met working women, some of whom had had career breaks for various reasons, and got advice from them. It was hard to find a formal mentor: women are in a small minority in IT and there aren’t enough in higher positions” commented O’Brien.
W-Tech is a career development event for women working at all levels in IT and will be an opportunity to meet an array of inspirational women who have excelled in what is often thought to be a male dominated industry.
“These women have achieved great successes in their careers and there are so many more out there who are examples of just what you can achieve working in IT,” says Maggie Berry, Director of womenintechnology.co.uk.
“W-Tech will be a great opportunity to meet some of those women, share stories and get valuable advice on a wide range of career issues. We’ll have some truly inspirational figures there who can really help renew your commitment to your career.”
W-Tech will take place on 3rd February in London and will feature a range of seminars, speakers and networking opportunities. For more information on the event or the role models mentioned please visit www.wtech-event.co.uk.
INTERNATIONAL EXPERTS CONVERGE ON LONDON TO ASSESS CLOUD COMPUTING
08 January 2009
A stellar line up of international experts on cloud computing will converge in Westminster, London 2-3 February for the first ever European conference to assess the challenges and opportunities of cloud computing. Consulting firm BroadGroup which has researched and organised the conference, say that Cloud Computing has the potential to be the biggest change to the technology industry since the emergence of the World Wide Web.
Speakers from Google, HP Labs, IBM, Salesforce.com, Canonical, Akamai, Arjuna, OpSource, Royal Bank of Scotland, Credit Suisse, Zimory, Cisco, Cohesive FT, Mamut, Rightscale, Red Hat, Xcalibre, Quest, Open Rights Group, Alchemy Plus, Colosa, Elastichosts, and many more Cloud leaders, investors and entrepreneurs will attend the high level networking and content driven forum.
“At a time when recession is putting pressure on companies around the world, cloud computing offers business and technology leaders two great opportunities,” commented Tim Jackson, chair, PoweredbyCloud. “One is to deliver web services more cheaply and more reliably than ever before, without tying up capital and human resources in racks of boxes. The other is flexible innovation – the ability to build prototypes and new technologies quickly and without commitment, which can be scaled up quickly if successful and swiftly closed off if not.”
PoweredByCloud 2009 will address all these issues in eight tightly focused sessions over two days, covering everything from business models and finance to technology, regulation and marketing. The event will also provide a unique opportunity to network in central London with some of the most important players in “one of the few parts of the technology industry likely to expand significantly in 2009”.
The conference will also offer industry leaders the opportunity to debate the coming changes, position their organizations to take advantage of them, and network with clients and providers in this new emerging but fast-moving space.
The organisers point to eight valuable business reasons to attend this forum: Valuable contacts in the cloud computing space; Significant insight into complete range of Cloud issues from making money and business models through to customers, technologies and law; Up to six hours of networking time; Direct contribution to Cloud business and operations plans; Perspective from both North America and Europe; Interaction with Speakers and Experts; Post-event online access to presentations and a Discounted offer to receive the Cloud Computing report.
