Everyone wants a beautiful site, but few companies understand its importance to the bottom line.

Karen’s talk will present user research data on how visual design can make or break users’ engagement with your site, and ultimately its success.

Do you have premium content but have an ad-supported business? This session will discuss successful strategies around digital subscriptions and best practices in retaining and effectively monetizing your premium content when competitor’s might have similar content for free. Keys to moving consumers from ‘free’ to ‘fee’ will also be covered as well as how to keep them engaged once their subscription ends.

When a team really comes together, the whole truly outweighs the sum of its parts, producing a synergy that unquestionably leads to innovation and inspiration. And while true that individuals can and do build great products, it’s only well-tuned teams that are capable of building sustainable excellence.

Software-based products present an interesting challenge to the team dynamic - collaborating and connecting with technical folks can be challenging and downright frustrating; one is from Mars and the other is from Venus. Thankfully there are many people who have successfully navigated these treacherous waters. This talk will present the distilled wisdom, anecdotes and suggestions from hundreds of industry leaders, in order to illustrate the good, the bad and the ugly of team-oriented software product development.      The audience will come away with great ideas and helpful tips as to how to more effectively communicate with and relate to the more technical elements of their teams.

2.3 billion people have access to the internet, and that number is continually growing.  The evolution of the internet now allows individuals to give small amounts of money, time, or skills and with the power of numbers bring products to market, fund projects, or even unlock the structure of an AIDS related enzyme. The need for new innovative ideas has never been greater in history and it is up to us to give to the ideas and individuals that could change our world.  Whether it be giving a microdonation to support a student’s tuition, microvolunteering time to look over a non-profit’s proposal, or giving $5 to support the manufacturing of a product you believe in, we now have the power to give life to ideas that in the past would never see the light of day.  The panel will discuss the how crowdsourcing and crowdfunding is enabling individuals and their ideas that have the power to change the world around us.

Like Beiber or cat gifs, responsive or adaptive design is a popular topic. Users expect their experience on a website to adapt across all their devices - including mobile, tablet and desktop. More screen sizes = more reasons to use responsive. iPhone 5 is taller than it was. A rumored iPad mini will be launching soon. TVs are used for browsing more and more. The ideal effect is a satisfying and relevant experience, from a single source of content, to users on every size of display. Is this so much to ask?

Even Time Magazine and Microsoft have embraced a responsive approach. We’re going to speak to the pragmatic business benefits for clients and service providers. And importantly we’ll evidence that brands need not sacrifice progressive design and immersive user experiences in order to realize the benefits and efficiencies of responsive. We’ll walk through a successful team composition, look at some samples and talk about the next screens being accommodated in the responsive web experience game.

With the proliferation of tablets, smartphones and PCs, users are increasingly looking for a customized experience on their devices. They want content to be laid out in a format that optimizes to the form factor they are on and they want content that is relevant for that device. Responsive web architecture is a brand new approach in web design that allows for easy reading and navigation. As a user switches from their laptop to a tablet, the website automatically switches to accommodate for resolution, image size and scripting abilities. This eliminates the need for a different design and development phase for each new gadget on the market. Earlier this year, Microsoft embarked on such an exercise for its website. This talk details 7 principles that were used by the team to arrive at a responsive web design for the Microsoft homepage.

Imagine the challenge of developing a User Experience (UX) for improved communication, collaboration, and productivity for more than 260,000 FedEx employees in countries scattered around the globe:  In 2012, billions of dollars have been channeled to what many call the “social enterprise” or “social business,” bringing many facets of social media to the corporate world. Will social business live up to its promise of driving genuine collaboration and increased productivity within the world’s largest corporations or will it be a flash-in-the-pan? With Microsoft spending $1.2 billion to acquire Yammer and others making investments and technology allocations to address this area, many are betting big on the promise of social business.

FedEx has been a pioneer in building social collaboration solutions for its global workforce and will address the perspectives of a massive corporation melding the promise of social business with on-the-ground reality; Blue Rooster has partnered with Microsoft, FedEx and giant companies around the world to build “the globally connected enterprise,” and will share its perspectives; Moderating the session will be Kelly Clay, who reported on Microsoft’s acquisition of Yammer for Forbes.com and covers a variety of social business, social media, and other technology topics.

Learn about this explosive area of growth and how companies like FedEx are addressing UX and this broader trend of the social enterprise head-on and what it could mean for organizations of all sizes and employees everywhere.

By 2016 there will be six billion mobile devices, two billion PCs and nearly a billion tablets in the world. As internet consumption keeps growing and the web becomes more crowded, brands will need to stand out and be brilliant like never before. Taking us on a whirlwind journey showcasing campaigns and Pioneers of Digital from all over the globe, Mel Carson – founder of Delightful Communications & former Microsoft Digital Evangelist - will demonstrate how these examples have stood out and been successful by adapting quickly to new technology and consumer trends.

Ever wonder what happens to an SEO agency when it gets removed from Google? “Life After Deindexation” talks about how iAcquire was banned from Google’s, what happened to the business and how we turned it around. This presentation also touches on how to be prepared for a crisis and perform reputation management through content strategy.

Why are large organizations, packed to the brim with smart and motivated people, consistently out-hustled by small and disorganized start-ups? How are publicly traded companies with extraordinary resources consistently out-innovated by naive and under capitalized teams? How is it that every month you read about another start up building your ideas?

Historically technology companies only competed with other technology companies. Now technology start-ups are competing with taxi companies, hotels, airlines, specialty retailers, and even restaurants. Incumbents in these industries are often ill-prepared to compete with the insurgent warfare presented by small start-ups. And they pay the price with market share.

In this session, we’ll outline the fundamental liabilities of incumbency, reviewing core concepts from the likes of Thomas Kuhn’s “The Structure of Scientific Revolutions” and Clay Christensen’s “The Innovator’s Dilemma”. We’ll then explore why attempts to solve these problems with traditional innovation tools like “labs” and intrapreneurship programs rarely move the needle. We’ll discuss how a different set of solutions, focused on recruiting, autonomy, and an incubator model, may provide an alternative path to success.

We’ll wrap things up by reviewing highlighting opportunities in some of my favorite places: design, mobile analytics, payments, and collaborative consumption. This will be a fun and fast-moving session with colorful metaphors (and probably some colorful language). Hold onto your hats, everyone.

As our dependence on Smartphones continues to rise, mobile search holds a crucial role in how we find information. Yet today mobile search still feels like an afterthought. The UX is clumsy, the results are limited, and most importantly, search engines are optimized versions of PC standards rather than unique inventions dynamically created especially for mobile users.

Now that the volume of mobile search queries exceeds PC volume, an exciting challenge has emerged for advertisers: how do brands take the fullest advantage of the mobile search experience and seize the lucrative opportunities composed within this instrumental decision-making tool?

This panel of search and mobile technology experts will bring an arsenal of results-driven experience from UX design, SEO and marketing to provide groundbreaking ideas how advertisers can claim top places in the future of mobile search.

Topics include:
• What can advertisers do to maximize opportunities in the mobile search space?
• How do advertisers improve the efficiency of their efforts with the variety of new search engines available?
• What impact will paid mobile search have in the marketplace?
• How can advertisers seize control of their search potential without being at the mercy of device manufacturers and search engines?

For marketers, data has become a critical asset throughout their role. Though not as “in your face” as great content or a creative video, data is the new lifeblood of their function. Not only is data essential for success, but the more data companies have, the more accurately and efficiently they can engage their customers and influence the market. Effective use of data in marketing and advertising will increasingly become a differentiating factor between businesses in this information economy. Konrad will explore the challenges, opportunities and what the future may hold for the use of big data in marketing and advertising.

Marketers clearly recognize the enormous growth in the
amount of social interactions that occur online each day. But the real story effecting marketers isn’t how much growth there has been, rather how these social interactions have changed the way consumers make purchasing
decisions. Consumer buying decisions are now highly influenced by information obtained in their peer-to-peer networks. These online
communities, with their inherent trust and loyalty networks, are sitting side-by-side with search, and literally changing the way consumers take in information and choose which products to purchase.

In this new world (called the “conversation layer”), where advice seeking and advice giving behavior happens faster than brands can sometimes react,
marketers must continually monitor and find ways to identify and activate the communities that matter most to their brand.

Five years from now, regardless of how search and social media are delivered, the way engines analyze and rank content will be very different. Get Ian’s best guess about the future of social media and search.

Why client CEO’s are terrified of all your new digital technology and what to do about it.

Mobile computing has erased the distinction between the development of marketing and products. Marketing departments are releasing cross-platform applications. Products are being retooled from applications to web apps. Ubiquitous mobile computing and social networks have dramatically increased the complexity and user expectations for tools they use. As digital agencies produce more sophisticated web and mobile applications, they and their clients must meet the needs of full-on product development. Agile development is a proven approach to developing software products, but implementing agile methods in digital agencies presents unique challenges. Hear how these companies are coming to grips with new ways of planning, executing and supporting projects.

Mobile design should be about the end user.  Having a bad mobile app can dramatically damage a brand’s reputation – quickly.  Why is it brands struggle with getting it right?  Understanding customer loyalty is essential.  Since a brand’s app lives and dies based on user reviews and word of mouth recommendations, it is important the app gives users a reason to use it more than once. Apps that strike a chord with their end users and are able to create a long lasting engagement are the ones who will succeed.  What are the paths to UI/UX success?  What works?  What does not?  What are the basic steps?

Learn how Boyd Gaming, Las Vegas based owner and operator of 22 hotel and casino destinations in seven markets, leverages online, mobile and social personalization to provide the ultimate digital experience for their customers.  Using customer data, combined with the power of digital customization, their programs have transformed the gaming industry, recently winning top honors by the American Gaming Association

Learn how they have integrated social gamification and social rewards into to their loyalty program, allowing customers to be recognized and rewarded for not only for their social activity, but for their online and mobile activity as well; a first for the industry.  And along the way, you might learn some tricks of the trade that might be useful the next time you visit Vegas!

Are you a fan of the term “hybrid” as a way to describe designers and developers? Drory isn’t and he’s even less of a fan now that it’s starting to spread into labeling folks across other disciplines. Come hear him share why he feels the term “hybrid” is limiting, unsustainable, and should be banished from our collective lexicon in favor of something more inclusive, aspirational and appropriate for the ever-evolving digital world we live in. Audience participation will be encouraged, so come ready to chime in with your thoughts and opinions.

Journalism and the distribution of news have seen both tremendous challenges and advances with the proliferation and real-time availability of information via the Internet and other digital channels.  What’s the very latest and what’s likely to be next?  Get insider perspectives from a panel of journalists who’ve been on the very front lines of this sea change on a daily basis.

Game audio has come a long way when measured by quality and advancements in technology, but still trails other art forms when it comes to artistic expression. Modern technology now makes it easier than ever to create high-quality production audio but does nothing to advance the greater goals of high artistry and meaningful work. However, the emergence of advanced audio technology in less skilled hands is often the enemy of artistic value, as it provides so much freedom to over-produce and over-implement sound in games. Given such infinite flexibility, how can game creators begin to make better and more memorable sound by using less, being cleverer, viewing the acoustic environment as a musical composition, and having a better understanding of the principles of cinematic sound design?

Analysts expect the social casino game market to grow $2.4 billion by 2015.*  DoubleDown Casino is the 4th largest game on Facebook and has 5.4 million highly engaged monthly active players. Join Glenn Walcott, President of DoubleDown Interactive, as he discusses the strategic role content plays in mobile and social games, particularly in this burgeoning social casino game market. Glenn will address how HTML5 plays in the company’s mobile strategy, and provide some insight into working at a game startup like DoubleDown. Glenn will also address the role content plays in the company’s integration with IGT, the largest manufacturer of slot machines and video poker, and parent company of DoubleDown Interactive.

Every marketing executive in the world has heard that the days of interruptive advertising are over and we are in the social media era. Tweet. Share. Listen. Engage. But too many otherwise intelligent people have swallowed the promise of social media like it is a turn-of-the-century, cure-all tonic. Marketing rules still apply. Common sense still applies. Demonstrating value still applies. And managers still need to be in charge, not interns.  Learn how to leverage the power of social media for your brand with everyone watching, so you don’t have to pack your bags and leave town in the middle of the night.

This panel is a collection of risk takers and innovators discussing ways to change the world for the better. Musicians Wayne Kramer of MC5, Eric Stowe of Splash, and Lesley Mansford of Razoo.com discuss how social media, the internet and technology can be used to change the game and make a difference. Using the avenues available to them—whether music or journalism or the world stage—these game changers have each taken risks that have paid off in big and small ways.

The sudden importance of personal media devices like smart phones has driven consumption of content to an all time high. And with nearly unlimited access to content—from music to books to video—its place in our lives has changed. Through his experience building digital music products and services, Jon Maples has a front row seat to how Rhapsody’s unlimited catalog and around-the-clock access have not only lead to a behavioral changes, but a change in how we identify with, consider and value content in our lives.

In this session we will examine a set of principles uncovered through the experience of Slalom Consulting over five years of mobile application development for B2B, B2C, and B2E customers. We’ll discuss the behavioral and technological trends that forged these rules and how they may be changing for the next generation of mobile applications.

Bing is hosting a workshop at SIC to help people understand how to most effectively use their Bing Webmaster Tools accounts. The accounts are free, and if you have yours ready to go a few days ahead of time, we can go hands on with you to help you understand what the reports are saying, what the settings do, and what work you should focus on.

The Bing Webmaster Tools team will be on hand to help answer your questions and explain the data. RSVP today to participate in this on-site workshop for free.

http://bingworkshopatsic.eventbrite.com