In an effort to bolster attendance by television station executives, Promax/BDA is offering general managers free registration at its June conference.
Promax/BDA President Jonathan Block-Verk is launching the campaign to drive station GMs to the show, with the goal of broadening the annual meeting’s core audience beyond marketing and promotion executives. The GMs get the complimentary registration when their marketing director, promo producer or creative services executive purchases a full registration.
“We are making a concerted effort to reach out to the local station community in order to bring them back into the fold of Promax/BDA,” Mr. Block-Verk said. “This year’s event will be extremely pertinent to their business and allow them to experience first-hand the important link between programming, promotion, sales and marketing, and how by working in cooperation these divisions can maximize profit potential and increase viewership.”
Last year’s event, which featured former President Bill Clinton as keynote speaker, reached a recent high of more than 3,500 attendees, bucking recent downward trends of attendance at industry gatherings.
“A lot of what Promax will be about this year will be tailored to the local station community,” Mr. Block-Verk said. “From a digital TV transition symposium to creating new businesses out of their assets, the conference will be more than scratching the surface; it will be about driving the bottom line.”
The 2008 Promax/BDA Conference takes place June 17-19 at Manhattan’s Hilton New York Hotel. Last week the nonprofit association, dedicated to advancing the role and effectiveness of entertainment and information content marketing, promotion and design professionals, announced that ABC, CBS and NBC confirmed plans to hold post-upfront affiliate marketing meetings during the conference.
In addition, the gathering’s speakers will include Vince McMahon, Lifetime Achievement honoree and WWE chairman-founder; Seth MacFarlane, the award-winning creator of “Family Guy” and “American Dad”; the Rev. Jesse Jackson; Nicholas Negroponte, noted futurist, author and the man behind the nonprofit organization One Laptop Per Child; and James Lipton, creator, writer and executive producer of “Inside the Actors Studio.”
“This is the one time of the year when we can meet face-to-face with our affiliate promotion executives, the lifeblood of our network,” said Michael Benson, Promax/BDA chairman and executive VP of marketing for ABC Entertainment. “Our industry is experiencing change like never before, and this meeting gives us the opportunity to discuss immediate and future issues and present strategies in a forum focused on marketing, advertising and promotion.”