Thank you speakers, sponsors and attendees for making the 2009 event our best one so far - hope to see you back next year!
Over 300 of the
most influential decision-makers in the games industry gather
for the 2-day LA Games Conference to network, do deals, and
share ideas about the future of console, PC, online and mobile
games. LA Games Conference – now in its 3rd year – features a
lively and fun debate on timely cutting-edge business topics,
demos as well unrivaled access to some
of the most progressive companies in Hollywood, Silicon Valley and beyond. We invite you to join us at the event and take part in the discussion with executives, creators,
analysts, press and professional gamers who will be instrumental in shaping the future of this booming business. The event is designed to be interactive like the world we live in giving delegates the opportunity to share their ideas live at the event via text message and in moderated roundtable meetings.
Who's Coming? Attendees registered for the 2009 event work for the following companies and organizations:
Activision, EA, IGN Entertainment, Mattel, Alcatel-Lucent, Microsoft, THQ, Warner Music, Benchmark Capital, Facebook, Sony Television, Paramount, CNBC, PR Newswire, Reed Business Information, EdgeCast Networks, Best Buy, PopCap, Lionsgate, MySpace, Exponential Entertainment, SNL Kagan, Entertainment Hollywood, PC Gaming Magazine, LA Business Journal, Home Media Magazine, Game Reviews, CBS Television, Hands-On Mobile, Greystripe, Glu Mobile, MTV Networks, Nickelodeon Kids and Family Games Group, Variety, Turbine, Sony Online Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment (Playstation), KOCE-TV (PBS), LA Times, Nokia, UK Trade & Investment, Digonex Technologies, Technicolor, GSN Digital, Deloitte, Glow Interactive, Parature, Aria Systems, Inc, SuperRewards, Playdom, Unilever, Product Madness, and many more...
Submit Speakers and
Request Sponsorship Information now!
2009 Speakers
Keynotes
Nolan Bushnell,
Founder, Atari and Chuck E. Cheese, CEO of
uWink and Chairman,
NeoEdge Networks
Nolan Bushnell is one of the founding fathers of the video game industry and most famous for starting Atari, Inc., which began with the simple idea of developing a home version of the game Pong and, in 1982, grew to $2 billion in annual sales and was the fastest-growing company in the history of American business. He is also the man behind the Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza-Time Theaters chain. In total, he has founded more than twenty companies, was inducted into the Video Game Hall of Fame and the Consumer Electronics Association Hall of Fame, received the Nations Restaurant News "Innovator of the Year" award, and was named one of Newsweek's "50 Men That Changed America." Bushnell is currently the founder and CEO of uWink, a game-based restaurant startup, and the Chairman of the Board at NeoEdge Networks, an advertising-based video game company. In this exclusive keynote, we are truly privileged to hear from one of the most influential players in American business, who will reflect on the growth of the games business and what he sees as opportunities and challenges in the future.
Mitch
Lasky, General Partner, Benchmark Capital
Mitch has spent more than two decades in the mobile gaming, new
media and interactive entertainment business. Prior to joining
Benchmark Capital, Mitch served as executive vice president of
Mobile and Online at Electronic Arts. Previously, he was
chairman and chief executive officer of JAMDAT Mobile, Inc, the
leading global publisher of wireless entertainment applications,
which was acquired by EA in 2005. Prior to JAMDAT, Mitch served
as general manager of eCompanies Wireless LLC, an Internet
business incubator. He also spent five years at Activision, most
recently serving as executive vice president of Worldwide
Studios. In that role he was responsible for product
development, business development and global operations. Earlier
in his career, Mitch practiced law, worked at the Walt Disney
Company and started a massively multiplayer online game company.
David Roberts,
CEO, PopCap Games
Founded in 2000 by John Vechey, Brian Fiete and Jason Kapalka, PopCap Games is well-known for Bejeweled, one of the most popular and lucrative casual games franchises out there, with more then 350 million copies downloaded and over 25 million units sold across all platforms. Since its launch, Popcap has grown to a sizable business with a worldwide staff of over 200 people and many popular games under its umbrella. Because of the almost instant success of Bejeweled, PopCap has been able to grow to its current size without taking any external funding, which is a rather unique accomplishment in this day and age. Dave joined PopCap Games in 2005 as the company's chairman and chief executive officer, overseeing all aspects of the company's operations and guiding PopCap through the adolescent stage to corporate maturity. In this exclusive keynote, we will hear from one of the true leaders of the casual games revolution speak about how he sees the lines blurring between casual gamers and hardcore gamers as well as the challenges and opportunities involved in developing games for the iPhone, and much more.
Mike Yuen,
Sr. Director, Games Services, Qualcomm
Mike is responsible for new growth opportunities for games and services in the corporate services strategy and market development group at Qualcomm. He previously led the BREW gaming group and developer relations and helped create a global ecosystem that has paid out more than $1 billion to content providers such as EA, Disney, and Sony as of March 2007. Mike sits on the boards of Zeebo and the LA Games Conference, and was a former board member of the San Diego Software Industry Council, GDC Mobile, and MEF Americas. He has more than 12 years of experience in gaming across multiple platforms and has worked at Accolade (Atari), GTE Entertainment, and Hammerhead Entertainment. In this exclusive keynote, we will hear from one of the pioneers in mobile gaming speak about the inevitable march of content to be digitized as well as a specific focus on how wireless digital distribution can one day potentially disrupt the video game console industry.
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| John Kavanagh SVP, Videogames Paramount Digital Entertainment |
Gareth Davis Platform Manager |
Spencer
Hunt VP, Game Production & Digital Product Development Sony Pictures TV Int'l |
Kuk Yi
Managing Director Best Buy Capital |
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Bill Young Director, Global Media Sales Electronic Arts |
Jason Oberfest SVP of Business Development MySpace |
Steve Hoffman CEO RocketOn |
Robert Norton Managing Director, North America King.com |
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Jana Friedman SVP of Worldwide Advertising Sales Double Fusion |
David Reitman VP, Content & Ent. Practice Switch and Data |
Kate Connally Vice President AddictingGames/MTV Networks |
Bill Kispert VP, Interactive NBC Interactive |
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Jesse Redniss Vice President USA Network Digital |
Ned Sherman CEO and Publisher Digital Media Wire |
Eric Goldberg Managing Director Crossover Technologies |
Nick Williams Director, Media & Entertainment Insights OTX Research |
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Jay Baage VP of Content Digital Media Wire |
Anu Shukla Founder and CEO Offerpal Media |
Scott Scherer VP of Product Management Hands-on Mobile |
Michael Rubinelli SVP of Game Development Genius Products |
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George Kurtyka 3P Account Manager Nokia |
Nash Parker Director, Emerging Technology & Media Alcatel-Lucent |
Braden Moulton Senior Manager Partner Development Massive (Microsoft) |
Nichole Goodyear CEO & Co-Founder Brickfish |
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Michael Chang CEO & Co-Founder Greystripe |
Matt Story Director, Play, a division of Denuo |
Ted Cohen Managing Partner TAG Strategic |
Kyle Laughlin
Senior Director Yahoo! Games |
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Bob Ferrari VP, Publishing & Bus. Dev. Sanrio Digital |
Michael Cai Vice President, Video Games Interpret |
Kyu Lee
President Gamevil |
Mike Vorhaus President Magid Advisors
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Dave Long
CEO/Co-Founder Exponential Entertainment, Inc. |
Matt Palmer EVP & GM Stardoll Network |
Jim
Drewry Executive Director of Marketing Turbine |
Michael Rosenberg COO Future Ads (Owner and Operator, Gamevance.com) |
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Teemu Huuhtanen President, N.A. Sulake Inc. (Habbo) |
Matthew Bellows VP, Consumer Strategy Vivox |
Ryan Barkan Senior Director Advertising & Video Games Primary Wave Music Publishing |
Mark Friedler Partner Worlds and Games LLC |
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Greg Short Executive Chairman EEDAR |
Tim Chang
Principal Norwest Venture Partners |
Steve Goldstein Senior Counsel Stubbs Alderton & Markiles, LLP |
Dan Yue Co-founder and CEO Playdom |
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Gavin Longhurst VP of Business Development BigWorld |
John Canning Sr. Director Business Development Mary-Margaret Network |
Dennis Fong CEO & Founder Raptr |
Dave Laux Global Executive IBM Games and Interactive Entertainment |
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David Zemke Director of Marketing Glu Mobile |
Bjorn Book-Larsson COO & CTO K2 Network |
Tommy Tallarico
CEO/Executive Producer/Host Video Games Live |
Calvin Ng CEO and CSO iLEMON |
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Jon Snoddy Co-Founder, Chief Technology Officer Big Stage Entertainment |
John Hayase Executive Director of Development Sony Online Entertainment |
Nicole Lazzaro President XEODesign, Inc. |
Ken Rutkowski President/Host KenRadio |
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Alex Hackford Head of A&R Sony Computer Entertainment America |
Ethan Titelman VP Media & Ent. Group Penn, Schoen & Berland (PSB) |
Ron Williams
CEO Zeev Exchange |
Many more to come... Submit speaker HERE.
2009 Agenda
| April 28 - Day 1 12:30PM–1:00PM Registration & Networking 1:00PM–1:15PM Welcome to the Conference Ned Sherman, CEO & Publisher, Digital Media Wire 1:15PM–2:00PM Top Gaming Trends - Analyst Presentations These leading analysts kick-off the day's discussions with an overview of the latest research that reflects and illustrates the current state of gaming and the directions in which the industry is heading, including: consumer behavior & attitudes; adoption & penetration rates of key technology channels & platforms; and business & economic performance numbers. Presenters 1:15pm – 1:25pm Nick Williams, Director, Media & Entertainment Insights, OTX Research 1:25pm – 1:35pm Greg Short, Executive Chairman, EEDAR 1:35pm – 1:45pm Ethan Titelman, VP Media & Entertainment Group, Penn, Schoen & Berland (PSB) 1:45pm – 2:00pm Q&A Moderator: Ned Sherman, CEO & Publisher, Digital Media Wire |
| GAME CONVERGENCE TRACK 2:00PM–2:45PM PANEL 1 Gaming and Music –New Business Opportunities in the Wake of the Guitar Hero and Rock Band Phenomenon Guitar Hero and Rock Band have gone from being risky gimmicks to huge pop culture phenomena and cash-cows for the companies that own them. The music business has recently wised up to realize the potential of games to give their bottom line a well needed boost. What is next for the collaboration between the gaming and the music industries? What are the opportunities and challenges for making the most out of the creation of this new phenomenon in gaming? Panelists Ryan Barkan, Sr. Director, Advertising/Video Games, Primary Wave Music Publishing Alex Hackford, Head of A&R, Sony Computer Entertainment America Michael Rubinelli, SVP, Game Development, Genius Products Scott Scherer, VP, Product Management, Hands-on Mobile Tommy Tallarico, CEO/Executive Producer/Host, Video Games Live Moderator: Ted Cohen, Managing Partner, TAG Strategic 2:45PM–3:45PM NETWORKING BREAK *Delegate Roundtables - Join a Discussion Group* Delegate roundtables are led by attendees and speakers who volunteer to moderate discussions around specific topics. Sign up for the roundtable of your choice at the registration table. Discussion groups will fill-up fast, so please make sure to sign up when you arrive. Each group will meet at a designated roundtable (signs will mark the topic for each table) in the lobby area at 2:50pm. Topics include:
"Monetizing Your Gamers" "iPhone Games - The
Start of a New Era of Mobile Gaming" If
you are registered for the event and would like to
volunteer to moderate one of the discussions
above or propose a new topic to moderate, please do
so at the registration table at the event. |
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6:00PM–7:00PM Cocktail Reception at the Tropicana Bar Sponsored by: 
 April 29, 2008 - DAY 2 8:30AM–9:00AM Registration & Networking 9:00AM–9:15AM Opening Remarks |
| SOCIAL AND CONNECTED GAMING
TRACK 9:15AM–9:45AM KEYNOTE Nolan Bushnell, Founder, Atari and Chuck E. Cheese, CEO of uWink and Chairman, NeoEdge Networks Interviewed by: Ken Rutkowski, President/Host, KenRadio 9:50AM–10:35PM PANEL 1 Viral Gaming – New Ways to Promote and Distribute Games Online What makes a successful game for social networking platforms such as Facebook or MySpace? Is the new Xbox experience and Sony Home in effect turning game consoles into social networks? How important is the social factor in gaming? Will we see casual massively multiplayer games anytime soon? How can games and interactive entertainment incorporate features such as user-generated content, sharing, rewards and referral programs? How do you monetize these new social gaming environments? This panel of executives from social networks, technology and games companies will tackle these questions and more. Panelists Gareth Davis, Platform Manager, Facebook Jim Drewry, Executive Director of Marketing, Turbine Nash Parker, Director, Emerging Technology & Media, Alcatel-Lucent Jason Oberfest, SVP of Business Development, MySpace Dan Yue, Co-founder and CEO, Playdom Moderator: Eric Goldberg, Managing Director, Crossover Technologies 10:35AM–11:00AM Refreshment & Networking Break 11:00AM–11:45AM PANEL 2 Next Generation Virtual Worlds - What to Expect From a User and a Business Perspective The lines between social networks, virtual worlds and games are clearly blurring - so what will the next generation of virtual worlds for the mass-market look like? And how do you monetize them? This panel will discuss the relative effectiveness of premium subscriptions, sales of music, video and virtual goods and ad supported content. What is working and what isn't? How are brand marketers and their agencies navigating this new space? How do advertisers measure ROI and the effectiveness of these new and relatively untested campaigns? How do you handle license and rights issues as well payments effectively? This group of panelists will share their experiences with different business models as well as give advice for how to make smart marketing investments in this ever-changing landscape. Panelists Steve Hoffman, CEO, RocketOn Bob Ferrari, VP, Publishing & Business Development, Sanrio Digital Teemu Huuhtanen, President, N.A., Sulake Inc. (Habbo) Matt Palmer, EVP & GM, Stardoll Network Calvin Ng, CEO and CSO, iLEMON Moderator: Mark Friedler, Partner, Worlds and Games LLC 11:45AM–12:30AM PANEL 3 Games of Tomorrow and Next Generation MMOGs The success of the massively multiplayer online games genre is undeniable. This panel of gaming heavyweights will share their views and predictions on MMOGs and the games of tomorrow. What can we expect for the games of the future? What platform is best suited for this form of social gaming? Which aspects of gaming will remain constant? Is the evolution of gaming in countries such as Korea and China a sign of things come? Panelists Kuk Yi, Managing Director, Best Buy Capital Matthew Bellows, VP, Consumer Strategy, Vivox Dennis Fong, CEO & Founder, Raptr John Hayase, Executive Director of Development, Sony Online Entertainment Jon Snoddy, Co-Founder, Chief Technology Officer, Big Stage Entertainment Moderator: Michael Cai, Vice President, Video Games, Interpret |
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12:30PM–1:30PM Lunch 1:30PM–2:00PM KEYNOTE: “Casual is the New Black – If You Want to Avoid the Red” David Roberts, CEO, PopCap Games Roberts will discuss a future where innovations from casual games will create the environment for tomorrow’s hardcore game experiences. Roberts will discuss the PopCap vision of bringing games to the other 80% of the market that even the broadest casual games haven’t yet attracted. 2:00PM-2.45PM PANEL 4 A New Generation of Gamers - Are Casual and Hardcore Games’ Genres Merging? Casual games are growing in popularity due in part to their availability on multiple platforms - mobile, Internet, handhelds, PCs and consoles - and new market entrants who are making a big push in the space. At the same time, the casual games are not just for kids and stay-at-home moms anymore, but also attracting many hardcore gamers. This panel will discuss the opportunity in casual gaming with a focus on innovation, pricing and distribution models. What has changed in the last year? What changes can we expect in the coming year? What innovations will fuel growth? How are new consumers being targeted? What business models are working? Who are the new market entrants? What is the outlook for product placement, in-game advertising, and advergaming? What is the future for online casual games? Panelists Robert Norton, Managing Director, North America, King.com Kyle Laughlin, Head of Games, Yahoo! Jesse Redniss, Vice President, USA Network Digital Michael Rosenberg, COO, Future Ads (Owner and Operator, Gamevance.com) Sean Vanderdasson, Vice President of Games, WildTangent Moderator: Mike Vorhaus, President, Magid Advisors 2:45PM–3:30PM PANEL 5 Do Marketers Belong in Games? A Discussion of the Opportunities and Challenges for In-Game and Out-of-Game Advertising This panel of advertising, brand and games executives will discuss opportunities for advertisers and brands to reach consumers through the games, virtual worlds and social networks. How are brand marketers and their agencies navigating this space? What advertising campaigns work in games and online communities? How are consumers reacting to ads in games? How are advertising executives working with game developers? What are the opportunities and challenges in incorporating advertising and brands into games and online communities? On the other side of the coin, how can game companies generate revenue and free mass advertising by incorporating digital game content into brand advertising? Panelists Anu Shukla, Founder & CEO, Offerpal Media Matt Story, Director, Play, a division of Denuo Bill Young, Director, Global Media Sales, Electronic Arts Nichole Goodyear, CEO & Co-Founder, Brickfish Braden Moulton, Senior Manager Partner Development, Massive (Microsoft) Jana Friedman, SVP of Worldwide Advertising Sales, Double Fusion Moderator: John Canning, Sr. Director Business Development, Mary-Margaret Network 3:30PM–4:00PM Refreshment & Networking Break 4:00PM–4:30PM KEYNOTE: "Distribution of Games and Digital Media - A Glimpse of the Future" Mike Yuen, Senior Director, Games Services, Qualcomm Yuen will give a glimpse into the future as he discusses the drive to digitally distribute content. Yuen will also discuss Qualcomm’s investment in a new wireless 3G game console for developing countries, called Zeebo. The new console targets middle-class gamers in emerging markets like Brazil, Russia, India and China and it only plays downloadable games, whose feature is designed to combat the piracy of disc-based games. 4:30PM–5:15PM PANEL 6 The Importance of Online Game Infrastructure Deployment As more and more games go online, it is of critical importance to make sure that games actually work. Today's gaming companies are challenged with a tremendous complexity in terms of development and deployment of MMOGs and game infrastructures. This is a process which involves hardware platform vendors, data centers, ongoing support services, as well as city, state, and federal governments. All of these elements supporting an online game have the potential to break in a way that can take the game, or part of the game, offline. Some of these elements are under the control of the developer, some are under the control or influence of the hosting provider, and some are outside of anyone's control. This panel will give you an insider look under the hood of the growing online game industry. You will walk away with a better understanding of the stakes involved and the challenges and opportunities facing the games industry. Panelists Gavin Longhurst, VP of Business Development, BigWorld Dave Laux, Global Executive, IBM Games and Interactive Entertainment Bjorn Book-Larsson, COO & CTO, K2 Network Moderator: David Reitman, VP, Content & Ent. Practice, Switch and Data |
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