The third annual Future of Media Summit will be held simultaneously in Sydney and Silicon Valley on 15 July, 2008.  The Summit is organised by Future Exploration Network, a global strategy and events firm.”The extraordinary pace of change in the global media industry means that it is critical for participants to gain insights into where media is going,” says Ross Dawson, chairman of Future Exploration Network.

“The first two Future of Media Summits were hugely successful, selling out the Sydney venue each year, creating a world first in linking panel conversations across continents by video, and attracting close to 200,000 downloads for the Future of Media Report.” Key features of this year’s event include:

• Video and blogs linking speakers and participants across continents. Media industry leaders from the United States and Australia will share experiences and perspectives to gain unique insights into the global media market. A new world first will see direct video conversations between participants.
• Prediction markets for the future of media. Summit attendees and other media leaders globally will collectively make predictions for key issues in the future of media, such as the death of print newspapers and when IPTV (Internet Protocol TV) overtakes broadcast TV.
• Conference and ‘Unconference’ formats. For the first time a traditional conference will be combined with an ‘Unconference’ format, in which participants set the agenda and run the event themselves.

Topics to be addressed at the Future of Media Summit 2008 include:

• The future of journalism. Newsrooms are laying off staff, print journalists are being asked to use video cameras, bloggers are going professional, and sub-editors are writing headlines for search engines. Who will the journalists be and how will they earn a living?
• The future of privacy and personalised advertising. ‘Behavioural advertising’ provides the audience with advertising targeted to their profile. Advertisers will pay far more for it, but will our desire for privacy win out over commercial interests?
• The future of TV and video. HD and multi-channelling will provide a wider choice of broadcast TV in Australia. Before long TV and video over the Internet will provide an alternative to cable and free-to-air for many Australians. Where will the money and viewers go?

Confirmed speakers include:

• Mark Dorney, CEO of Macquarie Media Group

• Wendy Hogan, MD of CNET Australia

• Loic Le Meur, CEO of Seesmic

• Chris Saad, Chair of DataPortability.org

• J.D. Lasica, Co-Founder of Ourmedia

• US and Australian media industry leaders

For more information about the Future of Media Summit 2008 visit: www.futureexploration.net/fom08/

About Future Exploration Network and Ross Dawson Future Exploration Network is a global strategy consulting and events firm specialising in the future of business. Ross Dawson, Chairman of Future Exploration Network, is globally recognised as a leading media futurist, keynote speaker, bestselling author and commentator. He regularly provides commentary to broadcast and print media globally, including CNN, Bloomberg TV, Washington Post, Reuters, SkyNews and ABC TV. Dawson has been described in Digital Media magazine as a “guru of the online media and Web 2.0″, and he foresaw the online social networking revolution in his groundbreaking 2002 book Living Networks.