The Big Mashup July 2007

Since I'm still pretty tired/excited from last night's event, I wan ted to break the news to Ypulse readers here first. There will be an official announcement coming in the next couple of weeks. I blogged awhile back about wanting to build on the smaller events I've been doing and organize a "totally wired" conference that would focus on youth and technology. I know there are lots of youth marketing conferences (many of which I advise or speak at), but I really feel like Ypulse events are unique. They embody the spirit of the blog and the community that has built up around this site that includes teen media and marketing professionals as well as an array of other folks who are passionate about teens. This July, there will be a national (and maybe international?) Ypulse event in San Francisco we're calling:

Ypulse Presents: The 2007 Mashup
How Media and Marketing Professionals Use Technology to Reach the Totally Wired Generation

When I say "we," I'm referring to a company I have partnered with called Modern Media Partners to help me produce a largescale event. Modern Media is a group of mostly former tech journalists who have been producing conferences for years and are now focused on helping brands like mine develop their events strategy. And they happen to be based in Oakland, right over the bridge from me…

We are close to choosing a date (either July 10-11 or July 17-18) and one of two very nice hotels in San Francisco. We also have a kick-ass advisory board as well as people who are already helping behind the scenes, just because they love Ypulse and want to help out (thank you Mary from Sparktop and Noah from Community Next, which I can't wait to attend this weekend!). Here's who is on our formal conference advisory board:

danah boyd, Fellow, Annenberg Center for Communications, University of Southern California
Catherine Cook, Founder & President, MyYearbook.com
Dixie Feldman, Editorial Director, The N
Jay Frank, Head of Programming, Yahoo! Music
Dave Knox, Teen External Relations Manager, Procter & Gamble
Krissy Teegerstrom, Community Manager, Six Apart/Live Journal
Tina Wells, CEO, Buzz Marketing Group

We have also reached out to the MacArthur Foundation to help us develop the Totally Wired Life aspect of our program. And of course, we will be reaching out to you, Ypulse readers, very soon with an interactive conference site/blog where you can chime in with your thoughts and ideas. We plan to have one session with several breakout discussions that you will both vote on and can volunteer to lead, since we know we won't be able to cover everything you want to talk about in one day. We're also planning some very cool pre-conference sessions including a special half day music mashup! Here's a quick overview of the conference vision:

Generation Y is the first generation that is "totally wired." Technology is an integral part of being young today. It helps younger people stay hyper-connected to their peers, empowers them to express themselves and transforms how they consume and create media. Marketers and media producers who are targeting today’s teens and youth markets need to gain a deeper understanding of the role that technology plays in young peoples' lives, and in the larger youth culture.

At the Mashup, youth marketers and media producers will learn how to harness social media and technology in ways that are authentic, add value — and are not disruptive. The conference will present interactive, thought-provoking discussions and presentations covering marketing and media topics related to:

- social networking,
- online video,
- podcasting,
- blogging,
- SMS and cell phones,
- virtual reality environments,
- instant messaging,
- video gaming,
- online music,
-… and more.

Right now we're looking for sponsors and exhibitors to help us create an unforgettable event. We're reaching out to many of you individually, but I wanted to also post our sponsorship overview so you can check it out, forward it to colleagues you think would be interested and of course, if you're interested in signing on, get in touch.

Next we'll be confirming our speakers and panelists and then opening up our registration this spring. There will be a limited number of discounted registrations for educators and non-profits. Keep watching the blog for more info soon….

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