LATEST NEWS

12 March 2007: The Venice Festival of Media is proud to announce that two of the world's most influential marketing directors will be taking Advertising Keynote Slots.  Delegates will have the chance to hear Steve Pacheco, Director of Advertising at FedEx, talking about the need for more creativity in marketing and the use of non-traditional formats such as branded content.  Meanwhile, Steve Norman, Fiat's Marketing Director, will be speaking about the changing role of media agencies and how they can respond better to the needs of their global clients.

12 March 2007: The Venice Festival of Media WAP site has been launched and will provide delegates and prospective delegates with mobile information on the Festival programme and speakers.  It will also feature a “Would Like To Meet" section - enabling delegates to “text-date" with other delegates – which will be sponsored by AOL.  AOL is a global Web services company that operates some of the most popular Web destinations worldwide, offers a comprehensive suite of free software and services, and provides a full set of advertising solutions.  The mobile platform will also enable delegates to receive news and weather alerts from the Festival's official news sponsor, Euronews. 

10 March 2007: We have already achieved more than 68% of our predicted delegate quota, which, with 5 weeks still to go, is fantastic!

8 March 2007: The Cream of Venice Editorial Meeting took place at Yahoo!'s offices to select the campaigns for the Cream of Venice Showreel which will be shown during the Gala Dinner on Tuesday 17^th April, when the big Yahoo! Idea(s) will be revealed.  Many thanks to King Lai, Mainardo de Nardis, Steve Harrison, Paul Woolmington, Maria-Luisa Francoli and Mauricio Sabogal for their time and contributions.

7 March 2007: Throughout the Festival, Aegis Media will be running a 3-day 'Digital Gallery' – a showcase presenting innovative and creative uses of media technology. Aegis Media's four major brands, Carat, Isobar, Posterscope and Vizeum are world-leading marketing and communications businesses; Carat is the world's largest independent media communications specialist present in 82 countries across the world

5 March 2007: Arbitron will be contributing to a 'thought piece' for the official Book of the Festival and Bob Patchen, Arbitron's Vice President, Research Standards & Practices, will be joining the Research Panel on Day 2 of the Festival. The international media and marketing research firm has been in the press for its groundbreaking 'Project Apollo,' the single-source, national research service based on Arbitron's Portable People Meter (PPM^SM) system and ACNielsen's HomeScan technology.

1 March 2007: Inviseo have confirmed that they are to be the official 'travel partner' of the Festival, exclusively branding Venice's Water Taxis.  InviseoMedia is at the forefront of providing global in-flight advertising.  The company has developed the world's leading FAA/EASA approved airline tray-table carrying an inlaid panel for printed advertisements. 

19 February 2007: HSBC has become the latest global advertiser to sign-up to attend the world's first Festival of media creativity and innovation. Calling it a "brilliant idea", the Head of Global Branding for one of the world's most influential advertisers will attend the 3-day event. HSBC joins a growing list of the world's most influential advertisers across a range of sectors who are now booked to join the global media networks and leading media owners. Other client companies include: AT&T, Avon, Beiersdorf, Coty Inc, Diesel, Emirates, Fiat, Henkel, Indesit, Johnson & Johnson, Kellogg, Kimberly-Clark, McDonalds, Mueller, Nokia, Procter & Gamble, SAB Miller, UBS, Unilever and Wrigley.

16 February 2007: The Venice festival of media is pleased to announce two significant International media brands as sponsor partners. Discovery Networks Europe, as well as a sponsor partner, will be a major exhibitor within the Festival's media laboratory, bringing with them a feast of 'true to life' innovative and engaging ideas – as one would expect from one of the Worlds leading Broadcast Networks. The Financial Times is probably the World's best known Financial Publisher, a brand synonymous with quality reporting and professionalism; they will be the exclusive sponsor of the prestigious 'invitation only' VIP cocktail event on the Monday evening of the Festival.

15 February 2007: A new website showcasing the “long list" for the Cream of Venice Selection has been launched.  The site lists all the case studies that have been featured in Cream magazine over the past year.  These are now being reviewed by an Editorial Panel, consisting of several Venice Festival of Media speakers and other international media luminaries, and the best – the cream of Cream – will be chosen for a special showreel created to demonstrate excellence that will be previewed at the Venice Festival of Media Gala Dinner.  You can view this long list by visiting www.cream-of-venice.com.

12 February 2007:  Two more sponsors have confirmed their support of the Venice Festival of Media.  Euronews, the European news channel providing news in seven languages, will be the official news partner of the Festival, providing a rolling news service in the Media Laboratory for delegates.  JCDecaux, Europe's largest out of home advertising company, have confirmed their sponsorship of the event and we are delighted to welcome Jean Francois Decaux, Chairman and co-CEO of The Decaux Group as one of our key media owner speakers on the conference programme.

6 February 2007: We are delighted to announce Eurosport as a media partner and main sponsor of The Venice Festival of Media. Eurosport, the leading European channel, available in 20 different languages, reaching 240 million viewers across 59 countries, provides a valuable presence from one of Europe's leading broadcasters. The Eurosport Group, which offers its advertisers a variety of multi-media solutions, and also includes Eurosport 2, www.eurosport.com and 'Eurosport News', makes the ideal partner to an event that is driven by the desire to showcase the very best examples of creative use of media and innovation.

5 February 2007: Chris Ingram, founder of the Ingram agency and one of the pioneers of modern media planning and buying, will be joining the prestigious list of the Event's conference speakers. Ingram, who founded CIA Medianetwork (now MEC Global, part of the WPP Group), will chair the panel discussion entitled “The Agency Model: Is it broken?" and will bring his unique perspective and bold views to bear on a debate that will include Nick Smith, Group Managing Director, Accenture Marketing Services; John Billett, founder and chairman and Billetts; Steve Harrison, International Media Director, Schwarzkopf & Henkel; Janet Fitzpatrick, Chief Strategic Officer, Initiative Worldwide and Joanne Davis, President of Joanne Davis Consulting and SCAN International.

23 January 2007: Mr. Peter Tortorici, the Chairman and CEO of Group M Entertainment, has agreed to participate in the Festival of Media as a panellist on the Venice Festival of Media Content Debate, chaired by Michael Kassan, Principal of MediaLink. Michael Kassan says of the news, “Peter is one of the most important figures in the world of content.  This is a tremendous "win" for the festival."

16 January 2007: Kimberly Kadlec, Chief Media Officer, Johnson & Johnson and Karl Spangenberg, VP Integrated Advertising & Commerce, AT&T confirm their participation 

 

20 December 2006: OMD confirms its partnership at the VFM, hosting branded content workshops on the first day of the conference