Hoping to hit the jackpot at next month’s USA DMA08? Sally Hooton looks at what’s on offer for international marketers.

American president George W Bush recently said: “The future will be better tomorrow.” Well, we know what he meant. Fortunately for international direct and interactive marketers, the USA DMA is more adept at delivering rallying cries and showing the way forward for its ‘party faithful’. And, next month, a bit of hand-holding from those industry experts is exactly what will be on offer to help boost morale and bolster confidence as direct marketers struggle with the current global economic squeeze.
    
    The USA DMA’s event is the ‘crown jewel’ for integrated marketers: the world’s largest direct marketing conference and exhibition, it’s a huge educator and vital source of worldwide marketing know-how. Usually drawing a crowd of some 11,000, this year’s glitzy venue will probably swell those numbers: ‘DMA08’ is being staged in the ‘entertainment capital of the world’ – Las Vegas.

   This ‘Sin City’ is famous for its lavish casinos, quickie wedding ceremonies and bejewelled Elvis impersonators and offers a world tour of its own: mini versions of Rome, Hollywood, Paris, Venice and New York, to name but a few; all gracing the famous three-mile street which draws gamblers from far and wide – The Strip.
    Win or lose, the fun it offers lifts jaded spirits. But most direct marketers visiting this year’s DMA event will be focusing on raising cash rather than risking it – and they’ll find out how at the Las Vegas Convention Center, which is located on the aptly-named Paradise Road. About the size of 38 football pitches, the building will house more than 100 conference sessions, organised into nine educational tracks, plus round tables, case studies, white papers and research reports. And the exhibit hall will host more than 575 leading companies, covering all aspects of marketing and advertising.

Welcoming internationals

Charles Prescott, the USA DMA’s vice-president for global knowledge network services, is particularly looking forward to greeting international colleagues.
    He told DMI: “It is a pleasure once again to anticipate welcoming visitors to the annual gathering of the busiest and most interesting group of people in the world – the international DM community. The US DMA’s annual October conference will demonstrate the diversity, complexity, challenges and just plain fun that being an international direct marketer
is today.
    
“It’s a great time to be in this discipline and a great time to meet up with old friends and make new ones. See you in Las Vegas! And remember, that while ‘What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas’, the knowledge, experience and new friends you meet there will stay with you for years.”
    The theme for this year’s six-day show is ‘r u connected?’ and organisers are positioning it as ‘the global event for integrated marketing’. Show director, Paul McDonnough, explained: “DMA08 will have attendees from around the globe fully connected to cutting-edge technology and solutions, comprehensive education and world-class keynote speakers. But we’re also connecting you to an unbelievable city. Its world famous casinos and gaming aside, Vegas has a wealth of attractions, including award-winning shows, golf courses and sporting events, superb restaurants and designer shopping on The Strip. It’s a safe bet to say both DMA08 and Vegas are sure to entertain attendees.”

On the agenda

DMA08 as educator gets going on Saturday and Sunday with six ‘Pre-Conference Intensive Workshops’, under the titles:

● Direct Marketing University
● Email Marketing
● Fast & Furious Creative Tune-Up
● Acquisition and Retention
● Online Optimisation and Marketing Automation
● Mobile Marketing.
    
Meanwhile, first up to the keynote speaker podium on Sunday is Joseph Jaffe, speaker, author and founder/president and ‘chief interrupter’ of controversial new marketing company, crayon, which specialises in community, dialogue and partnership. The main conference opens on Monday morning with a keynote speech from Ty Pennington, the Emmy Award-winning host of hit US TV series Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.
    
Educational tracks

There are nine educational tracks within the main conference, organised into levels of expertise – from fundamental, through intermediate and up to advanced – marketers can follow a track or pick and mix  as required.They are:

● Direct marketing basics
● Creative strategies
● Retention and loyalty
● Acquisition and prospecting
● Multichannel integration
● Production strategies
● Database and analytics
● Online marketing
● Emerging channels (new media).
    
Tuesday’s keynoter is Christie Hefner, chairman/CEO of Playboy magazine – the first US magazine on the  World Wide Web. And on Wednesday, Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist takes the stage to tell how his company attracts ten billion web page views per month.      
   
Thought leadership series

Special sessions under the banner Thought Leadership Series aim to deliver valuable marketing solutions and management insight. Explore new paths, find inspiration and learn about practical techniques to increase ROI, lead generation, and customer retention and loyalty. The sessions run on Monday and Tuesday. Speciality pavilions within the exhibit hall offer online marketing solutions, a multichannel marketplace and a mobile marketing hotspot as well as the usual  international services pavilion, wherein companies with expertise beyond American shores will flag up their specific regions.

International interest

Back at the conference, of particular interest to international marketers will be the session on Monday (11.15-12.15am) entitled ‘Top Ten Privacy (and other) Mistakes Made by Marketers in Europe’. Plus, at 3–4.15pm, ‘Meet the Global Leaders (a five-country overview)’ always attracts a large audience. The latter is a traditional session at the DMA conference, designed both as a meeting place and a learning event; presenting leaders in the industry from different countries, discussing specific aspects of their areas.
Speakers this year include Charles Prescott from the USA Direct Marketing Association; Brian Mdluli, CEO of the South African DMA; Lisa Watson from the DMA of Singapore; Efraim Kapulski from Brazil’s ABEMD; and Alastair Tempest of FEDMA (Europe).
    
In addition to the speakers, attendees will be introduced to the other two dozen or so DMA leaders who attend this session to hear direct marketing news from around the world and to network with attendees who have an interest in their particular markets. Shortly afterwards, the DMA International and Directo Councils’ Networking Reception will be staged (6pm-7.30pm), at The Paris Hotel’s Versailles Room. No speakers or presenters interrupt this annual cocktail party, which is a great opportunity for international networking. So, make sure you take plenty of business cards!

Hall of Fame luncheon

USA DMA Hall of Fame inductees this year are Jan Brandt, vice-chairman emeritus, AOL and member, Pilot Group; the late Andi Emerson, founder, president and board chairman, John Caples International Awards; W Howard Lester, chairman of the board and chief executive officer, Williams-Sonoma; and Charles Williams, founder and director emeritus, Williams-Sonoma. Presentations will be made during the Hall of Fame luncheon on show Tuesday.

ECHO awards gala

‘Anyone can have a life – careers are hard to come by.’ So said the much-acclaimed ‘The Tonight Show’ host Jay Leno, who is enormously popular across America and beyond – loved for his humour and creativity. All of which will doubtless be on show as he presents the international ECHO awards on show Tuesday.  
    
    The ECHOs have been evolving since their first appearance in 1929 and now attract more than 1,000 entries for the 12 categories from around the world, evaluated on creativity, marketing strategy and response results. Interesting case studies by some of the winners are presented during the conference – on Monday and Tuesday afternoons. More details will be available in the show brochure.
    So there you have it – a brief round-up of what’s on the DMA08 agenda in Las Vegas, where, next month at least, it won’t be all about gambling, but about a dead certainty: direct marketing! Find out more, visit the website here: www.dma08.org
 

Sally Hooton is the editor of DMI magazine.