Tue, 22 Feb 2005

Over 300 key executives to attend APMF conference

At least 300 businesspeople, local and international, representing various areas of the advertising industry, are expected to take part in the Asia Pacific Media Forum (APMF) to be held in Bali from Mar. 14 to Mar.15.

The APMF forum, the first regional conference on advertising media to be held in Asia, will discuss the latest trends in advertising media and the change in consumers' media consumption.

Gunadi Sugiharso, co-chairman of the forum's organizing committee, said that the two-day conference would also discuss the consequence of these changes to the media, advertising companies, media specialists, research companies, advertisers and other related industries.

"With such a wide range of topics, this forum will serve not only as a refresher course but more importantly as part of the learning process, particularly for local and regional advertising and media players," he said.

Coordinating Minister for the Economy Aburizal Bakrie will officially open the forum, while Jakob Oetama, the chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Kompas Gramedia Group, will give a keynote speech.

Other speakers at the forum will include top executives of major regional and international companies and prominent figures from the global advertising industry.

Alan Rutherford, global media director Unilever Plc., will talk about Managing and Coping With Change during the two-day conference.

Rutherford, who joined Unilever in June 1998, as worldwide head of media, has been responsible for significant changes in the way Unilever media operates that have resulted in the global enhancement of performance and returns.

Marie-Jose Forissier, chairman of Initiative Worldwide, is also to share her knowledge and experience in her presentation titled Media is the Lead Agency.

Forissier joined Initiative Paris in 1976, and became deputy managing director in 1979, before being promoted as managing director in 1986, and as chairman and CEO in 1988.

The Initiative concept had been successfully implemented everywhere in Europe during the late 1980s, and in 1992 Forissier embarked on joining these agencies together to form a strong independent pan-regional network.

In 1996, Initiative expanded into Latin America and opened the first agency in Asia. As chairwoman and CEO, she was integral to the development of this extended global network, Initiative International.

Paul Grubb, regional creative director Lowe Asia Pacific, will talk about creativity in his paper titled Is Creative Still in Control.

He rose to prominence in the 1980s as the first creative hire into the legendary London agency, Gold Greenlees Trott (GGT), one of a handful of creative hot shots that reshaped the UK and Western advertising industries in the 1980s.

Ian Garland, managing director, product marketing and development, Nielsen Media Research International, will talk about Measuring All Communications Chanels: Is it Possible and Feasible?

Garland started with Nielsen Australia in 1986, and was part of the small team that won the Australian television audience measurement contract in 1990. He was appointed as managing director of Nielsen Singapore in 1993 and as the head of Nielsen's Interactive Services division in 1995.

He was promoted to managing director of Nielsen Media Research Australia in 1997. In August 2001, Garland relocated to New York to lead Nielsen Media Research International's marketing and product development initiatives.

J. Michael Henderson, the president and CEO of Research and Ratings International, Inc., will present a paper on the future and the survival of radio.

Henderson currently works with top radio stations and media groups in the U.S. and Europe.

Another important speaker is Toru Koizumi, the deputy director of Interactive Communication Division Dentsu Inc. He will present a paper on Interactive Solutions - The Medium of the Future.