Social Networking
Now, and in 10 years

How social networking will change the way you use the internet.  

The explosive rise of social network platforms is one of the most discussed technology trends of the last two years. As leading-edge companies position themselves to capitalize on the power of these rapidly evolving technologies to help individuals tap relationship networks and improve the efficiency of everything from dating to sales -- they are stirring up media excitement, entrepreneurial zeal, patent battles and millions of dollars in private investments.

Please join us for this event as we take a critical look at this exciting and evolving sector of the market. A panel of leading panelists who are on the front lines of the social networking space will share their unique insights and answer the hard questions as we examine the issues and opportunities that lie ahead now and in the future.

MODERATOR:

Michael Bonfils | CEO | Hyper Interactive Corp.
Michael Bonfils is the Chief Executive Officer at Hyper InterActive Corp, a company specializing in providing advertising technology services for global advertising agencies and Fortune 500 firms. Furthermore, Mr. Bonfils is a speaker and writer on internet marketing technology and trends, having contributed his time to many major national publications and events. In addition to being the founder of one of the nation's largest internet contextual advertising agencies which he sold in 2004, he has spent the last 11 years at the forefront of helping pioneer the search engine marketing industry. He sits on the board of directors for many organizations including TechBiz Connection, SEM International and is the former VP Communications for the American Marketing Association.

EXPERT PANEL:

Peter Ashworth | CEO | Brilliant Blue, 9th Mile, & Brilliant Connections
Peter Ashworth is Principal of Brilliant Blue, a marketing agency specializing in the creation of growth for mid-size corporations. He is also a founding Principal of (1) 9th Mile, a social networking organization targeting 30-65 year old Gen X and Baby boomers, and (2) of Brilliant Connections, a B2B social networking site targeting corporations and entrepreneurs. After 1 ½ years of research and development, he and his group are in the final stages of building out 9th Mile, for a launch to the public in Q2.

His 1000’s of hours of best-of-breed research into social networking organizations, combined with his agency expertise of combining aggressive growth strategies -with a combination of strong creative and technology applications, gives him a real-world understanding of the current & future impact social networking will have on the future lives of millions. He has implemented successful brand-building and growth initiatives for hundreds of large and mid-tier companies in the US, Europe and the Pacific, both B2B and B2C. As a creative innovator in marketing technology applications, he has significant experience combining strong targeted messaging in the interactive and traditional media, and as an entrepreneur has started several marketing organizations.

Michael Sawtell | CEO | Digital Post Interactive 
Michael has extensive Internet company experience, having been President and COO of Interchange Corporation (now Local.com / NASDAQ-LOCM) from March of 2000 to April of 2005. Michael helped lead the company to an IPO in October of 2004. An active participant in some of the leading Web 2.0 conferences, Michael launched The Family Post in March of 2006 and helped take the parent company DigitalPost Interactive public in January, 2007. He has previously held executive positions with Northrop Grumman Corporation, working on the  B-2 Stealth Bomber, and also held key positions with General Dynamics where he led operational efforts on the Tomahawk Cruise Missile System, Advanced Cruise Missile System and the MX Missile System.

Richard Guha | Partner | Max Brand Equity
Following a Master's degree in engineering from Cambridge University, Richard started in Marketing at Procter & Gamble. After 15 years in Consumer Packaged Goods, started consulting to a number of major firms in telecommnications and Internet - AT&T, Sprint, AOL, Peapod, Compuserve, GTE - and then took on several C-level positions in US West, Comcast, and BMC software. Introduced the first VOIP service in the US, first consumer broadband service, launched a CLEC. Currently consults to Sprint, Motorola, Samsung, and Walmart.com. Also Chairs the largest senior executive networking group in the world, on the Board of several networking enabled businesses.

Gavenraj “Raj” Sodhi | Founder, President & CEO | socialDragon
With over 15 years in management, marketing, and technology with start-ups and Enterprise Organizations, Raj serves as socialDragon’s Founder, President & CEO. socialDragon provides a marketplace and ecosystem that enables businesses to build brand equity with consumers through targeted user interactions and user generated content. Raj has held leadership roles with industry leaders like MGM, idealab!, and Computer Associates. Raj’s background includes working with numerous Fortune 500 clients, some of which are in the areas of automotive, finance, hospitality, and telecom.

Martin D. Weel  | CEO | CurveNorth
Martin Weel is a serial entrepreneur and currently the founder and CEO of CurveNorth, a technology company founded on developing innovative products for emerging markets. Currently, Mr. Weel is responsible for the innovation and management in digital entertainment / social networking, energy management, and financial based work-flow solutions. In 6th grade, running a T1 out of his parents house, Martin had one of the largest BBS systems in the country. After a short stint with Microsoft, he started n-Tier software, which evolved into NexTier Solutions and eventually purchased by International Paper.