In just a few years, the Internet has evolved from an emerging technology to a powerful tool for building relationships with customers -- and in March, top marketing executives will gather at "The Marketing Landscape of the Internet: The 1998 Conference" to share insights into how business is putting the Web to work. The executives -- from organizations such as Barnes and Noble, FedEx, HotWired, Charles Schwab, Intel, Yahoo!, Microsoft, and Sabre Interactive -- will examine case studies and best practices in interactive marketing, and offer forecasts of what they see on the horizon. This conference, the fifth in a series of annual events, will be held at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Phoenix, Ariz., March 25-27.

"The Internet is fundamentally changing the way companies create and capture value and build customer relationships,'' says Kathy Biro, president and CEO of Strategic Interactive Group, and chairman of the conference. "Over the past year, leading companies have become more sophisticated in integrating their interactive marketing with the organization's overall marketing plans and broader strategic goals. This conference brings executives together to learn firsthand about some of the most successful and groundbreaking approaches that are out there today."

The event includes one day of preconference workshops and two days of discussions with invited speakers. Conference attendees will learn how leading companies research, plan, execute, and measure Web marketing initiatives. This year's speaker faculty includes more than a dozen of the foremost experts in the field, including: Susan Boster, director of marketing at Barnes and Noble, who will discuss relationship marketing strategies for the Web; Randy Goldman, vice president of electronic brokerage at Charles Schwab and Company, who will examine the effective use of promotional advertising; and Michael Janes, vice president of marketing at FedEx, who will discuss the Web and global business.

The conference will also feature a panel discussion on the latest developments in interactive research led by Ward Hanson, professor of interactive marketing at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Panel members include Charlie Hamline, president of NFO Interactive; Dr. Won-Yong Kim, senior fellow of the Institute for Technology Marketing at IntelliQuest; and David Harkness, vice president of NielsenMedia.

"The event's focus is on forging a personal, tangible, and measurable connection between your company and its customers and prospects," says Sandra Totzke, executive director of the Interactive Marketing Council. "There's a lot of hype and prediction around the Internet. This conference will explore the realities of marketing online, and provide practical insights that can help executives understand how to more effectively research, plan and profit from their next interactive marketing campaign."

In addition, the conference provides opportunities for executives from a wide range of industries to meet informally to network and share experiences. Past conferences have been attended by executives from companies such as AT&T, American Express, Aetna Life & Casualty, Dow Chemical, Eastman Kodak, Ford, GTE, Johnson & Johnson, Lexus, MCI, Merck Medco, Merrill Lynch, NEC Technologies, Nynex, Pillsbury, Pitney Bowes, Sprint, Texas Instruments, Walt Disney Company, and Xerox.

"The Marketing Landscape of the Internet: The 1998 Conference" is sponsored by the Interactive Marketing Council -- which is the marketing leadership in the Association of Interactive Media (AIM) industry group -- and the Strategic Interactive Group, a leading interactive marketing agency. To register for the conference, call (800) 323-0310. For inquiries, call IMC headquarters at (612) 922-7550.

Published: March 5, 1998

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