Register Now for the MEF North America Webinar - Patent Wars

Tuesday, October 23rd 2012
1-2pm ET / 10-11am PT / 6-7 pm GMT

Register Now

Many companies in North America and beyond are facing assertions by patent trolls making claims on their technology. The mobile industry is a clear target for extracting licensing fees. Increased media surrounding the value and use of patents as well as focus on high stake lawsuits and patent abuses means your business needs to ask whether patent protection is required.

The issue is affecting the mobile content and commerce industry today. MEF North America asks, how should businesses respond to threats by so-called patent trolls? What considerations should be made when attempting to obtain patent protection for new ideas? And what impact are the smartphone wars having on the wider mobile ecosystem?

In this webinar, leading patent experts will explore these issues discussing:

• Considerations for obtaining patent protection
• High stakes lawsuits and their impact on the industry
• How to respond to threats by patent trolls
• The Helferich Patent - what could it mean for your business?

Don't miss out! Head over to the MEF website for more info, or sign up now.

Register for MEF Americas 2012 with Early Bird discount

Registration is open for the 3rd annual MEF Americas 2012 which returns to Miami on 3rd – 5th December. Register now to take advantage of the special Early Bird discount rate available until October 31st ($499 for members, $699 for non members).

MEF Americas: Mobile Content & Commerce is the essential cross-border event for thought leaders and deal makers from across North & Latin America’s mobile content and commerce ecosystems. The exclusive two-day event focuses on the changing mobile landscape and new opportunities and challenges in both regions and beyond.

OpenMarket is this year’s sponsor of the Welcome Drinks on the 3rd December, kicking off two days of networking in style at the luxurious Fontainbleau Miami Beach.

Founding Sponsors for 2012 include Binbit, Buongiorno, Movile, Naranya, Playphone, Reporo and TIMWE. For more information on other sponsorship opportunities, please contact MEF Events Director Kim Arazi.

MEF Americas 2012 will include keynotes on disruptive topics such as HTML5 and Big Data, as well as breakout sessions on market entry, how to do business in Latin America and other growth markets including China.

MEF Americas 2012 will also host MEF’s first cross-border innovation competition for start-ups. Following the successful inaugural competition at the CEO Summit in London, this is a great opportunity to hear pitches on the latest mobile innovations from both regions.

MEF Americas 2012 is the place to learn, network and build business opportunities in the North & Latin Americas. For more information on MEF Americas 2012 visit the website – check out last year’s speakers and photos to get you in the mood for Miami. 

We look forward to seeing you there!

MEFTV Meets the 2012 Meffys Winners

MEFTV was waiting in the wings at last month's Meffys award celebrations, ready to speak to the winners as they left the stage. The 9th annual Meffys Gala Dinner was attended by an international audience of top industry executives and media. Widely recognised as being the benchmark for measuring success and rewarding innovation, the awards honour the industry’s most influential global players.

One of the most keenly anticipated awards was the CEO Summit award for Innovation - the winner of which, Bardowl, was voted for by the attending CEOs and executives at MEF's CEO Summit held in City Hall the day before the Meffys. 

Bardowl's Chris Book, aptly named for the head of a company reinventing the audiobook business model, had just two minutes to pitch to the attending crowd and convince them their platform was the most innovative of all of the startups across the four innovation categories; a tough task given the calibre of the other entrants. Congratulations to them, and all of the Meffys Winners!

CEO Summit Award for Innovation: Bardowl

Hit the jump to hear from the rest of the winners, and you can contact us for more info on the Meffys and how you can be a part of next year's celebrations.

Fast Shopper, Slow Store - Full chapter excerpt

From Best Buy to Borders, retail stores are closing their doors forever: the shop has lost its connection to its shopper. Increasingly consumers are looking to their mobile devices as the primary screen to find best products and the cheapest deals. 

Fast Shopper, Slow Store, the latest book from MEF North America Chairman Gary Schwartz, is about what companies can do to build the mobile tools necessary to re-establish a relationship with their mobile consumer.

In this excerpt, Gary examines how the US political horse race mirrors retail activities in attracting consumers, and how any brand will need to rethink their strategies in the modern digital landscape.

Fast Shopper, Slow Store is available now from all good bookstores for just $0.99!

MEF partners with Digital Arabia event, 6-7 November, Dubai

Stimulus speakers from Mobily, du, Etisalat, and Qtel join the Digital Arabia debate with Universal Music, Disney, MBC Group, Saatchi & Saatchi and others! To find out more about the event click here, or apply to participate. MEF has a 20% DISCOUNT to all members. Contact us to get your dicsount code to use when you register online.

Produced and facilitated by business innovation firm STL Partners, Digital Arabia will take place at the brand new Jumeirah Creekside Hotel in Dubai from 6-7 November. By invitation only for 200 senior executives from across the communications, retail, media, banking and technology sectors.

Part of the New Digital Economics Executive Brainstorm & Innovation Series, it will build on output from recent events in San Francisco, Singapore, London, New York and new market research and analysis and will focus on new business models and growth opportunities in digital commerce, content and the cloud in the Middle East and North Africa.

Confirmed speakers include: EVP, Du; Co-Founder, Anghami; CEO; Saatchi & Saatchi; Group Chief Digital Services Officer, Etisalat; Chief Marketing & Commercial Strategy Officer, Mobily; VP Innovation, Du; Chief Marketing & Commercial Strategy Officer, Mobily; CEO, Aegis Media; GM, Media Distribution, Emerging Markets, Disney (EMEA), Group Strategy Director, MBC Group, Head of Media, Unilever; Head of Marketing Innovation, Chaloub; MD, Universal Music; VP, Capgemini Consulting; Director Mobile Advertising, Etisalat; Group Senior Director, Qtel; CEO, Eyelevel Interactive; CEO, UnboundID. Click here to view the agenda.

Unique Interactive Format: STL’s ‘Mindshare’ interactive format, including cutting-edge new research, case studies, use cases and a showcase of innovators, structured small group discussion on round-tables, panel debates and instant voting using on-site collaborative technology.
To find out more about the event click here, or apply to participate.

Following Digital Arabia the event series will travel to the Asia Pacific region to discover; Shifting Profit Pools and Strategic Growth Opportunities in the Digital Economy 2.0 and New Market Opportunities and Customer Experiences in Digital Entertainment & Commerce 2.0.

Click here to find out how you can participate in Digital Asia.

Thanks to Guardian Media Network for supporting Meffys 2012 as Platinum Media Partner

Another year, another great Meffy Awards. Teaming up with the Meffy's team as Platinum Media Partner was a perfectly suited collaboration: working to bring together leading media executives from around the world - over 35 countries - and supporting the new categories such as the Social Responsibility & Development Awards, reflects what the Guardian Media Network is all about.

As Platinum Media Partner we hope you had a chance to meet one of our Media Network team and find out more about this rapidly growing platform. In case you didn’t hear, the Guardian Media Network is a unique community designed for media professionals like you. It provides a free stage for you to engage with your peers, keep up to date with and comment on the latest industry developments and gain a first look at tailored jobs.

Membership of the network is totally free and gives you access to a host of exclusive professional benefits, including:

• Exclusive invites to VIP networking events
• Up to the minute comment and industry insight straight to your inbox
• A minimum 20% discount on all associated media and tech events, including the Mobile Business Summit 12
• 50% discount on a Guardian subscription for 3 months
• A first look at top end, tailored media jobs

So what are you waiting for? Join a community of switched on innovators driving change in your sector and make substantial savings on our world renowned events at the same time.

 

Register for free here

Pioneering work in mobile banking in growth markets Hannes Van Rensburg awarded MEF’s Outstanding Contribution Award at the 2012 Meffys

Last week’s Meffys awards once again brought together a mix of the mobile industry’s top industry executives and media for a gala dinner at London’s Park Lane Hotel. The annual event marks a year of mobile innovation and success from companies across the mobile ecosystem and with winners representing all five continents.

A key highlight of the Meffys is the Outstanding Contribution Award which honours an industry pioneer and visionary who has had a seminal impact on mobile content and commerce. This year’s winner reflects MEF’s expanded focus to support growth and innovation within mobile across developed and growth markets recognising Hannes Van Rensburg, CEO of mobile banking pioneers Fundamo.

Van Rensburg joins a prestigious roll call of pioneers who have been recognised by the MEF Global Board, often unsung heroes and visionaries who have helped shape the mobile content and commerce industry, under-pinning its advances with the new technology and business models.

Van Rensburg’s achievements in mobile banking cannot be underestimated. In 1999, he founded Fundamo, developing a secure mobile architecture, the principals of which are still used as the backbone for mobile banking systems today.

Consumers are utilizing multiple screens every day - but how do you reach them?

It's clear that the “battle of the screens" is accelerating and continues to disrupt traditional media and content models. The MultiScreen Summit™ will bring content providers alongside senior brand, agency and entertainment executives to examine the new screen economy being driven by a fundamental shift in the way consumers search, access and share content.


The two day event on 19th & 20th September kicks off the evening before with a VIP Dinner on 18th September hosted by MEF North America. Supported by Impact Mobile, KPMG, OpenMarket, Polar Mobile and Samsung, the dinner is the exclusive chance to meet the executive speakers in an exclusive networking environment before the main event.

The VIP dinner will be served pool-side at the luxurious Loews Hollywood Hotel (Formerly the Renaissance Hotel).

The evening will feature three amazing after dinner speakers:

• Bernie Laramie – Co-Producer, “Atlas Shrugged”; Producer/Co-Producer: “CSI", "Shark", "War of the Worlds" (TV), James Cameron’s “Last Mysteries of the Titanic", "Aliens of the Deep", "Threat Matrix", "Profiler", "Dark Skies" and "Max Headroom"
• Neil Patel - SVP, Content Strategy and Development at The Martin Agency
• Doug Stanley, Multiple Emmy-Award Winning Producer "Deadliest Catch" and CEO/EP Ridgeline Entertainment LLC

The Summit starts at 08.45 AM the following day; Wednesday 19th September and is being chaired by MEF North America Chair Gary Schwartz.

The MultiScreen Summit™ will put you in the room with leading content providers, senior brands, agencies and entertainment executives to stake your claim in the new screen economy.

MEF members speaking at the Summit include Samsung, Turner Broadcasting, OpenMarket, InComm and Impact Mobile.

Our very own Marjorie DeHey, MEF General Manager will also be speaking on the session entitled Monetizing an Engaging Consumer Experience for 2nd Screen Applications on day two of the Summit.

Check out the full program on their website.

Who is Paddy Cullivan?!

MEF continues to demonstrate its commitment to innovation and start-up talent by getting a completely unknown Irish Musical Comedian to host this year's Meffys awards.

Though relatively popular in his home country, Paddy Cullivan was spotted by the Meffys talent scouts at the London Web Summit and they hired him on the spot to present the 9th Annual Meffys awards, along with his own start-up business, the Camembert Quartet.

Paddy assures us he is very committed to the Mobile phone industry, citing the loss of at least four phones a year in nightclubs since the smartphone was invented. He has extensively tested many types of alcoholic beverage on the phone, and finds that white wine is the most effective for rendering it completely useless.

Further asserting his mobile credentials, he tells us he has one crack on his iPhone screen, tweets and shazam's constantly, loves being able to tune his guitar using an app, and becomes agitated when away from his phone for more than twenty minutes. He is extremely excited to be hosting the Meffy's and is composing an opening number that will "put Billy Crystal to shame". The band are even rumoured to be rehearsing ringtones - so expect a wild night of satirical, musical fun.

Don't miss out on what promises to be an unforgettable evening - To get your tickets for the 9th Annual Meffys, head over to the website now!

Interview: Rafael Pellon, MEF LatAm GM

Mobiletime.com - the Brazilian mobile news digest site has posted an extensive interview with MEF LatAm Geneal Manager, Rafael Pellon. In the far ranging discussion Pellon speaks on MEF, the Code of conduct for subscription services in Brazil and the challenges in implementing it, as well as the future of m-commerce in the region and globally. He also talks about the topic of privacy for mobile devices, a key issue for MEF, and discusses the unique perspective facing the South American market.  

Checkout the full interview (in Portuguese) on MobileTime.com.