TUESDAY, 4 DECEMBER

Parks Associates Workshop:
Global Digital Lifestyles Growth

Parks Associates Workshop
Global Digital Lifestyles Growth

Communications and Value-added Services
IPTV and Interactive TV
Digital Media and Entertainment
Home Networks and Controls

>> Click here for workshop agenda

CONNECTIONS™ Europe Begins
The Conference Agenda Starts Here

Welcome to CONNECTIONS™ Europe
Trends and Outlook for Digital Lifestyles Markets

We begin CONNECTIONS™ Europe with an overview of key global trends for the digital lifestyles market, with Europe as a special focus.

This session also introduces the Four Pillars of the Digital Home, the theme for CONNECTIONS™ Europe and the foundation for the next two days of highly interactive and informative sessions with lead analysts and their peers.

From the Chair: Video Services in the Context of the Digital Home

Pillar 1 of The Digital Home is IPTV and Interactive TV, which lays the foundation for entertainment services, home networking, communications, and value-added applications. The Analyst Chair opens this session with an examination and key predictions of the current IPTV and interactive television landscape.

Opening Keynote: Embracing IPTV Services and Deployment

IPTV services are helping to provide differentiation in a hyper-competitive European telecom environment. This keynote presentation focuses on the role of IPTV in the context of converged communications and entertainment services and provides insight into the evolution of IPTV services including interactive features, new services, and different entertainment experiences.

What’s Next with Television?

Europe has now taken the lead in IPTV deployments, and the market for television on the European continent is highly dynamic. With cable, satellite, and digital terrestrial joining IPTV as options for digital TV, how do video services differentiate in order to grow and retain their customer bases? This panel examines the trends, technologies, and the “next big thing” that will characterize television in Europe.

Wine and Cheese Reception

WEDNESDAY, 5 DECEMBER

Breakfast

Sponsored by Macrovision

Opening Comments and Welcome
The Consumer Across All Four Pillars

Technological advances are key to driving the digital lifestyle markets forward, but is consumer demand keeping pace with innovation? Parks Associates opens Day 2 with insight and analysis of the global consumer across our four Digital Home Pillars. This presentation includes data from Parks Associates’ groundbreaking worldwide research Global Digital Living I and II.

Trends in Telecommunications from a Researcher's View - Networks, Devices, Services, Solutions

From the Chair: Europe as a Model for Converged Services

For service providers worldwide, attracting and retaining customers in a hyper-competitive market are ongoing challenges. Given the unique dynamics of the European market, it provides an excellent case study for how service providers can compete on services and innovation.

Keynote: Fiends and Friends: Video 2.0

New distribution technologies and new user expectations change the market. How can we turn fiends to friends? This keynote addresses Video 2.0 and opportunities in a threatening environment.

Peter Klingenburg CEO T-Systems Multimedia Solutions

Coffee & Tea Break in the Showcase Area

Sponsored by UEI

Carriers as "Experience Providers"

As the European landscape for communications, data, and entertainment services grows more competitive, carriers must move beyond raw bandwidth and simple bundled features. This panel examines the value-added services and features that will set one service provider apart from another and increase the bottom line.

The TV as Digital Home Hub

With IPTV and interactive television services as the centerpiece of digital home strategies, what are the roles for the set-top box and other premise equipment in linking viewers to new applications and features? This panel discusses TV-centric devices and appliances and examines their evolution in the context of advanced features, connectivity, and services.

Communications Services for the Digital Lifestyle

As convergence takes hold, communications services will be essential in building a desired portfolio of services. This panel examines communications services from the perspective of fixed-line and mobile features, the home network, and multimedia and entertainment features.

Television on Consumers’ Terms

How does television evolve from a dumb box to a more immersive and personalized service? This panel addresses interactive services, the use of Web content, and the features and applications that will move television from a one-to-many to a one-to-one experience.

Lunch and Keynote: Smart Pipes, Smart Devices, Smart Players

Sponsored by Zensys Inc.

The challenge for all players in the ecosystem is the degree to which they will capture or lose to others the future growth and economic value opportunities in IPTV. Changing consumer behavior, an evolving regulatory environment, the advancement of technology and innovation of new solutions all combine to create potential business models for IPTV. This presentation, based on IBM’s experience with IPTV technology development and working with the world’s leading CE companies, will address the impact of these different forces and provide suggestions for future development as well as new business modes and strategies.

Saul J Berman Global Lead Strategy Partner, IBM Media and Entertainment Practice Global Strategy & Change Services Leader, IBM Global Business Services Paul R. Brody Partner, IBM Global Business Services Global Lead, IBM Electronics Industry Strategy Practice

From the Chair: Shifting Entertainment Habits

The Analyst Chair begins our afternoon session with a look at the transformation of entertainment and media businesses. With entertainment and media options for consumers ranging from broadband video downloads to social media and other “Web 2.0” applications, how does this breadth of choice impact businesses? More importantly, are consumers reacting favorably to new distribution methods and models?

Digital Media and the Rise of New Business Models

Observers have traditionally framed the rise of digital media in the context of upstarts, “over-the-top” players, and threats to incumbents, but is this characterization in fact true? Join a plenary of leaders spanning a variety of digital media and entertainment categories as they discuss and debate the roles of traditional and new media players in today’s markets.

Coffee & Tea Break in the Showcase Area

Sponsored by Smart Design

Keynote: Changing Entertainment Options

Entertainment options for consumers have grown tremendously as broadband and digital services mesh with technology advances and convergence. This Keynote addresses how consumer electronics devices such as set-top boxes and televisions are bridging the gaps between the traditional entertainment world and the online services. In addition, Philips will share perspectives on how interactive features and new value-added and revenue-generating services are bringing further enhancement to consumers’ entertainment options, and allowing CE vendors, together with their partners from the digital entertainment ecosystem, to play a role in driving new revenue streams.

Didier Zwierski Vice-President, Americas General Manager & Technology and Development Manager PHILIPS Consumer Electronics - BU Home Networks

Delighting the Customer

Not only do consumers have a growing number of media and entertainment content choices, they have multiple options for the channels that receive the content and the products that play it. What do consumer electronics companies and distributors need to do to entice a customer and deliver the best possible experience?

Closing Thoughts – Day 2

A short recap of the day’s highlights and an overview of the agenda for Day 3

Reception in Foyer Showcase Area

THURSDAY, 6 DECEMBER

A Digital Lifestyles Look Ahead: What’s Hot in 2008?

Parks Associates analysts present a forward-looking view of digital lifestyles markets, based on newly-released paper.

From the Chair: The Stages of Connectivity

From the early rollouts of home networking and home management, the successful deployments tended to focus on specific features or applications. As more highly integrated home networks and home management offerings take center stage, how are players positioned to take advantage of this connectivity? The Analyst Chair provides a SWOT analysis of the major players.

Keynote: Creating New Networked Experiences in the Managed Home

The growth of Home Networking has created opportunities for new content rich, shared experiences both inside and outside the home.

Tim Marsden Chief Technologist, EMEA, CME Hewlett-Packard Company

The Holistic View of the Digital Home

What factors will drive home connectivity beyond application-specific platforms and allow the creation of new service models? From communications and entertainment to controls and health management, how does a European Connected Home and Lifestyle take shape? This diverse panel will discuss the next steps in shaping home connectivity.

Coffee & Tea Break in the Showcase Area

Sponsored by SmartLabs, Inc.

The Role of Customer Support in the Networked Home

In a marketplace characterized by connectivity and advanced digital features, helping consumers proactively solve problems becomes a critical aspect of digital lifestyle strategies. This panel discusses the role of service providers, equipment vendors, and applications providers in saving support costs and providing the services customers will need to keep their connected homes working.

Success Stories: Connected Home and Health

Home controls and health are perhaps the most misunderstood applications in the digital lifestyle. This panel brings together representatives from a variety of companies to discuss the growth areas for these applications and the roles for a variety of home and health applications, from remote monitoring to wellness and fitness, energy management, and safety and security.

Buffet Lunch and Special Plenary: Future-Forward to 2012

In keeping with last year’s success, we again bring together leaders in networking, CE, and distribution, to discuss what they see when they look forward to 2012 and how their companies are working to make that desired vision occur.

Going In-Depth: Meeting the Analysts

Parks Associates’ analysts discuss the key implications from the CONNECTIONS™ Europe conference. During this session, the analysts will lead interactive and informal discussions on the strategic implications for specific markets, providing consumer and industry knowledge.