The agenda has been released for the one-day iKids West Conference, set for June 2 at the Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel in Santa Monica, Calif.
The event is designed to bridge the gap between kids entertainment brands and app revenue through better planning, partnerships and execution.
Highlights from the program include:
- A breakfast presentation exploring the critical developmental stages of kid digital life
- The results of the first-ever research study into app purchasing and usage habits and preferences of kids and families in the U.S. and U.K.
- Practical case studies looking at how to plan, finance, develop and produce kids apps, and then how to price, market and distribute them
- Showcase presentations by leading kids app developers and brand owners looking for partners
- High-level discussions of the brand vs. original model debate and the three-year future of the kids app market
Kidscreen is hosting this West Coast event in response to industry demand generated by the success of its first iKids conference, which attracted more than 150 brand owners and managers and app developers to New York in February.
More information about iKids West, including how to register, is available at ikids.kidscreen.com or by contacting Joel Pinto at (416) 408-2300, Ext. 650.
The full conference agenda follows:
Target Talk: Exploring the Stages of Digital Kid Life
8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m.
In this relaxed breakfast presentation, the skilled team at Insight Research Group will take you on a deep-dive into the developmental, cultural and social drivers that influence the media habits and interactive content preferences of four-year-olds, seven-year-olds and 11-year-olds. Fully understanding the needs of your users is the first step towards great app development, so don’t miss this chance to get to know them better.
Brand Downloads
Looking to pick up top-tier clients in the kids entertainment space? Listen in as brand managers behind some of the biggest and best property libraries talk about which ones are earmarked for app work in 2012, and what developers need to bring to the table to get the job.
Featuring: Simon Waters, SVP of Licensing & Publishing, Hasbro
The App Playbook
10:15 a.m. to 11 a.m.
By the end of 2011, Nielsen is predicting that the majority of mobile subscribers in the US will have smartphones. And while Apple’s iPad may be generating a lot of buzz, did you know that tablet computers make up less than 10% of the US connected device market? Presenting facts and figures from Nielsen’s syndicated Mobile Apps Playbook and research on the connected consumer, this presentation is designed to help all players in the mobile ecosystem figure out how to profit from the seemingly unstoppable growth of the apps market.
Featuring: Jerry Rocha, VP of Mobile Media, The Nielsen Company
Understanding the Global App-etite
11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.
Be among the first to benefit from the results a large-scale project exploring how kids and families in the US and the UK are engaging with apps. This breakthrough study by Kids industries in London will look at purchase patterns and decision-making dynamics, usage trends, navigational insights and, most importantly, what distinguishes a good app from a bad app from the consumer perspective. You will want to be in the room when this critical market intelligence is presented.
Featuring: Gary Pope, Founder, Kids Industries
The Great Model Debate: Brand vs. Original
1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Let’s face it: Apple’s App Store and other mobile content storefronts are only going to get more crowded. And while creating licensed apps based on well-known brands is one way to cut through the clutter, some maintain that cleverly executed original concepts are better at attracting consumers. Which model yields the better ROI and bigger opportunities? This panel of seasoned developers and brand owners weigh in on the pros and cons.
Featuring: Michel Kripalani, President, Oceanhouse Media
Developer Downloads
Dive into the experienced end of the app talent pool to find partners who know what it takes to make your kids brands shine in the mobile space. These intimate and interactive sessions will feature some of the market’s leading kids app developers talking about their services, their processes and some recent projects that have kicked it up a notch.
Featuring: Rick Richter, CEO, Ruckus Mobile Media
Case Study: The Nuts and Bolts
Planning, Financing, Development and Production
3 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Case Study: Market Entry
Pricing, Marketing and Distribution
3:45 p.m.-4:15 p.m.
Seven of Oceanhouse Media’s kids eBooks based on Dr Suess classics have hit number-one in the App Store’s Top Paid Book category. So if there’s a company to learn the ins and outs of launching and marketing an app for kids, this is it. Join us as we take an inside look at Oceanhouse’s market entry process, from planning a pricing strategy and securing distribution on all the right platforms, to building an audience through consumer marketing with those partners. These best-practice tips tmay help you hit the million-paid-download mark, too.
Featuring: Michel Kripalani, President, Oceanhouse Media
Maintaining App-titude in a Changing Landscape
4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
The dramatic arrival in April 2010 of Apple’s kid-friendly iPad might have lit up the kids app market like the Fourth of July, but it was just the beginning. There’s already a second-generation iPad to serve, along with Google’s Android and BlackBerry’s Playbook. To give you a solid sense of where this rapidly expanding market is going, our closing panel discussion will analyze the biggest challenges and opportunities in the kids app space—and some early lessons learned from the pioneers tackling them.
Featuring: Wendy Paige Bronfin, Head of Digital Products, Barnes & Noble
Closing Cocktail
5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
