2010 InformationWeek 500 Conference Announces Details of 'The Growth Imperative'

Session Will Take CIOs Through A Journey From Big, Mind-Expanding Ideas To Real-World Execution

PRNewswire-FirstCall
SAN FRANCISCO
Aug 4, 2010

InformationWeek 500 Conference announced the speakers and presenters for its 'The Growth Imperative' session at this year's event, taking place September 12-15, at the St. Regis Monarch Beach in Southern California. The conference's opening session will highlight the critical combination of creativity and execution in business, taking CIOs through a journey that starts with big, mind-expanding ideas and concludes with real-world examples of business growth and innovation through the use of technology.

The 2010 InformationWeek 500 Conference's 'The Growth Imperative' session will kick off with two distinguished innovators who will share mind-bending ideas around science and innovation:

  --  JoAnn Kuchera-Morin, who founded CREATE (Center for Research in
      Electronic Art Technology), and works on the Allosphere, (a 3D
      immersive theater that maps complex data in time and space), will show
      how scientists are able to map data both visually and sonically for
      phenomenal affects in science, math and art.
  --  Woody Norris, a serial inventor of electronics, tools, and
      cutting-edge sonic equipment - such as the LRAD acoustic cannon - will
      not only talk about and demonstrate some of his inventions but also
      his process for innovation.  He won the 2005 Lemelson-MIT Prize for
      his invention of a hypersonic sound system.

The second part of the session will focus on corporate business technology innovation, and feature three dynamic business technology executives, who will reveal in rapid-fire vignettes how IT is engaging customers and generating new sources of revenue at their companies:

  --  Bill Martin, CIO of Royal Caribbean, will discuss how the innovative
      cruise vacation company is using real-time analytics to improve the
      guest experience and the bottom line.  Martin will also show how
      wireless and other technology innovations enhance the guest experience
      on the world's largest cruise ship.
  --  Shawn Keim, Director of Development for Wet Seal, will show how the
      retailer of teen clothing for girls is combining mobility and social
      networking to drive sales.
  --  Dave Bent, Senior VP of eBusiness Services and CIO of United
      Stationers, will discuss the company's IT-led transformation from a
      wholesale distributor of business products to a provider of electronic
      commerce, marketing, merchandising, logistics, and other
      revenue-generating services to its suppliers and reseller customers.

"Driving growth will require both imagination and execution. It will demand that leaders think differently and creatively about new frontiers of opportunity, and how technology will, as it always has, lead the way," said Fritz Nelson, VP and Editorial Director of InformationWeek, and InformationWeek 500 Conference Co-Chair. "But the thinking and the imagining are only part of the journey. Success requires leaders to take risks and to follow through; to make the sharpest ideas become reality. The conference's 'The Growth Imperative' session will walk CIO attendees through how to move what seems to be the impossible to the possible."

Additional keynote speakers at the 2010 InformationWeek 500 Conference are:

  --  Bestselling author Nicholas Carr -- who has famously questioned the
      role of IT (Does IT Matter? 2004) and has posited that "the cloud" is
      the ultimate culmination of the commoditization of technology (The Big
      Switch, 2008).  In his latest provocative tome (The Shallows, 2010),
      Carr shows us how the technology of the Internet is changing the way
      we think - not just what we think, but the actual process of thinking;
      and perhaps not for the better.
  --  Peter Hinssen - one of Europe's esteemed thought leaders in the field
      of technology and its impact on business life and society.  His focus
      is on the consumer adoption of technology, on the impact of the
      networked digital society, and on the fusion between business and IT. 
      Hinssen collaborates with organizations in the areas of IT Strategy,
      Transformation, Fusion and Coaching, both within Belgium and far
      beyond.

  For more information, go to: www.informationweekconference.com.

In its 19th year, the InformationWeek 500 Conference celebrates the 500 most innovative users of business technology. Past overall winners include CME Group, National Semiconductor, Con-way, and Principal Financial Group. The event also honors the Chief of the Year, the top CIO in the country as selected by InformationWeek's editors. Last year's winner was federal CIO Vivek Kundra.

This year's InformationWeek Conference is sponsored by iRise, Teradata, Workday, VMware, IBM, Qwest Business, Riverbed , Dell, Rimini Street and SuccessFactors.

Attendance at the InformationWeek 500 Conference is limited to maintain an intimate setting and foster dialog among executive participants. General attendee registration can be found online; only qualified registrants will be accepted. Media credentials are also extended by request; interested media should contact Winnie Ng-Schuchman.

About InformationWeek Business Technology Network (http://www.informationweek.com/)

The InformationWeek Business Technology Network provides IT executives with unique analysis and tools that parallel their work flow--from defining and framing objectives through to the evaluation and recommendation of solutions. Anchored by InformationWeek, the multimedia powerhouse that looks across the enterprise, the network scales across the most critical technology categories with online properties like DarkReading.com (security), IntelligentEnterprise.com (application architecture), NetworkComputing.com (networking and communications) and PlugintotheCloud.com (cloud computing). The network also provides focused content for key IT targets, such as CIOs, developers, SMBs and IT Support Managers via InformationWeek Global CIO, Dr. Dobb's, InformationWeek SMB and HDI, as well as vital vertical industries with InformationWeek Financial Services, Government and Healthcare sites. Content is at the nucleus of our information distribution strategy--IT professionals turn to our experts and communities to stay informed, get advice and research technologies to make strategic business decisions.

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  For more information, contact:
  Winnie Ng-Schuchman
  631-406-6507
  Vice President, Marketing
  InformationWeek Business Technology Network
  wng@techweb.com

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact: wng@cmp.com

SOURCE: UBM TechWeb

CONTACT: Winnie Ng-Schuchman, +1-631-406-6507, Vice President,
Marketing, InformationWeek Business Technology Network, wng@techweb.com

Web Site: http://www.ubmtechweb.com/