Speakers from leading organizations at the forefront of the communications industry will gather to discuss future trends in communications at Authentic Communications 2008, a conference sponsored by the Business Development Institute and PR Newswire, which will be held on April 24 at the CUNY Graduate Center in New York City.

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"Business communications and branding are continuously changing over the internet," said Steve Etzler, founder of the Business Development Institute. "Leading organizations are embracing their markets by creating and participating in relevant online conversations. Customer voices are broadcasted through consumer generated media, while everyone is on a quest to be perceived as authentic through both their communications and advertising efforts. This conference will bring together the best and brightest minds in the industry to showcase and explore successes, failures and discuss how the industry can make sense of and take advantage of the rapidly changing environment facing the industry."

  Case Studies:

  How consumers and marketers are using Wikis to connect
  Angelique Shelton, General Manager, Wikia Inc., Wikia.com

  Waste Management: Think Green = Profit Through Sustainability
  Lynn Brown, Vice President Corporate Communications, Waste Management Inc

  TripAdvisor - Role Model of Authenticity
  Brian Payea, Trade Relations, TripAdvisor

  OfficeMax's "ElfYourself" Digital Campaign Breaks All The Record
  Books
  Anne Bologna, Founding Partner and President, Toy, New York

  Southwest Airlines
  Paula Berg, Public Relations Manager, Southwest Airlines

Additional Speakers include thought leaders from PR Newswire, GWU, MediaMerx, MS&L, Millennium Technology Venutures, I'm 18 in 08, Know Ventures, The FeedRoom, Pheedo, Kalpow, Multiverse Labs, Converseon, Comcast, DeSilva + Phillips, rEvolution, Campfire, BRANDEMIX, RE:INVENTION, Rose Tech Ventures, Edelman, D S Simon Productions

  Topics covered:
   -- Measurement & ROI
   -- Web Video's role in authentic communications
   -- Word of mouth's role in authentic communications
   -- Convergence - Leveraging data from other communications
      disciplines form more effective integrated programs
   -- How to get budget for authentic communications and social media
      investments
   -- Connecting with different generations (Millennials, Gen X, Baby
      Boomers)
   -- Future trends and technologies in communications
   -- Authentic Communications Careers

Sponsors: PR Newswire, LinkedIn, D S Simon Productions Inc., Southwest Airlines, The FeedRoom, TripAdvisor, Aquent, GuestPass.com, Hispanic Trending, LatinVision, NY:MIEG, New York University

Over 300 communications, marketing and media professionals are expected to attend including corporate communications executives, media executives, corporate marketing and branding leaders, advertising agency thought leaders, PR agency thought leaders, and technology gurus.

For more information about the event or to register go to: http://www.bdionline.com/nycauthentic08

Business Development Institute (BDI), founded in 2001 by Steve Etzler, is a leading conference and career fair producer based in New York City. Through its creative event based programs BDI helps companies drive new revenue growth, raise awareness for their products and services, enhance their brand and market position, and generate tangible results from their business development, marketing and recruiting initiatives. We have also created a powerful network of thousands of business leaders who are BDI members, partners, media sponsors, corporate sponsors and clients. Our network is BDI's key competitive differentiator and we put it to work for every program we produce. For more information about BDI please go to www.bdionline.com.

About PR Newswire

PR Newswire Association LLC (http://www.prnewswire.com/) provides electronic distribution, targeting, measurement and broadcast services on behalf of tens of thousands of corporate, government, association, labor, non-profit, and other customers worldwide. Using PR Newswire, these organizations reach a variety of critical audiences including the news media, the investment community, government decision-makers, and the general public with their up-to-the-minute, full-text news developments.

Established in 1954, PR Newswire has offices in 14 countries and routinely sends its customers' news to outlets in more than 170 countries and in more than 40 languages. Utilizing the latest in communications technology, PR Newswire content is considered a mainstay among news reporters, investors and individuals who seek breaking news from the source. PR Newswire's leading services include ProfNet(SM), eWatch™, MEDIAtlas™, Search Engine Optimization, MediaRoom, MediaSense™, MultiVu™, U.S. Newswire, the preeminent policy newswire in the industry, Vintage Filings, the fastest growing Edgar filing company, and Hispanic PR Wire, LatinClips and Hispanic Digital Network, the foremost Hispanic communications services. PR Newswire is a subsidiary of United Business Media plc of London.

CONTACT: Rachel Meranus, Vice President, Public Relations, PR Newswire, +1-201-360-6776 or rachel.meranus@prnewswire.com.

PRN photodesk, photodesk@prnewswire.com

SOURCE: PR Newswire Association LLC; Business Development Institute