Digital Mission New York 2014 - Programme

The Digital Mission to New York (17th-21st Feb 2014) coincides with Social Media Week New York. In addition to the 150+ events taking place across the city during the week, there's a host of other activities in the works for mission companies.

Monday 17th Feb is Presidents Day and officially a bank holiday, so most mission companies are planning to fly out to NYC on Monday and heading home on Saturday, after recovering from Friday's Social Media Week closing party.
The choice is entirely yours and whilst there's a very keenly priced travel and hotel package, you're more than welcome to make your own arrangements.

Monday 17th Feb is Presidents Day and officially a bank holiday, so most mission companies are planning to fly out to NYC on Monday and heading home on Saturday, after recovering from Friday's Social Media Week closing party!

The choice is entirely yours and you're more than welcome to make your own arrangements.

NB: this agenda is regularly updated - timings, dates and events may change - a work in progress but gives a good idea of what's being planned...

Jump to each day's activities:

Monday, 17th February

Arrive in New York City

Most companies will arrive in NYC on Monday. We advise you to find your feet, check into your hotels and perhaps take a nap - it'll be a busy week! 

SMW Pass Pick-Up

Your Social Media Week pass will be available for pickup at:

Time: 2:00pm - 6:00pm
Venue:Highline Stages, 440 West 15th Street, New York, NY 10011

Please bring a form of ID when picking up your pass

Informal Mission Drinks

We will arrange for Digital Mission companies to meet with some informal drinks that evening prior to going to the SMW Opening Reception.

Time: 6:00pm - 7:00pm
Venue: TBC 

SMW Official VIP Opening Celebration

Time: 7:00pm - 10:00pm
Venue: Highline Stages, 440 West 15th Street, New York, NY 10011

As part of the Digital Mission, delegates will have access to the Social Media Week NYC Opening Celebration, marking the official 2014 launch. Hosted by Crowdcentric, MKG and Global Headline Sponsor Nokia, the opening reception is the perfect place to kick the mission off with a room filled with VIP's, sponsors, partners and key influencers who are all heavily involved in Social Media Week and the digital scene. 

// Check out the SMW Official VIP Opening Celebration event

Tuesday, 18th February

Social Media Week Morning

We have kept Tuesday morning free in order for companies to start to get involved with the huge amounts of SMW Events that are taking place around the city.

Whether you're interested in advertising and marketing, business and entrepreneurship, education and learning, media and publishing or any other of the event categories involved in the week, there will be something for everyone. 

This time can also be used for meetings and catching up on emails. 

SMWNYC Events:

9:00am The Content Marketing Revolution, hosted by Percolate
9:00am - PSFK Labs’ Future of Retail Showcase: Creating a Sustainable Instant Retail Model
12:00pm The Value of Networks: Connectional Intelligence for Businesses, Brands, and Executives
12:00pm Jonah Peretti, Founder and CEO of BuzzFeed

// Full SMWNYC schedule here 

Digital Dumbo Visit

Time: 2:30pm - 3:30pm
Venue: 45 Main Street Suite 816, Brooklyn, New York 11201

Digital DUMBO connects influencers, businesses, and ideas at the intersection of digital+culture in the world’s most innovative cities. We produce conferences, networking events and industry-specific workshops for executives and leaders in the digital and tech functions/industries. We're one of the largest communities of digital talent and businesses in the United States.

Since 2004, we've expanded from the DUMBO (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass) neighborhood in Brooklyn to also serve Boston, Dallas, London and Valencia, Spain. With over 16K members, Digital DUMBO serves the needs of its members and partners with professional development, thought leadership and business development opportunities.

HUGE Company Visit

Time: 4:00pm - 5:00pm
Venue: 45 Main Street, Suite 220, Brooklyn, NY 11201

Huge is a digital agency that provides business strategy, design, marketing and technology services to some of the world's largest businesses and best-known brands. The company is known for successfully harmonizing user needs and business goals to create industry-changing digital experiences for its clients. Huge has offices based in the United States, Europe and Latin America, and is part of the Interpublic Group of Companies.

Wednesday, 19th February

Social Media Week Morning

Wednesday morning is a chance for you to attend some more Social Media Week events, check out our top pick below. 

This time can also be used for meetings.

SMWNYC Events:

9:00am Masterclass: WordPress as Social Hub: Plug-ins, Optimization, and Tools for Maximizing Your Online Presence
9:00am Masterclass: The Science of Viral Video Sharing, hosted by Unruly
9:00am Upworthy's Real Mission: A Keynote Announcement from Eli Pariser, Founder
9:30am Building Essential Products for the Social World, with John Borthwick, CEO of betaworks
10:00am 20/20 Vision: Your Life Just Six Years from Now
11:30am Content is King, But Distribution is Queen, Hosted by BuzzFeed
1:00pm Keynote: Steve Case on Leaders of the Next Revolution

// Full SMWNYC schedule here 

Tackling Business Development in USA: Roundtable with Atlantic Leap

Time: 11:00am - 12:00pm
Venue: Fried Frank, 375 Park Ave (between 52nd & 53rd St) New York, NY 
(Conf room E, 36th Floor)

This session will focus on business development in the USA with speakers from Atlantic Leap and Massive Interactive Inc. Diane and Alex will share their experience of business development in the US, with a specific focus on New York and Silicon Valley. They’ll look at the strategies for winning contracts and the tactics to deliver them.

Atlantic Leap

Atlantic Leap was founded by digital veterans who have worked in senior roles with some of the biggest and best-known start-ups and later-stage companies in New York, Silicon Valley, London and across Europe.

We understand your culture, and we also know how to talk to the natives.

Diane deCordova

Diane is an entrepreneur with more than 25 years experience in global business development, sales and operations. She is a champion of building businesses with digital media and recently led the development of the Google BrandLab.

A graduate of Princeton University and the London School of Economics, Diane’s executive business development roles at Excite@Home, P&G’s Reflect.com and Yahoo, heightened her reputation as a leading digital deal-maker with an extensive network in Silicon Valley.

Alexander Drosin

Alexander is President of Massive Interactive Inc., a publicly traded company with over 16 years of experience in delivering and building industry-leading tools to manage, productize and sell media assets on next- generation connected devices. 

Alex has held several senior corporate positions in the entertainment and digital space. Alex became enamored with the digital arena after working for Lorne Michaels’ Broadway Video where he helped establish Saturday Night Live’s presence around the world. Alex left to launch his own company, Glowcast Ventures, with Ken Seiff, the founder of Bluefly.com. Alex began his career working for The Wall Street Journal / Europe.

Alex currently advises Portalarium, a next generation game studio founded by Richard Garriott, the legendary video game developer and entrepreneur. 

The Fueled Collective Co-Working Space Tour

Time: 2:30pm - 3:30pm
Venue: 568 Broadway, 11th Floor. NY 10012

The Fueled Collective is a co-working space in Manhattan that has grown into a family of 20 of the most exciting startups in NYC. At the collective, we share a love of plush leather couches, impeccably designed conference rooms, year round ice cream, and ping pong tournaments…not to mention, amazing views of lower Manhattan and a killer snack bar!

Check out the coverage of The Fueled Collective in Forbes and Business Insider. 

Foursquare Company Visit

Time: 3:30pm - 5:00pm
Venue: 568 Broadway, 10th Flr | New York, NY 10012

Foursquare is a free app that helps you and your friends make the most of where you are. When you're out and about, use Foursquare to share and save the places you visit. And, when you're looking for inspiration for what to do next, we'll give you personalized recommendations and deals based on where you, your friends, and people with your tastes have been.

Whether you're setting off on a trip around the world, coordinating a night out with friends, or trying to pick out the best dish at your local restaurant, Foursquare is the perfect companion.

During the visit to the space the mission group will hear from some of the members of Foursquare (see below) who will be able to speak of the challenges and opportunities of having a company running from various cities as well as a Q & A session. The group will also be given a tour of the space at Foursquare.

Speakers:

Varun Shetty - Media BD Manager
Dev Anand - Platform BD Manager
David Ban - Mobile BD Manager
Eric Friedman - Director of Revenue Ops

Thursday, 20th February

'Doing Business in the USA' Briefing - hosted by UKTI

Time: 9:00am - 2:00pm
Venue: The British Consulate General, 845 Third Avenue, 9th, New York, NY 10022

This is a compulsory session for Digital Mission delegates.
Sessions include:

Nuts and Bolts: Doing Business in NY 

This session will introduce the UKTI structure and services in the USA and will look at the support available from city / regional development agencies and local trade associations. Expertise will be shared by:

Understanding Red Tape 

This session will cover the main points in Corporate, Employment, Tax, Immigration and Internet law. Learn from case studies about the legal practicalities of launching or expanding a business into the US market, including those "red flag" issues that every company needs to know. 

This session will be led by Allan Rooney of Rooney PC

Nuts and Bolts: The Industry View 

This session will provide insight from major US companies (below) on the digital industry, including their perspectives on how to connect and partner with major corporations.

Recruitment (and retention) of Talent

Hiring good people in NYC is hard, especially if you’re not familiar with the cultural nuances and pitfalls in identifying, on boarding, and keeping the people that will make your US presence a success. Companies will learn about US recruitment strategies, where and how to identify talent, and how to hold on to it from:

 

Tales from the Trenches 

This session provides the opportunity to hear from British companies who have successfully expanded their business to the US. 

Speakers include:

Moderator:  David Tradewell, Econsultancy – set up their New York office in 2009

UKTI NY Networking Reception

Time: 6:30pm - 8:00pm
Venue: The British Consulate General, 845 Third Avenue, 9th, New York, NY 10022

UKTI NY will host an evening networking event for all the Digital Mission delegates.

This event will be a chance for companies to showcase their expertise as well as giving them the chance to make essential connections in an industry and market that thrives on networking and referrals.

Friday, 21st February

Investment Roundtable 

Time: 10:00am - 11:00am
Venue: Venue: Fried Frank, 375 Park Ave (between 52nd & 53rd St) New York, NY  
(Conf room D, 37th Floor)

This informal roundtable session will focus on the US investment scene. Topics likely to be covered:

  • State of the early-stage investment market in US
  • The differences between Silicon Alley and the rest of the US
  • Approaches for overseas firms to raise investment
  • Current investment trends
  • Views on accelerators/incubator programmes

Speakers:

Michael Goodman and Ken Harrell, Co-Founders of the technology-focused investment bank Pharus Advisors

Frank Kelcz

Head of Media Technology Investments, SEB Venture Capital & Advisor - Venture Capital Unit, UKTI

Frank Kelcz has spent his professional life first as a a media executive and then as a venture capitalist. As a media exec, he's launched some 27 media products in print, online, face-to-face events and data analytics in Europe and the USA. He has been an angel investor and as a  Venture Capitalist has worked with Pitango (Israel) and SEB (Sweden) regularly serving as an advisor, coach, and board director.  For the last 9 months he's worked with the UKTI helping to figure out ways to get US investors to invest in UK based companies.  Currently he is doing advisory work for two online start-ups and a sustainable and affordable housing project aimed at the "bottom billion".  He lives both in London and New York. 

The 500 Startups Co-Working Space Tour

Time: 11.45am - 12:30pm
Venue: 386 Park Avenue South, E. 27th St., 10th floor

500 Startups provides early-stage companies with up to $250K in funding, our startup accelerator program, and unique events like SmashSummit, UnSexy, and GeeksOnaPlane. With hundreds of experienced startup mentors around the world, our creative work space in the heart of Silicon Valley, and a vibrant community of startup founders, we help companies succeed in ways other venture firms do not. We are 500.

Bloomberg Company Visit

Time: 1:00pm - 2:00pm 
Venue: 731 Lexington Ave, New York, NY 10022

Delegates will be given the opportunity to hear from members of the Bloomberg NYC team as well as take a tour of the spaces.

Possible topics that will be covered in this session:

  • Insight into the business publishing landscape
  • How US corporates are leveraging digital/social media
  • The current dynamic of media, agency and publisher relationships
  • How smaller UK firms should approach large US corporates
  • Trends in the US digital sector in general, US B2B in particular
  • Where are corporates investing their digital marketing/product spend

BBDO Company Visit

Time: 3:00pm - 4:30pm
Venue: 1285 Avenue of the Americas, NY 10019

BBDO is the world's most awarded advertising agency. With 15,000 employees in 289 offices across 81 countries, it is the second largest global advertising agency network, with its headquarters in New York. The agency began in 1891 with George Batten's Batten Company, and later in 1928, through a merger of BDO (Barton, Durstine & Osborn) and Batten Co., the agency became BBDO. 

Delegates will be given the opportunity to take a look round BBDO and hear from members of the BBDO NYC team.

Talking points for the session: 
  • Intro to BBDO team, their work and areas of expertise and relevant initiatives e.g. BBDO Digital Labs
  • Insight into US agency landscape and differences between US/UK operations
  • Current dynamic of media, agency and publisher relationships
  • Opportunities for niche UK based agencies in NYC and US in general

SMW Official VIP Closing Party

Time: 7:00pm - 10:00pm
Venue: Highline Ballroom, 431 West 16th Street, New York 10011

As part of the Digital Mission, delegates will have access to the Social Media Week NYC VIP Closing Party, wrapping up the week nicely with some well deserved drinks! 

// Check out the Social Media Week Official VIP Closing Party event 


Questions? Suggestions?

The agenda is always a work in progress, often until the days before the trip itself. If you have particular objectives for your trip, companies you'd like to visit or contacts that you'd like to invite along to any of the events, please do helpatchinwag [dot] com (let us know) and we'll do our best to coordinate.

// Digital Mission 2014 - Companies
// Digital Mission 2014 - More Info 
 

Photo (cc) fotocination on Flickr