Tuesday, June 06, 2000

I can see clearly now…


…The rain is gone. Well, 'twas quite a rainy day, but it didn't stop hard-core marketers and interested souls in slick marketing and stickiness from coming out to listen to select panelists speak at the first Visability 2000 conference at 55 Broad Street on Tuesday, June 6. Hosted by Bogen PR and LPNYTHink Creative, the presentations were focused on marketing, public relations, business development, brand awareness, advertising and of course, networking.

Alan Meckler was the scheduled keynote speaker, but when conference host Edmund Bogen introduced another speaker after surprise speaker Congressman Jerold Nadler, Meckler became impatient. He has a schedule too, after all. He told Bogen, either I speak now or I go. Bogen told him he wouldn't be able to interrupt the other speaker, so Meckler left. The conference was in full swing by then, with the first panel, High Visibility Marketing, moderated by John Crowley, president Vision Consulting.

Bogen and LPNYTHink drew in top-notch sponsors like The New York Times and siegelgale, and exhibitors like Richard A. Eisner, Omnient, Club Planet and Vision. Between Panels 1 & 2 and 3 & 4 there was a lunch at the Vaults at Vine resto of grilled chicken and pesto ravioli. Heady discussions abounded between panelists like Sony Music Entertainment senior director corporate communications Laurie Jakobsen; Playboy.com PR director Laura Sigman; BogenPR VP Frank Domondon and O'Dwyer PR founder Jack O'Dwyer for the Power PR panel, moderated by VP Communications, CBS Corp. Dana McClintock. Alley Cat News editor-in-chief Anna Wheatley moderated with finesse the fourth panel on Advertising: One step beyond with panelists including DME Interactive CEO Darien Dash, Juno Online Services CEO Charles Ardai; Flooz.com Marketing VP and 24/7 Media EVP Sales Jay Friesel.