WHITAKER ASSOCIATES

Directory And Search Services Conference To Be Held February 5-6, 2007 In London

As the leading event for the converging Directory and Search Services industry, the European Directory Marketplace 2007 (EDM07) conference will explore developments and opportunities including Free directory enquiry (DQ), enhanced voice services, mobile subscriber services, mobile listing services, other mobile information services, and the integration of print, voice, and online service.

London (PRWeb) December 18, 2006 -- Whitaker Associates (www.whitaker.com) announces the agenda for the European Directory Marketplace 2007 (EDM07) conference, to be held on February 5-6, 2007 at the Millennium Mayfair Hotel in London.

Conference sessions will cover:

• Future of Directories and Search Services;
• Data breadth & depth, sources & relevancy: delivering the information users are looking for;
• DA / DQ: Free, Advertiser Based, and Other Services;
• Opportunities in the Mobile World: Content, User Experience, Local Search;
• Delivering information in a Multi-Modal Environment;
• New Models and Opportunities for Concierge, Social Network, and VoIP Services;
• Search Engines and Yellow Pages.

Technology is enabling the delivery of enhanced services that were infeasible before, legacy services are being offered using new business models, and new services are being introduced that weren’t imagined before. Industry leading speakers, delegates, and organizations will meet to learn and explore business opportunities.

There are a number of market trends that are driving this transformation. Internet usage, mobile subscriptions, mobile search, and electronic self-search are growing at robust rates while social networks and User Generated Content (UGC) are exploding. Some key indicators:

• Search engine growth continues in the 25% range;
• European broadband penetration is up 14%, according to the European Interactive Advertising Association (EIAA);
• 3GSM subscribers were growing at 330%, according to Wireless Intelligence;
• ComScore reported in October that 29% of Europeans in six countries surveyed access Internet content from their mobile phones.

Future developments—including increased wireless broadband penetration and delivery by 2008 of handsets with the processing capability of today’s portable computers—will further these trends. As a result of these and other factors, the directory and search services market is being redefined by new business models with a mix of advertiser-paid and user paid components.

Gold Sponsors of this conference include:

• BTSLogic (www.btslogic.com)
• Call Genie (www.callgenie.com)
• Local Matters (www.localmatters.com)

The EIDQ, the Association for the Directory Information Industry (www.eidq.org), is a Partner Sponsor for this conference. LSSi (www.lssi.net) is a Silver Sponsor.

Whitaker Associates has extensive experience in the directory and search services industry, offering conferences, The Operator Online (www.theoperatoronline.com) news service, and consulting. EDM is an annual event that was first held in 2001. For more information, visit www.whitaker.com.

Contact: Stuart M. Whitaker
Telephone: +44 (020) 8133 8278

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