Local Transactions' 'Final Mile' Is the Focus of BIA/Kelsey's Interactive Local Media West, Dec. 12-14, in San Francisco

CHANTILLY, Va., Oct. 4, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- A new wave of commerce-centric solutions -- which encompass location-based services, geotargeting, deals, online coupons, customer engagement and retention solutions -- is enabling local advertisers to realize the long-standing promise of local interactive media to promote and grow their businesses. BIA/Kelsey will spotlight this trend -- from tools to transactions for "final mile" commerce -- at its upcoming conference, Interactive Local Media West (ILM West: Closing the Local Loop), which takes place Dec. 12-14, in San Francisco.

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"Local search ad revenues hit an all-time high last year -- one indicator of how entrenched local advertisers and consumers have become in interactive local media," said Matt Booth, senior vice president and program director of BIA/Kelsey's Interactive Local Media practice. "BIA/Kelsey has been at the forefront of analyzing digital efforts in local, and the hundreds of millions of dollars that have been invested by search engines, newspapers, directories, broadcasters, broadband, coupon and deals companies, social media companies, and others. Our ILM conferences have become essential events for companies participating in the continued advancement of this space."

ILM 2010 was the largest ever in the 80-plus conferences produced by BIA/Kelsey, and the company expects attendance at ILM West to rival last year's event.

The conference program will feature more than 50 speakers from across the local digital landscape. The opening keynote address will be delivered by Bob Pittman, cofounder of MTV and former president of AOL Time Warner, who was recently named CEO of Clear Channel Communications.

Other early speaker confirmations include Clark Gilbert, president and CEO, Deseret Digital Media; Zorik Gordon, president and CEO, ReachLocal; Larry Illg, general manager, eBay Global Classifieds; John Paton, CEO, Digital First Media; David Sharman, senior VP and chief strategy officer, Dex One; and Kara Swisher, co-editorial director, The Wall Street Journal's All Things Digital.

The two-and-a-half-day agenda features 18 sessions, including two fast-paced self-contained SuperForums on "Deals and the Local Promotional Ecosystem," and "SoLoMo," focused on the social local mobile media opportunity. Additional session highlights include:

• The 2011 Investment Climate for Interactive Local Media
• Reinventing Local Media
• Focus on Local Verticals: The Hot Spots
• The New Local Social Video/TV
• Targeting Local Consumers
• The BIA/Kelsey Local Sales Summit
• Local Search 2011-2012: Getting to Transactions
• The New Wave of Local Lead Generation

ILM West Preview Webinar

BIA/Kelsey will offer a preview of the ILM West conference during a free webinar on Wednesday, Nov. 2, titled, "Closing the Local Loop: What's Important in Local (and Why)." In this webinar, BIA/Kelsey analysts will present their views of the local landscape, highlighting BIA/Kelsey data, updating the scenarios for success and providing a scorecard handicapping some of the cutting-edge players participating at ILM West. Visit https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/740252392 for more information and to register to attend.

About ILM West

ILM attracts a global audience of executive level decision makers from across the local media landscape, including companies engaged in local search, deals and group buying services providers, location-based services, local social media, traditional local media, classifieds and vertical media, advertising and marketing agencies, local digital media suppliers and sector-focused investors and financial analysts.

ILM West sponsors include 3L System Group, Acxiom, Analog Analytics, Infogroup, Infycosm, Kenshoo Local, Local.com, Localeze, Location3 Media, MerchEngines, Microsoft, Moon Valley Software, No Problem and xAd. Conference mobile partners are goMobi and WillowTree Apps. The conference association partner is the Association of Directory Publishers. Media partners include ConferenceGuru.com, NetNewsCheck, Radio-Info.com, Search Marketing Standard Magazine, Street Fight, Topseos, TVNewsCheck and Visibility Magazine. For more information about ILM West, including the complete agenda, list of speakers and companies attending, visit http://www.biakelsey.com/ILMWest2011.    

About BIA/Kelsey

BIA/Kelsey advises companies in the local media space through consulting and valuation services, research, Continuous Advisory Services and conferences. Since 1983 BIA/Kelsey has been a resource to the media, mobile advertising, telecommunications, Yellow Pages and electronic directory markets, as well as to government agencies, law firms and investment companies looking to understand trends and revenue drivers. BIA/Kelsey's annual conferences draw executives from across industries seeking expert guidance on how companies are finding innovative ways to grow. Additional information is available at http://www.biakelsey.com, on the company's Local Media Watch blog, Twitter (http://twitter.com/BIAKelsey) and Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/biakelsey).

SOURCE BIA/Kelsey