Sonic Foundry Partners With UPCEA to Create Hybrid Conference

MADISON, Wis., April 5, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Sonic Foundry, Inc. (NASDAQ: SOFO), the recognized market leader for rich media webcasting, lecture capture and knowledge management, today announced the company's Mediasite platform will be used to stream the UPCEA 96th Annual Conference taking place April 6 – 9 in Toronto, Ontario. This is the first hybrid-conference in UPCEA's 96-year history.

"We decided to stream live to provide a sense of community. Even though we'll be geographically separate, we want the remote audience to be part of the action," said Kandace Gilligan, UPCEA director of communications. "We're hoping institutions will make the virtual element a unique experience for their team by creating mini conferences from their offices."

Two conference tracks will be streamed live via Mediasite for attendees who have registered for a virtual conference pass. While onsite sessions in Toronto are proceeding as normal, Sonic Foundry technicians will be capturing what's happening in the room with Mediasite, which synchronizes the video and graphics feeds. These Mediasite presentations will then be webcast online in real-time to the live remote audience, and available for on-demand playback by both onsite and virtual attendees.

"Our vision is to be the leading resource for lifelong learning professionals. Expanding access to those resources is obviously a critical step," said Bob Hansen, UPCEA CEO. "Our partnership with Sonic Foundry allows us to engage members in a new way, while simultaneously helping financially challenged institutions to bring value home to their campuses."  

Registration is still open for the hybrid conference. Visit www.upcea.edu/2011annualconference  for more information, and follow the conference on Twitter at #upcea11.

Among the presenters is Matt McCurdy, associate VP of education for Sonic Foundry, who will be part of the panel session "How Corporations Can Help Universities Address New Trends and Developments in Online and Distance Learning" on Friday, April 8 at 12 p.m. Eastern.

The conference will be webcast via Mediasite by Sonic Foundry. Trusted by more than 850 colleges and universities, the patented Mediasite webcasting and content management system quickly and cost-effectively automates the capture, management, delivery and search of rich media presentations that combine audio, video and accompanying graphics for live or on-demand viewing.

About UPCEA

Founded in 1915, the University Professional & Continuing Education Association (formerly the National University Continuing Education Association) is among the oldest college and university associations in the United States. As the principal US organization for continuing higher education, the Association assists institutions of higher learning and affiliated nonprofit organizations to increase access through a wide array of educational programs and services. UPCEA also provides national leadership in support of policies that advance workforce and professional development. Since its inception, the Association has been committed to making higher education available to everyone, as well as to ensure that programs and services address societal needs and economic trends. In addition, UPCEA works with counterparts abroad to foster professional exchange and better international understanding of continuing higher education.

About Sonic Foundry®, Inc.

Sonic Foundry (NASDAQ: SOFO, www.sonicfoundry.com) is the global leader for rich media webcasting and knowledge management, providing enterprise communication solutions for education, business and government. Powered by Mediasite, the patented webcasting platform which automates the capture, management, delivery and search of lectures, online training and briefings, Sonic Foundry empowers people to transform the way they communicate. Through the Mediasite platform and its Event Services group, the company helps customers connect a dynamic, evolving world of shared knowledge and envisions a future where learners and workers around the globe use webcasting to bridge time and distance, accelerate research and improve performance. Product and service names mentioned herein are the trademarks of Sonic Foundry, Inc. or their respective owners.

Certain statements contained in this news release regarding matters that are not historical facts may be forward-looking statements. Because such forward-looking statements include risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from those expressed in or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include, but are not limited to, uncertainties pertaining to continued market acceptance for Sonic Foundry's products, its ability to succeed in capturing significant revenues from media services and/or systems, the effect of new competitors in its market, integration of acquired business and other risk factors identified from time to time in its filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

SOURCE Sonic Foundry, Inc.