Local Search Insider

As we mentioned last month, the Yellow Pages Association is once again partnering with BIA/Kelsey to present one of the most important industry conferences of the year, Directional Media Strategies (DMS) ’10.

Scheduled for Sept. 14-16 at the InterContinental Hotel in Dallas, the conference will focus on the Yellow Pages industry’s best strategies for pursuing new opportunities in today’s rapidly changing media environment.

While speakers are still being selected, the general agenda is posted and includes a variety of interesting sessions:

• The iPad — A Game Changer for Yellow Pages? The iPhone has been a huge catalyst for innovation in mobile Yellow Pages. Will the iPad, with its much larger screen, prove to be an even more significant new form factor for digital directories?
• Mobile Yellow Pages Leaves the Laboratory. Mobile Yellow Pages has moved well past the science project stage, beyond the traffic supplement stage and is now well into the monetization stage. More and more publishers are generating a discrete, fast growing revenue stream. We will hear from directory executives at the leading edge of mobile Yellow Pages monetization.
• Social Media + Yellow Pages = A New Lease on Life? Directory publishers worldwide have been investing resources in building social platforms in the hope of creating rich content in the form of consumer reviews, plus engagement with a new set of users otherwise disengaged from Yellow Pages brands. How are these efforts faring?
• Verticals Showcase: Maids, Shades and Auto Repair. Vertical search has been gradually migrating from its original core of travel, jobs and homes to more explicitly local categories — home and personal services, retail, professional services and so on. In this special showcase, we’ll get a taste of how some of the more compelling local verticals out there generate content, attract users, form partnerships and, of course, make money.

As you can see, DMS ’10 will feature discussions on many of the major topics facing our industry and its individual companies—hosted by one of the most respected analysts in the field. It’s definitely not to be missed.

For more information, including registration and speaker submissions, visit the DMS ’10 website here. We’ll share additional information right here on the blog as soon as it becomes available.

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