Join us for the 3rd Annual Virtual Goods Summit

I haven’t blogged in nearly 2 months. So much has been going on lately that I haven’t had much time to do blogging – I’ll be back with more posts shortly.

In the meantime, it’s my pleasure to announce that we’ve secured a number of fantastic speakers and panelists for the 3rd Annual Virtual Goods Summit, which will take place on October 29-30, 2009 in San Francisco, CA. As an alum of our prior events, it is my pleasure to invite you to join us again in October at VGS09 at the Westin San Francisco on Market Street. As the market opportunity for virtual goods continues to expand and publishers gain a deeper understanding of this new landscape, it’s more important than ever to connect with your colleagues and stay on top of developments in our fast moving market.

I am also excited to tell you about our first major format change for the Virtual Goods Summit. This year, we’ll be offering both a full day of panels and talks (the Virtual Goods Summit on Oct 30th) along with a half-day warmup of informative workshops focused on the fundamentals of success in this market (Virtual Goods Summit University on Oct 29th). I encourage you to join us for both days, and I assure you that you’ll find both sessions informative, enjoyable, and full of actionable ideas and insights.

I’d also like to extend a special thanks to our sponsors, as we couldn’t make VGS09 happen without their support: Offerpal Media, Super Rewards, Viximo, Norwest Venture Partners, Globespan Capital Partners, Blue Run Ventures, Zong, and InComm. If your company is interested in joining us as a sponsor for VGS 2009, please contact David Sachs (david@vgsummit2008.com) for details.

Virtual Goods Summit University – Thursday, October 29, 2009
Virtual Goods Summit – Friday, October 30, 2009
Westin Market Street, San Francisco, CA
Website: http://www.vgsummit.com/2009
Register: http://vgsummit2009.eventbrite.com

Follow us on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/vgsummit
Be a Fan on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Virtual-Goods-Summit/234057065290?_fb_noscript=1

Confirmed Speakers and Panelists

• David Wallerstein, Tencent
• John Earner, Playfish
• Bill Wang, Perfect World
• Tim Chang, Norwest Venture Partners
• Jameson Hsu, Mochi Media
• Brian Balfour, Viximo
• Adam Caplan, Super Rewards
• Amy Jo Kim, Shufflebrain
• David Marcus, Zong
• John Smedley, Sony Online Entertainment
• Zhan Ye, GameVision
• Ron Hirson, BOKU
• Siqi Chen, Serious Business
• Shanna Tellerman, Wildpockets
• Geoff Cook, MyYearbook
• Lisa Rutherford, TwoFish
• Robin Chan, XPD Media
• Dave Etling, InComm
• Ludovic Bodin, CMUNE

Virtual Goods Summit University (October 29th)
This year we’ll be offering a half-day seminar designed to provide a comprehensive overview of the key fundamental drivers of virtual goods business models. Our group of experts will cover topics ranging from why virtual goods are effective to the ins and outs of managing a virtual economy. Whether you’re new to the space or just looking for an opportunity to get additional insights and perspectives, we encourage you to join us for the day and learn from some of our industry’s leading thinkers. Space is limited, so register now if you plan to attend. We’re going to cover a lot of critical topics, including the following:

• Virtual Goods – Why and How They Work
• Getting Started with Virtual Goods and Virtual Gifts
• Launching Your Virtual Currency – A Case Study
• Managing and Marketing a Virtual Goods Offering
• Managing a Virtual Economy – What You Need to Know
• The Payments Landscape – Virtual Goods Payment Options
• Optimizing Your Payments Infrastructure – A Publisher Case Study

Virtual Goods Summit (October 30th, 2009)
The 2009 version of the Virtual Goods Summit is on track to be a fantastic event. We’re hard at work in securing a strong lineup of speakers who will come armed with data and perspective to share with all in attendance. If you’re active in the virtual goods space, this is a must-attend event. We’ll announce speakers and a complete agenda shortly, but the day will cover many important topics, including the following:

• Lessons from the Leaders
• Virtual Goods and Social Networks
• Virtual Goods – A Global Perspective
• Blending Microtransactions and Subscriptions – A Case Study
• MMOs and Virtual Worlds
• Payments Infrastructure for Virtual Goods

Other Events of Interest
I’m not directly involved in the organization of the events below, but thought that they might be of interest to you:

Mobilize 09 (September 10, 2009)
Mobilize 09 is a one-day conference that brings together the thought leaders of the next generation mobile web for talk, demonstrations and debate. We’ll examine what it means to have wireless broadband speeds at the Gigabit scale and how the explosion of open platforms create new opportunities beyond the traditional handset, for entrepreneurs, investors and consumers. Readers can get a saving of $260 from the regular ticket price. Use the code MPSOCIALGAMSUM10 at registration or click on this http://mobilize09.eventbrite. com/?discount=MPSOCIALGAMSUM10 to register at the special saver price.

Women 2.0 Startup Weekend SF (August 28 to 30, 2009 in San Francisco, CA)
What is Startup Weekend? It is a weekend where you meet like-minded people and start something over the weekend. Come to Startup Weekend to find an idea that resonates with you, join a team, and launch! Startup Weekend is a place to test ideas, contribute to ideas, and meet potential founders. We are bringing together the most innovative, talented, and out-of-the-box entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley. This event is open (all genders!). Details http://www.women2.org/ w2sfstartupweekend09/

SNAP Summit: FailCon! (Tuesday October 27th, 2009 in San Francisco, CA)
The producers of SNAP Summit have a great new event lined up to take a light-hearted but productive look at failure: FailCon! They’re bringing together the biggest players in the Web 2.0 industry to talk about the failures they’ve had, what went wrong, how they got over it, and what they learned. These are mistakes we all will make as entrepreneurs, missteps we all will see. And this is the best way to be prepared. This event looks to present some great new content, and be informative and fun. Pick up 15% off tickets at http://snapsummit4.eventbrite. com/?discount=VGS.