Mood Ring explores our emotional reaction to fashion with textiles that display the feelings of the wearer and those that interact with the outfits. This interactive fashion performance is a generation beyond the low-tech fad of morphing mood rings from the 1970's. These playful research projects, developed by the Banff New Media Institute, CodeZebra and Am&Able network, not only provide a soundtrack, change colour and form but are forerunners of a new era of self-expression in personalized interactivity. Designers include: Susan Jenkyn-Jones, Di Mainstone, Darryl Gold, Ariel Garten, Caroline Rouben, Tomoko Hayashi, Tina Gonsalves, Tom Donaldson, Victoria Lawton, Andrew Majtenyi and Larissa Virdjee. Event created with the support of the Creative Electronics Environment, Special thanks to Luke Azevedo Event producer for BNMI Cindy Schatkoski and Sara Diamond, Banff Wearable Technology Research Lead.

Gallery Exhibition: Aural Cultures: Curated by Jim Drobnick

Aural Cultures presents an array of artists working with sound and its compelling social dimensions. Featuring audio, video and installation works.

Presented by The Banff Centre.

Industry leader Kurt Sillén, of Sweden's Ericsson Mobility kicks off nextMEDIA with a shot over the bows of the orthodox media content world via his killer cocktail theory on how media companies can successfully distribute their content via the rapidly growing medium of choice - the mobile phone.

Introduction and Q & A :

Roma Khanna, Senior VP Content, CHUM Television

Partner : Achilles Partners LLC

As competition drives down handset prices, mobile phone companies are devising bold new tactics to lure and lock in customers. At the same time, content companies are cooking up awesome applications, tried and true entertainment and gaming brands and diving into the market with reckless abandon. An open-ended frenzy is forming as carriers, manufacturers, middlemen and content players jockey for position amidst evolving marketplace rules of engagement. Join top strategists as they discuss the future of the mobile industry: Who is going to make money, when and how?

Speakers :

W. James Boyer, Sales Manager (North America), conVISUAL
Michael Carter, President & CEO, MyThum Interactive
Will Hodgman, President & CEO, M:Metrics
Jason Offet, Client Director, Nokia Canada

Moderator :

Raja Khanna, Co-Founder/COO, QuickPlay Media

Established media players whose world is dominated by commanding big money for premium content have invaded the mobile industry. Selling wallpaper and ringtones is only the beginning: an explosion of transaction and advertising supported video, amongst other services, is on the horizon and approaching at warp speed. Will the 10,000 pound gorillas of the television industry mop up in mobile? Is there opportunity for the savvy entrepreneur to rain on the parade and find a place in the market? What are some successful examples of TV entertainment meets mobile and what are the next big things? Is there consensus on the strengths and weaknesses of each camp? Find out what content producers and media companies need to know today as the foreplay makes way for the big event.

Speakers :

Marisa Fermin, Exec VP, Fox Twentieth Television
Stanley Fertig, Senior VP, HBO International
Matt Heiman, CEO, Mobix Interactive

Moderator :

Jonathan Bulkeley, Partner, Achilles Partners, LLC

A panel of experts discusses great mobile applications from around the world that are in use today and making money. Which services and content are sustainable? Which opportunities are underexploited? Who is likely to benefit from the new technologies finding their way into peoples' hands? Critically: How is the youth segment using and perceiving the wireless experience? How can content players and carriers find gold tomorrow by understanding the preferences of young people today?

Speakers :

Olivier Attia, CEO-Scanbuy Optical Intelligence
Stephen Nykolyn, VP Marketing, Blister Entertainment
Gregg Sauter, Director, Global Games Publishing, Nokia Multimedia

Moderator :

Wendy Bernfeld, Founder, Rights Stuff

Dr. Michael Bull, University of Sussex, U.K.

To many, the notion that "the iPOD changes the world" is an understatement. Find out from world-renowned expert Dr. Michael Bull how the iPOD started a revolution that is far from over and learn what lies ahead in portable entertainment. The man known sometimes as 'Dr iPOD' will share new insights from his, the first-ever international research study of iPOD users.

Presented By Radar Media Company

Annette Gibbons, from the Department of Canadian Heritage will describe the department's New Media Research Networks Fund.

The Mobile Digital Commons Network is committed to fast prototyping next generation mobile experiences. It provides insight on Canadian policy-development that impacts the rollout of mobile services and content. It develops and tests strategies for public and private business applications in mobile location based new media. It explores design methodologies, bringing consumer needs into close proximity with content and technology development. This session shares close-to-market research approaches, examines the role that MDCN and similar initiatives can play in advancing the capacities of broadcast and new media companies and systems. It also shares some of the content and engineering that have resulted from the network and in commercial interest in its research findings.

Speakers :

Tom Donaldson, The Banff New Media Institute
David Gauthier, The Banff New Media Institute
Anita Johnston, The Banff New Media Institute
Angus Leech, The Banff New Media Institute
Geoff Lillemon, The Banff New Media Institute

Moderator :

Sara Diamond, Artistic Director, The Banff New Media Institute and Director of Research, The Banff Centre

Britain's Channel 4 has commissioned a broadband channel designed to empower: Viewers, ranging from school children to professionals create and upload their own four-minute films to a free-access website. Thundering broadband penetration hangs simultaneously as a threat and as an opportunity over the heads of television content companies and distributors. How quickly is broadband broadcasting and narrowcasting impacting the status quo? Who is positioned to benefit from soon to be omnipresent fat pipes capable of streaming a mass of content? What are producers and broadcasters doing about it? The architects of FourDocs reveal how they will shake things up in the digital entertainment future.

Speakers :

Emily Renshaw-Smith, Channel Producer, FourDocs
Patrick Uden, Executive Editor, FourDocs

Moderator :

David Jenkinson, Editor-in-Chief and Managing Director, C21 Media

The real innovators in interactivity and advanced media are the new media agencies. The singular motivator of trying to sell stuff to people using any and all digital avenues possible has yielded a blast of awesome creativity that not only has to make money, but entertains and points the way to a brave new world for consumer brands, the gaming industry, media companies and others. Learn from some of the world's most important players how new media agencies are rocking the television industry's world and find out what it means for your business.

Speakers :

Susan Lambert, Director Creative Content, Buena Vista Pictures Marketing
Bob Massa, CEO, SearchKing
Bryan Segal, Director of Business Development, comScore Media Metrix Canada

Moderator :

Mike Kasprow, VP and Creative Director, Trapeze Media

Lunch Presentation: Culture Online - What the Heck is That?

How do you get money out of the Government for online Culture? The Canadian and British Governments have both established projects called Culture Online, both with the intention of extending the reach of culture and the Arts to new audiences, using a range of new technologies. However, partly out of necessity and partly by design, they have each taken quite different approaches. Each has its advantages and disadvantages; for each there have been successes and challenges. This session will give unique insight into the the formats and models that work, and the ones that don't. As you'd expect, there'll be audience participation and fabulous prizes, and there'll even be takeaway crib-sheets of Golden Rules. Hosted by Jonathan Drori, with Ruth Bacon and Michel Murray from Canadian Culture Online and Claire Harcup and Holly North from the UK.

With the support of Culture Online, Department of Canadian Heritage.

Case Studies examining innovative, international, interactive media collaborations demonstrate how to find the ideas, partners and the financing to get your project off the ground.

Speakers :

Olivier Attia, CEO-Scanbuy Optical Intelligence
Tony Chow, President, AIPRO (Singapore)
Dan Fill, Division Head, VP Interactive, Decode Entertainment

Moderator :

Ava Karvonen, President, Reel Girls Media

The media consumer of the 21st Century has been empowered by advances in technology to take an unprecedented level of control over how they interact with their content: From carrying an entire music library around in the palm of their hand to skipping commercials to watching and downloading video on their cell phones and portable game devices. The biggest change is that new platforms are driving content to niche markets, on-demand is quickly supplanting mass media broadcast venues.

Driven by the combination of evolving demand consumption preferences, which of the new technologies are ephemeral early adopter fads and which are templates for the content consumer of the future? How do consumer demands impact on the creation of content and how it's paid for? How much interactivity does the consumer want? How much will it cost to deliver?

Speakers :

Catherine Warren, President, FanTrust Entertainment Strategies
Andrew Kaza, Managing Partner, Quoin Media
Jim Rowson, Principal Scientist, HP Labs
Steve Szigeti, Director, Online Media, Teletoon
Andrew Whitaker, Senior VP and Managing Director, International Television, WWE (International)

Moderator :

Larry Gerbrandt, Media Analyst and Consultant

Following on from Part One, entrepreneurs and established players are killing themselves to figure out new ways to capture hearts and wallets through interactivity, advanced media and profitably creating and delivering great content. New ways of generating advertising, subscription and transaction revenues abound. From reworking the TV byte to using disruptive technology to create direct links between retail, TV audiences and advertisers, some great companies are emerging now and challenging the orthodoxy. Where will the disrupted world leave your business - brimming with potential or as a looming victim? How will content creators and distributors meet the demands of an increasingly fragmented marketplace? Who are the likely winners and who are the likely losers?

Speakers :

Jeffrey Elliott, President & CEO, GlassboxTV
Domenic Friguglietti, Manager Commissioning and Business Development, ABC New Media & Digital Services (Australia)
Allan McLennan, PADEM Group, Principal and Managing Partner

Moderator :

Claude Galipeau, Executive Director, CBC Digital Programming & Business Development