Swanson, Retif, Jules to Headline DMS ’09

Three CEOs who together represent almost 30 percent of global directional media revenues will give featured presentations at The Kelsey Group’s Directional Media Strategies, Sept. 22-24, in Orlando, Florida.

Dave Swanson, chairman and CEO of R.H. Donnelley, will deliver the featured presentation on the event’s second day. RHD has experienced all the ups and downs that the era of publicly traded directory companies has had to offer. I’m interested in hearing Swanson’s take on the way forward for RHD and Yellow Pages industry.

Donat Retif, CEO of Truvo, a European directory publisher with operations in Belgium, Ireland, Portugal and Romania, will talk about his company’s aggressive efforts to migrate the business from a subscription based business model to one that is largely pay for performance. Having met with and interviewed Retif recently, I am struck by how plainspoken he is in assessing the situation his company and the global directory industry faces.

Retif will speak on the morning of the conference’s final day, Wednesday, Sept. 24.

Finally, Frank Jules, president and CEO of AT&T Advertising Solutions, will again address DMS, this time as our final speaker. Jules runs the world’s largest directional media company. Jules oversees assets that range from print and Internet Yellow Pages, ad-supported DA and mobile search to leading-edge platforms like IPTV. Anyone who attended last year’s event knows what an engaging speaker Jules is.   

All three executives are at the epicenter of efforts to transform the directory business from a medium that is static and product-centric into one that is dynamic and performance driven. This requires changes in culture, business models, systems, recruitment and training, and on and on. DMS will be all about understanding how these efforts are unfolding and where they are leading the directory industry.

This year, DMS is partnering with the Yellow Pages Association, an alliance we announced Monday morning. We’re pleased to join forces with the YPA to put on the most compelling, hard-hitting and insightful event yet covering the global directories industry. Check out DMS ’09 here, and don’t hesitate to post your questions and suggestions.