Separate, advanced registration required. 
You may only register for one course.

Subject to change.

Already registered for The Summit, but want to register for a course?  Download the Master Course Registration Form here.

All classes are held on Sunday, July 22.

Competitive Marketing & Positioning of Advanced Services
Time: 1:00 - 4:30 pm
Instructors: Alan Bergstrom, President & CEO, The Brand Consultancy
and Debra Semans, Vice President & Senior Brand Consultant, The Brand Consultancy 

This intermediate-level course will focus on how to position, package, price and promote emerging technologies in a competitive market. You will gain an understanding of the capabilities enabled by the next generation of Video on Demand, interactive TV, and cable modem services. Emphasis will be on helping marketers identify consumer benefits of such applications so that they can craft compelling consumer propositions.

How to Leverage Your Earned Media Coverage 
Time: 12:30 - 4:30 pm
Producer: CTPAA
Instructor: Kim Braun, Media Relations Supervisor, Ketchum

Effective, proactive media relations can make overall marketing efforts much more successful. Earned media coverage can provide the positive impact and significantly boost your overall campaign effectiveness. This mid-level course will look at: 

• Leveraging earned media with paid media; 

• Strategies and tactics to sustain media interest and coverage; 

• Timing your announcement to maximize coverage; 

• Strategies to hook issue-specific reporters; 

• Targeting stories to general reporters; 

• Strategies to identify news hooks; and 

• How to value earned media as part of an integrated marketing/communications program. 

How to Maximize Cable Operator Support
Time: 12:30 - 4:00 pm
Instructor: Judi Allen, President, Allen Strategies 

An entry-level course designed for affiliate relations staff and industry vendors, this course will explore major issues and decisions facing cable operators so that attendees can be more effective in the field. Emphasis will be on allocating spectrum space, balancing resources between multiple product lines, packaging and tiering, challenges in launching ITV, and operator issues related to integrating consumer marketing and ad sales. 


Integrating the Web into Your Marketing & Service Plans
Time: 12:00 - 3:30 pm
Instructors: Michelle M. McLin, Associate Director, eDialogue; Krishnan Menon, President, Digitas West; and Mark Yesayian, VP & Group Director, Digitas, Inc. 

The competitive landscape of e-customers requires new approaches to how you conduct business and communicate with and serve customers. This mid-level course will outline key trends shaping the interactive marketspace. You will learn how to leverage your brand and enhance customer relationships through a variety of interactive applications and communications strategies including customer service; billing and purchasing capabilities; FAQ's; and program information. Recognizing that the competition is only a click away, emphasis will be on incorporating the Web into your overall marketing plan as a key customer service and retention tool. 


Introduction to Digital Technology
Time: 12:00 - 3:30 pm
Instructor: Alan Babcock, Vice President Learning and Development, NCTI 

This introductory course will cover the basics of digital video, VOD and cable modems, their convergence, and the implications of that convergence on the marketing and business of cable television. The session will use plain English - with a minimum of acronyms and formulas - to help you understand the principles involved so that you can make the key decisions required to successfully launch new technology based products.


Managing Your Bandwidth
Time: 12:30 - 4:00 pm 
Instructor: Michael J. Egan, Principal, Renaissance Media Partners; and John Vartanian, SVP, Technology & Operations, iNDEMAND

Bandwidth management is one of the most complex and challenging issues that this industry faces.  Effective bandwidth decisions require an understanding of cable technology, market based trade-offs and consumer demands.  Recognizing that simple answers don’t exist, this mid-level course will help you understand the issues and competently participate in the decision-making process ¾ whether you‘re an operator, programmer or product developer planning to utilize cable’s broadband pipe.


Maximizing Creativity With Multiple Agencies
Time: 1:00 - 4:30 pm
Instructors: Richard Yelen, Senior Vice President, Marketing
ACTV, Inc.; Dave Chatoff, Account Supervisor, Promotion Development Group, Inc.; and Paul Nichols, Vice President, Cobalt Design Group 

Many companies have moved beyond having one umbrella agency to an unbundled situation with tasks assigned by project to the best-qualified shop. This mid-level course will show you how to assemble the best team and keep them focused, on brand, and in sync throughout the project. Senior-level agency managers will discuss critical success factors needed to harness the creativity of multiple agencies.


Multicultural Marketing
Time: 12:00 - 3:30 pm
Produced by CTAM's Multicultural Marketing Committee
Hose: Kent Rice, President & COO, International Channel
Instructors: Bill Imada, President and CEO, Imada Wong Communications Group, Inc.; Jack Jackson, Vice President, Sales & Affiliate Marketing, Starz Encore Group; Bill Lindquist, Director, Video Products, Cablevision;  Sandra L. Perron, Regional Marketing Director, Adelphia Cable Communications; Chance Russell, Director of Marketing, Cox Communications; and Francisco Valle, Chairman & CEO, SCDRG Inc. 

This mid-level course is designed to help marketers develop and implement campaigns targeting multicultural audiences. It will outline key demographic, cultural and motivational factors to consider when marketing to African-Americans, Asians and Hispanics. You will gain valuable tips and "lessons learned" from cable operators who have successfully expanded their outreach to different ethnic consumer segments. In small groups, you will work through a "real-life" case study and identify specific actions steps to implement a targeted campaign.


Re-Branding - From Deconstructing the Brand 
to Creating the Campaign
Time: 1:00 - 4:30 pm
Instructors: Steve Schiffman, Executive Vice President, The Weather Channel, and Kiera Hynninen, Vice President of Consumer Marketing, The Weather Channel

Life cycles are shorter than ever - and it seems like we are always tweaking or radically changing our brands. This mid-level course will take you through the best approaches to evaluating, updating, or changing the brand. It will also explore implementation of
re-branding campaigns.


Sales Channel Management
Time: 12:00 - 3:30 pm 
Instructor: Rusty Weekes, President and CEO, Weekes Enterprises LLC 

This mid-level course will explore "best practices" in management and compensation for sales channels including inbound and outbound telemarketing, direct sales, and retail. Emphasis will be placed on how to integrate all sales channels into an overall corporate strategy. The course will be especially valuable for operators who want to balance resources and marketing efforts across all sales channels and for programmers and vendors planning to partner with operators on sales initiatives.


Understanding Interactive TV Technology
Time: 12:30 - 4:00 pm
Instructor: Walt Ciciora, CTAM Chief Technology Instructor 

We have all seen the flashy demonstrations and optimistic revenue projections, but most of us don't really know how ITV works and what the key issues and product management decisions are. Walt Ciciora, CTAM's Chief Technology Instructor, will explain the technology in language that we can all understand, define the key terms, and review the major decisions that must be made before launching ITV services. This mid-level course requires basic knowledge of digital cable technology comparable to having attended CTAM's Master Course, "Introduction to Digital Technology."