The open dialogue and independent nature of Influence Forum gives you the best possible chance to truly engage with influencers and shape opinions. Build mindshare, mend misconceptions or raise key issues with Australia's influencer community.

Influence Forum is without peer as a networking event. Spark up new relationships, and rekindle established ones. Media and analyst relationships need to be stoked in order to keep the embers burning.

Influence Forum delegates represent the ultimate focus group. You'll take away from this event a far more sophisticated understanding of how Australia's key influencers respond to your messages and those of your competitors.

Influence Forum discusses many of the industry's hottest issues and most talked about topics. Influence Forum is the ideal way to position your company and spokesperson as an expert in the field, that influencers will turn to for comment whenever the issue arises in the future.

Improve results
The very best PR results are built on a foundation of knowledge and understanding. Help the influencer community to understand what your client does and why and all your client's future PR campaigns will be so much more successful. If your client doesn't have a media profile, this is the perfect opportunity to grab attention.

Learn
Running in parallel with the main Influence sessions are our PR educations, in which different groups of influencers talk with PR and marketing delegates to help them understand their needs and how they can interact most effectively with them.

Take the lead
While MediaConnect will engage directly with vendors interested in participating in the Influence Forum, our preferred model is to work via our PR partners, so as to ensure participating vendors get maximum value from the event. Take the lead in informing your client about Influence Forum 2008.

Add value
There's considerable opportunity for PR pros to add significant value for their client's outside of the main conference sessions. Conduct one-on-ones, pitch news stories and case-studies, organise follow-up meetings and opportunities.

Learn
The Influence Forum isn't about vendors lecturing to journalists - it's about participating in informed and thoughtful discussions about the industry's most important IT issues. No one will walk away from Influence Forum without a better understanding of their industry and the forces that are shaping it.

Make contacts
With nearly 50 of Australia's leading IT executives, plus dozens of analysts, users and industry representatives, it would literally take months to meet and get to know this many contacts. Influence Forum is the most time-effective way for any journalist or influencer to build up their contact book

Spark ideas
Story ideas are the most valuable currency for any journalist or blogger and after hearing many of the country's most knowledgeable and authorative experts debate hot IT issues, it's bound to generate a multitude of news and product stories, feature ideas and case study leads.

Broadcast
Not only will Influence Forum have a media room that can be used to file stories, but the event also features a podcast booth and video equipment. With so many potential interview subjects this is a dream opportunity to record podcasts or video material

Influence Sessions

Participation in the Influence Sessions are the primary opportunity for participation in the Forum. Sessions are streamed into business and consumer sessions, which run concurrently. Session sponsors are given 20 minutes to lead a discussion on an issue they consider to be critical to the IT industry.

Gala Dinner Sponsorship

Sponsorship of one of the two gala dinners is the premiere branding opportunity at Influence 2008. Our gala dinners are famous as one of the industry’s most effective and enjoyable networking evenings. Get your branding and message across to every single attendee at the event.

DEMO showcase

The DEMO showcase is a chance for vendors who wish to showcase products to demo their products in front of Australia's leading Influencers.

Influence EXPO

All sponsors are invited to participate at no cost in the Influence EXPO, where vendors have the opportunity to showcase and demonstrate products in an Expo environment.

Contact Tamara for more information on (02) 9894 6277 or email sales@mediaconnect.com.au. Act quickly as sponsorship opportunities are limited and will sell-out.

This session will explore the trends, issues and technologies related to consumers increasingly spending more of their time online. It will discuss broadband, web services, social networking, online applications, online communications, internet security, search technologies.

This session will explore what's new in the realm of personal computing. It could look at new PC form factors, processors and components, peripherals, mobile computers, systems and personal storage and security.

This sessions will explore how technology is becoming a larger part of people's lifestyles and is becoming increasingly common-place in home and family life. Topics might include personal gadgets, home technologies, consumer electronics, digital media and gaming.

This session will explore how consumers are now constantly connected to networks, with a focus on mobile technologies, personal VOIP, home networking, mobile security, Wi-Fi and 3G.

Business Communications

This session will explore the key trends, issues and technologies impacting networking and communications in businesses today. Examples of topics that might be discussed are VoIP, unified and converged communications, mobile business.

IT Security

This session will explore key trends, issues and technologies related to helping businesses secure their information and infrastructure. Examples of topics that might be discussed network security, content filtering, internet security, enterprise anti-virus and endpoint security, information & data security.

Business Applications

This session will explore key trends, issues and technology relating to business applications, software and online services. Examples of topics that might be discussed include Enterprise 2.0, SaaS, Rich Internet Applications, ERP, SOA, CRM, Application Development, Open Source Software, Business Intelligence and Content Management.

IT Infrastructure

This session will explore key trends, issues and technology related to IT infrastructure and systems. Examples of topics that might be discussed include storage, virtualisation, power solutions, servers, systems and infrastructure management.