Influence 2008 is a two-day conference that will connect approximately 80 of Australia’s most important Influencers to discuss and debate key IT industry issues and topics. Influence 2008 is the third Forum based on this format.

The Forum will play host to approximately 60 of Australia’s top IT journalists. They will be joined by up to half a dozen of Australia’s highest profile analysts, a similiar number of bloggers, podcasters, and other new media influencers; as well as a collection of highly influential users, channel executives, academics and industry group representatives. Past MediaConnect Forum events have been sponsored by almost all leading IT brands including Microsoft, IBM, Dell, HP, Sony, Intel, Yahoo!7 and Telstra, but MediaConnect Forums have proven equally valuable for smaller and local vendors.

Session Format

Influence Sessions have been designed to help vendors achieve all of these goals. Having run these events since 2003 and given our experience and ongoing invlovement with the journalist community, MediaConnect has an unparalleled understanding of the way journalist's respond to different communications approaches and we believe these sessions afford our sponsors the greatest opportunity to engage with the influencert community and shape their oppinions.

How the sessions run:

• Each session runs for 75 minutes in total and involves four sponsors
• Each sponsor has 15 minutes to lead a discussion on a topic they feel is a key issue of importance
• Each session concludes with a 15 minute open-discussion involving all sponsor

MediaConnect recommends sponsors use 5 minutes to introduce their topic and their company's stance on the issue, before leading a discussion on the topic for the final 10 minutes.

This approach ensures journalists are kept interested in the topic, it challenges them to think more deeply about the issue and to test their own perceptions and beliefs. These sessions also provide sponsors with invaluable feedback as to how their messages are being received and considered.