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ABC’s 93^rd Conference and Annual Meeting Convenes in Chicago
Industry Leaders to Discuss “The Integrated Future” Nov. 7 – 9

SCHAUMBURG, Ill. (October 4, 2007)—The Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) will host its 93^rd Conference and Annual Meeting on Nov. 7 – 9 at The Fairmont in Chicago. This year’s conference, “The Integrated Future,” focuses on the growing world of integrated print and digital brands and explores the changing roles of media buying and selling professionals.

Wednesday, Nov. 7
The conference will begin on Wednesday evening with a member reception.

Thursday, Nov. 8
The general session will open with a series of three panel discussions—one panel composed of media buyers, the second of publishers and the third featuring both buyers and publishers. Each panel will provide its unique point of view on integrated branding and comment on how the evolving media marketplace is affecting daily business practices.

Alec Gerster, CEO, Initiative Worldwide, will lead the buyer panel. Panelists will include David Campbell, president and CEO, GroupM Canada and Doug Checkeris, CEO, MediaCom USA.

The publisher panel, hosted by John Squires, executive vice president, Time Inc., will feature Martin Nisenhotz, senior vice president, digital operations, The New York Times; Randall Rothenberg, president and CEO, Interactive Advertising Bureau and Jim Spanfeller, president and CEO, Forbes.com.

The morning will conclude with a joint panel of media buyers and publishers, moderated by David Verklin, CEO, Carat Americas and chairman, Carat Asia Pacific. Panelists will include Robert J. Dickey, senior group president, Pacific Newspaper Group; Scott Donaton, publisher, Advertising Age and Louis R. Mohn, vice president, publishing, Playboy magazine/Playboy.com.

The annual luncheon will feature keynote speaker Bob Bowman, president and CEO, Major League Baseball Advanced Media L.P. Thereafter, conference attendees will split into two concurrent sessions focusing on newspaper and periodical topics.

The newspaper session will discuss the integration of multimedia platforms and the need for broader metrics. Moderated by Steve Hills, president and general manager, The Washington Post, the panel will also feature Bruce Claassen, CEO, Genesis Media Inc.; Bob Cohen, president and CEO, Scarborough Research and Michael J. Lavery, president and managing director, ABC.

The periodical session will focus on managing the audience and circulation dynamic and how to sell multiplatform brands. Led by John Griffin, president, magazine group, National Geographic Society, the panel will include Jeffrey Hamill, senior vice president, advertising sales and marketing, Hearst Integrated Media, Jacqueline Loch, vice president, strategic creative, Rogers Publishing Ltd.; and Brenda White, vice president/director of print investment, Starcom USA.

Friday, Nov. 9
During Friday’s annual business meeting ABC vice chair Merle K. Davidson, market media director, strategic marketing/media services, J.C. Penney Corporation Inc., and ABC President Lavery will update attendees on recent ABC developments and share future plans for the organization. ABC members will also meet to nominate and elect directors to the ABC board.

The conference will conclude with ABC’s popular Nuts & Bolts sessions. Led by ABC’s Publisher Relations department, these educational sessions will focus on the specific issues facing large and small publications.

Complete program details, including registration forms, are available on ABC’s Web site.

With more than 4,000 members in North America, ABC is a forum of leading magazine and newspaper publishers, advertisers and advertising agencies. The organization provides credible, verified information essential to the media buying and selling process. ABC maintains the world’s foremost electronic database of audited circulation information and a growing array of verified readership, subscriber demographics and online activity data. To learn more, visit www.accessabc.com.

Reporters wishing to attend this event should contact at (847) 879-8232 or at (847) 879-8432 to obtain a press pass.