Speakers 2010

Keynote:
"Empowering Your Community to Evangelize For You" 
(For further information, visit the Conference sub site)

Sean Kauppinen is the founder and CEO of the International Digital Entertainment Agency. He has more than 15 years of management, strategic communications and business development expertise in the digital entertainment industry. His ability to bring companies together and provide strategic guidance has led to business growth for industry giants as well as start-ups. During this time, Kauppinen has launched more than 450 titles on all major gaming platforms, ranging from big budget blockbusters to value games.

He has consulted governments on creating and growing their digital entertainment industries and has served in senior management roles with start-ups and going concerns. Kauppinen has held communications and marketing management positions with Sony Online Entertainment, Ubi Soft, bleem! and 3dfx.

Kauppinen currently holds advisory board positions with GDC Europe, SXSW, NLGD, and multiple early stage companies. He is a former board member of GCDC and the GC Asia Conference. Kauppinen is also an advisor to the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences.

International Digital Entertainment Agency
Founded in 2008, the International Digital Entertainment Agency, LLC provides corporate strategy, business development and strategic communications services that enable international interactive entertainment and digital media companies to commercialize their ideas and achieve their business goals. Based in Marin County, California, the agency is active in North America, Europe, Australasia, and the Middle East. For more information, please visit: www.ideagency.com  

Lecture with open discussion:
"Legal Urban Legends - Working with the Community" 
(For further information, visit the Conference sub site)

Kai Bodensiek is an operating attorney and partner of the nationwide acting law office Brehm & v. Moers. He has been working in the field for several years, with a focus on counseling and support for game publishers for both online and offline titles. This includes funding and production as well as product monitoring and distribution of games. In addition, Kai Bodensiek is regularly holding lectures within the scope of the producer study paths at Games Academy in Berlin.  
  
Brehm & v. Moers
The law office Brehm & v. Moers Lawyers and Tax Accountants in partnership, are operating at the locations of Berlin, Frankfurt, Munich and Hamburg with a strong focus on the field of media and entertainment. Next to a distinctly marked counseling of national and international (co-)production in the cinematic sector, Brehm & v.Moers have for quite some time been active in counseling German as well as foreign publishers and developers in the computer games business.

Speech:
"Psychology in Community Management"
(For further information, visit the Conference sub site)

Wilfried Henseler has engaged himself with online games, social games, massively multiplayer online role-playing games and their communities for more than 15 years. During this time, he was operating in the fields of Community Management, Game Design and Producing for companies such as NCsoft Europe, Simutronics, Frogster Interactive Pictures and others, lastly working as a producer for Frogster Online Gaming GmbH in Berlin.  

Panel Discussion:
"Grooming Your Community for Greatness"
(For further information, visit the Conference sub site)

Donna Prior works in the Community Management field for the video game industry. As a Community Representative, she works to foster positive communication with gamers around the world. She has over 20 years of experience working with communities in roles such as customer support and community support/training. Donna has worked for companies such as Dell, Syscom Services, and Flying Lab Software, as well as BioWare as part of the Community Team on Star Wars™: The Old Republic™. Donna volunteers her time as a speaker for numerous conventions & conferences. She is the Games Chair for SteamCon 2010 and the National Mensa Annual Gathering 2011.

Panel Discussion:
"Guilds as the Bearing Part of the Community"
(For further information, visit the Conference sub site)

The 39 year old Community Manager, who has now been working in the industry for about eight years, worked for titles like City of Heroes or Runes of Magic and is well-known among online role players in Germany as well as overseas.  

Speech:
"To Explore how Experience in Community Management can be Applied to Other Areas Within the Industry" 
(For further information, visit the Conference sub site) 

Iain Compton worked as a Community Manager on two AAA rated MMOs over a period of 5 years. Moreover he worked as a game developer and writer for Games Workshop. Since Feb 2009 he has returned to development as a game designer for Acony GmbH in Germany where he uses to concentrate on social and player advancement systems for online games.  

Acony GmbH
Acony GmbH is a fully independent studio located in the picturesque Black Forest area of Germany. Comprising many highly experienced staff and veterans of major publishers and studios, they are developing their first title from an original IP. 

Speech:
"Leads to Get the Most out of Social Media - Convert Buzz Strategy Into Long Term ROI“
(For further information, visit the Conference sub-site)

Fabien Alexandre is an experienced community manager for online games, specialist for trends and projects on Social Media and Brand Control expert. Alexandre is currently working at Gala Networks Europe, one of the leading publishers of Free-to-Play MMOs within Europe, as Lead Community Manager Europe with focus on Allods Online. Fabien Alexandre started his career in the gaming industry with The Saga of Ryzom and subsequently participated in the early stage of Warhammer Online launch prior before settling the brand Orange Telecom within the virtual world Second Life.

Panel Discussion:
“Media isn't Social - People Are! How to Use Social Technologies to Build Stronger Relationships”
(For further information, visit the Conference sub-site) 

Martin Rabl started gaming on the Atari VCS before the age of 10, and joined the games industry soon after finishing his degree in business economics. Since 2005 Rabl gained experience as Community Coordinator for City of Heroes at NCsoft. Under the nickname of “Amboss” he came to represent the company in the press, on stage at industry events and on TV, building valuable connections within the German MMO fansite and news landscape. During his time at NCsoft Rabl could deepen his community knowledge by joining the Aion community team before he assumed his current position as Media and Communications Manager at ICO partners, a small UK-based consultancy company, in 2010.

Speech:
“Community Management and Credibility: How to Make Users not Only Hear, but Believe What You Say."
(For further information, visit the Conference sub site)

Arvind Juneja has been working in the field of Community Management for more than five years now. He’s currently employed at the biggest online business community in Poland featuring more than 650,000 users. Furthermore, Juneja works as a freelance Social Media Expert for companies as Pokerstars.com, does volunteer work and co-writes a book about moderation techniques.  After hours he lives to try everything that involves movement, self development and music.

Speech:
"Community Driven Development"
(For further information, visit the Conference sub site)

Marcel Menge, 27 years, living in Cologne, is currently Director of Community Management at Turtle Entertainment, the European leader in electronic sports (eSports). The Electronic Sports League (ESL), operated by Turtle Entertainment, is active in 37 different countries worldwide. Before being appointed Director of Community Management in 2010, Menge started as Core Admin and became Vice Director of Turtle Entertainment after only two years.

Speech:
"Community Management vs. Support: Fight!"
(For further information, visit the Conference sub site)  

Teut Weidemann has been working in the games business for more than 25 years and his career took him through most departments of the industry. For ten years he was founder and CEO of the developer Wings Simulations GmbH, which Weidemann sold in 2000 to Jowood AG. From 2005 on he was CTO of the publisher CDV AG responsible for development, technology and marketing.
In 2007 Weidemann became free consultant for Online Entertainment, which focuses on MMO's, Social Games and Browser Games. Additionally, he teaches Game Design at Film Academy Ludwigsburg for students of interactive media and also acts as speaker of many international conferences.

Online Entertainment
Online Entertainment focuses on consulting international companies which are or want to be part of the MMO's, Social Games or Browser Games market. Their clients, besides the big players in Germany, are international publishers and developers. The consulting encompasses development, design, production, Community Management, monetization and operations of free-to-play games worldwide.