Spam Wars: Marketing vs The It Department

Nick Ross of BBC’s Crimewatch to chair special Email debate at Inbox/Outbox 2006, Wednesday 21st June, 3:30 – 4:30 p.m., Keynote Room, Halls S6 & S7, ExCeL, London

Where does legitimate e-mail promotion stop and spam begin? How can marketing professionals get their message through the filter barriers set up by corporate IT departments? And how can IT devise a strategy for stopping only the Darth Vaders of marketing without genuine business e-mails being caught in the same net?  These are some of the pressing issues that Marketing and IT Directors are facing today. Inbox/Outbox 2006, Europe’s leading email event, will host a high-level panel debate, entitled “Spam Wars: Marketing VS the IT Department”, to discuss this contentious topic.

Probably one of the most important technology debates of the year, this live and interactive session will be chaired by Nick Ross, presenter of BBC’s Crimewatch UK and Radio 4's debate The Commission, and widely regarded as ‘one of the best conference moderators in the world’. Nick will take this opportunity to voice his personal view point on spam, prior to encouraging live participation from the audience.

Ruth Rowan, General Manager of CRM for BT, supported by BT’s digital marketing and communications agency, will be fighting the marketing corner. The key concerns for the IT Department will be presented by Graeme Hackland, IT Manager of the Renault Formula 1 Team, supported by their security partner Symantec.

Richi Jennings, lead analyst for Email Practice at independent Ferris Research and Richard Cox, CIO of Spamhaus, will complete this outstanding line-up of experts.

Prior to the debate, during the first day of the show, delegates will be asked to participate in a simple ‘straw-poll’ survey. Using an SMS text-based system, two key questions regarding the cost and the legal responsibility of spam will be asked, and the results of the poll will be unveiled by Nick Ross at the start of the debate. At the end of the session, the same two questions will be poised again to assess whether opinions have changed as a result of the discussion.

The debate will focus primarily on business-to-business issues, and panellists will be asked to cover the following topics:

• Key differences between the business-to-business and consumer environments.
• The thin line between legitimate email marketing and spam.
• Preserving the deliverability of genuine large-scale email communications.
• Responsible marketing and ‘accidental’ spamming (e.g. through third parties).
• Effective spam reduction techniques.
• Legal developments: privacy and data protection.
• ISP’s responsibilities to their customers.
• Possible approaches to a ‘Polluter Pays’ global email model.
• Long-term solutions to the spam pandemic.

It is expected that around 300 senior IT and Marketing professionals from medium to large UK businesses will attend this highly topical and controversial debate, which is offered FREE to qualifying delegates.

Notes to Editor:

A selection of photographs from Inbox/Outbox 2006 including Nick Ross’s chaired debate is available on request. Please e-mail maria@revolution-events.com.

• SPAM WARS debate panellists included:        
• Ruth Rowan, General Manager for Customer Relationships, BT
• Graeme Hackland, IT Manager, Renault F1 Team
• Richi Jennings, Lead Analyst, Email Practice, Ferris Research
• Richard Cox, CIO, Spamhaus
• Fredrick Sjostedt, Senior Manager EMEA, Product Marketing, Symantec

Conference presentations
All keynotes and sponsors’ presentations can be downloaded from www.inbox-outbox.com    

About Inbox / Outbox 2006:
Inbox / Outbox is Europe’s leading email event, dedicated entirely to the only technology application that can truly be regarded as business-critical. The event includes a free programme of more than 35 daily seminars, covering nearly every aspect of email management, security, storage, data protection, privacy and legal compliance. Keynote speakers for 2006 include senior representatives from Jupiter Research, Ferris Research, TRUSTe, MESMO Consultancy, Osterman Research and The Information Commissioner's Office.

About Revolution Events Ltd:     
Revolution Events is one of the UK’s leading organisers of focused business forums, working primarily within the technology, government and professional sectors. Since 1999, Revolution have organised more than 120 business-to-business events for senior decision-makers - both under their own brands and for major clients such as Sage Software, Microsoft, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (now the Department of Communities & Local Government) and LloydsTSB.

Press Contact:            
Maria Boxley, Marketing Manager, Revolution Events Ltd
Tel: +44 (0)1732 367007  /  Email: maria@revolution-events.com