Game Marketers Announce M16 Conference, Senet Awards

Worldwide association of entertainment marketers, promoters and designers Promax/BDA has announced MI6: Marketing Interactive '06, a new conference specifically designed for video game marketers, alongside the inaugural Senet Awards for game marketing, to take place this June in San Francisco. Slated for June 27 and 28, 2006, at San Francisco's Moscone Convention Center, The W Hotel and other locations to be announced, MI6 will offer its participants professional development and education through special keynote addresses, seminars and workshops. The Senet Awards are named after the ancient Egyptian board game, believed to be the oldest game in the world, dating back to 3500BC. Administered by Promax/BDA, these honors will give game marketers the first-ever chance to vote for their peers, with sophisticated online judging software. Peer judged awards will be given in more than 50 categories. Corporate in-house marketing and promotion teams, advertising agencies, small creative companies, design firms and independents involved in the marketing and promotion of interactive entertainment will all be eligible to submit entries for award consideration. At the completion of the MI6 conference in June, the Advisory Committee, currently led by major game industry names Microsoft and G4, will then look to form a trade association, complete with board of directors, as a means of providing guidance and credibility to the continuing MI conferences and Senet Awards. Once the board of directors is in place, target date is October 2006, the MITM will turn its attention to the development of an online community for educating, inspiring and facilitating idea sharing among its fledgling members. Regional seminars and workshops, as well as networking opportunities, are also in the long term plans for the association, as is a certification program. Microsoft's Director of Xbox US Subsidiary William Nielsen said: "As a marketer, I'm thrilled to be involved in the formation of an event that will give credit where it has been long overdue. We have events and awards that recognize the contributions of the game designers, the platform manufacturers, the software developers, and the retailers, it's high time we recognize the role that marketing and promotion plays in the success of interactive entertainment." "We have seen a growing crossover and migration of our Promax/BDA membership with the interactive gaming industry, and agree that its time to recognize the divergent needs that this growing sector of professionals has," said Promax/BDA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jim Chabin. "The value of their contributions shouldn't be squeezed into other events or programs, but deserves to be in its own very illuminating spotlight."