The “deal a day” phenomenon has swept the local Web. More than US$300 million has been invested, and BIA/Kelsey estimates that annual revenues will surpass US$2 billion by 2014. Deal a day is pure pay for performance — companies only get paid when they sell an offer. But is there more? Where do directories fit in? Find out more from two leaders in the space.

Tim O’Shaughnessy, CEO and Cofounder, Living Social
Perry Evans, Founder and CEO, Closely
Moderator: Peter Krasilovsky, VP and Program Director, Marketplaces, BIA/Kelsey

Big cities have become tough markets for Yellow Pages in recent years. They’re “too big,” “too diverse” and “too advanced digitally.” Is it time for directory publishers to abandon big cities — and all those consumers — or are they just failing to think creatively enough about the problem? We’ll have a candid discussion with leaders grappling with these questions.

Isabelle Lascombe, Marketing Director, PagesJaunes
Paul Plant, Founder, Radicle Consulting
Moderator: Charles Laughlin, SVP and Program Director, The Kelsey Report®, and Managing Editor, BIA/Kelsey  

Facing shifting usage patterns, severe cost pressures and a growing movement to legally limit distribution of phone books only to those who say they want one, the distribution business has become more important and complex than ever before. We’ll get some expert views on how this often overlooked side of the business is evolving.

Tim Dinovo, Senior VP, Product Development Corp.
Pete Rand, Operations Director, LinkDirect
Maggie Stonecipher, Assistant VP of Paper, Print and Delivery, Dex One
Moderator: Bobbi Loy-Luster, Vice President and Senior Analyst  

The BIA/Kelsey Interview: Ken Ray, VP and CMO, AT&T Advertising Solutions

AT&T is the biggest player in global Yellow Pages, and its efforts to innovate across all platforms, from print to Internet Yellow Pages, mobile and social, have influence across the industry. We’ll get a view from the top from one of AT&T’s key strategists.

Moderator: Neal Polachek, President, BIA/Kelsey
 

Directory publishers worldwide have been investing in ambitious social platforms. Some say they are getting more leads from Facebook than Google; no surprise given Facebook’s recent 500 million user milestone. The goal is to create rich content via consumer reviews and engage with a new set of users otherwise disengaged from Yellow Pages brands. How are these efforts faring? Can Yellow Pages publishers realistically make the shift from traditional to social media?

Paul Dawalibi, President and CEO, Praized Media
Michael Francesconi, Director, Content and Community, CityGrid Media
Zeev Gruber, VP Marketing and Business Development, Golden Pages Group
Andrew Shotland, Proprietor, LocalSEOGuide.com
Moderator: Andrew Shotland  

According to BIA/Kelsey’s most recent global Yellow Pages forecast, digital revenues will account for 39 percent of total revenues by 2014, and will top half of all revenues in many markets well before then. We’ve gathered some of the brightest thinkers in online directories and local search to dissect the online business models being pursued by major directory publishers worldwide. Are these models viable? Are publishers trying to do too much or too little? What must the directory industry do to give itself a fighting chance in the coming years?

Eitan Ackerman, Executive Director, Marketing and Sales Engineering, Amdocs
Sivan Metzger, GM, Kenshoo Local
Neil Salvage, Executive VP Advertising, CityGrid Media
Gregg Stewart, President, 15Miles
Moderators: Matt Booth, SVP and Program Director, Interactive Local Media and Charles Laughlin, SVP and Program Director, The Kelsey Report®, and Managing Editor, BIA/Kelsey  

Verticals Showcase: Maids, Shades and Auto Repair

Vertical search has been gradually migrating from its original core of travel, jobs and homes to more explicitly local categories, including home and personal services, retail and professional services. In this special showcase, we’ll get a taste of how some of the more compelling local verticals out there generate content, attract users, form partnerships and, of course, make money.

Jim Delli Santi, CEO and Cofounder, LikeList
Jad Dunning, Founder, President and CEO, DriverSide
Moderator: Peter Krasilovsky, VP and Program Director, Marketplaces, BIA/Kelsey  

Yahoo has long been a key player in local search and a close partner to directory companies. We’ll ask Yahoo’s channel guru for his take on the evolution of local online sales.

Moderator: Peter Krasilovsky, VP and Program Director, Marketplaces, BIA/Kelsey
 

Over the years, directory publishers have gone back and forth about hosting SMB Web sites. Are they strategic, or are they a non-core revenue stream? The pendulum seems to be swinging back in favor of the view that Web sites are a strategic necessity. More publishers see owning the Web site as a proxy for owning the relationship with the small-business advertiser. Why? We’ll put that question to a panel of operators.

Andy Klein, Founder, Chairman and CEO, Spotzer
Alf Poor, GM, WebsPlanet USA
Jeff Whitehead, Head of Social Media, 3L System Group
Moderator: Steve Marshall, Director of Research and Consulting, BIA/Kelsey  

Leads-Based Selling: Salvation or False Hope?

Stephen Gibbons, VP of Marketing, Urban Strategies, Dex One
Daniel Shaked, Founder and CEO, No Problem
Andy Sims, Global Director of Advertising, Skype
Moderators: Bobbi Loy-Luster, VP and Senior Analyst BIA/Kelsey and Michael Taylor, Director, Business Development, BIA/Kelsey