Chief Digital Officer Events Package 2014

Chief Digital Officer
For the next generation of digital leaders

2014 Events Package
Background & Planning Information

Prepared: November 2013

Table of Contents
Background: About ChiefDigitalOfficer.net

3

CDO Event Series 2014: 3 Formats

4

CDO Events: Comments From The Field

5

CDO Events: Features & Benefits

6

CDO Events: 2014 Titles

7-8

Executive Roundtable: Sample Event Info

9 - 10

CDO Events: Baseline Pricing

11

Contact Information

12

About ChiefDigitalOfficer.net (expanded)

13 - 21

www.chiefdigitalofficer.net

2

Background

About ChiefDigitalOfficer.net
ChiefDigitalOfficer.net (“CDO”) is a new and growing community that caters to senior managers who are responsible
for digital initiatives across corporate strategy, marketing, technology and innovation. Founded in 2012 by digital
industry veterans, CDO.net provides a fresh voice, untethered by traditional ways of thinking that are typically aligned
with functional silos in marketing and IT.
“By 2015, 25% of organizations will have a Chief Digital Officer.”
Over the past decade, corporate investments in digital initiatives – characterized in recent years by terms such as ‘big
data’, ‘social media’, and ‘mobile’ – have grown dramatically. In the U.S. alone, for example, internet advertising
revenues totaled $36.6 billion in 2012, up from $7.3 billion in 2003, nearly a 20% annualized growth rate (source: IAB/
PwC). In response to dramatically changing market conditions, many companies have created a new C-level office to
address the digital challenge: the Chief Digital Officer. The mission of CDO.net is to foster the growth and evolution of
this new way of thinking represented by the CDO.
“In many cases, the CDO will be the senior executive handling the fastest growing revenue streams
within the business or will be the executive holding the keys to the company’s future—placing him or her
squarely in line to replace the CEO.”
A variety of communities exist, of course, to serve the C-suite. CDO.net is differentiated by its ability to evolve
organically and in-step with the marketplace, and with precision not afforded by others that have identified with the
offices of the CMO, CIO, or CEO. For more information, please visit www.chiefdigitalofficer.net.


3

The CDO.net 2014 Event Series
Three Event Formats for 2014

ChiefDigitalOfficer.net (“CDO”) is offering three event formats for 2014. Each event type provides attendees
with rich and unique opportunities to acquire knowledge and interact with peers in an intimate setting. For
partners and sponsors, CDO events accommodate thought leadership development, brand-building, and
access to new audiences in a favorable environment.
I. 

Executive Roundtables: Characterized by small groups of attendees (15-25) and held at exclusive
venues, Executive Roundtables are designed to attract senior digital professionals for an evening with
great speakers, compelling content focused on strategic topics, and valuable networking opportunities.

II.  Workshops: Tactical and hands-on, CDO’s workshops are designed for digital professionals with
operational responsibilities. They receive training from domain experts in challenging areas such a
“Setting Digital Marketing Budgets”, “Managing Your Digital Agency”, and “Attracting & Retaining
Digital Talent”. Held over a day-and-a-half, these events employ a series of 3-hour “cases”, lead by a
recognized expert in the subject matter.
III.  Executive Dinners: Attended by 3–5 senior executives (SVP and higher), CDO’s executive editor, and 2
sponsor executives, Executive Dinners are designed to foster genuine executive-level relationshipbuilding.


4

CDO.net Events

Comments From The Field
“The Chief Digital Officer Executive Roundtable series delivers a fresh point-of-view to meet the needs
of the unique and evolving CDO community. I congratulate them on a great kick-off event in Boston and
was honored to be able to participate.”
Brent Turner, Chief Digital Officer, MIT

“The Chief Digital Officer event in Boston offered a new perspective on digital strategy that fills an
important market need. Digital strategy isn’t about just technology or marketing – it’s all-encompassing
and defies ‘business as usual’, and CDO.net gets that.”
Tara Bartley, Senior Manager, Akamai

“ChiefDigitalOfficer.net is the most exciting new community in the digital industry, and its 'Executive
Roundtable' event series employs a model that I know to be superior to any other when it comes to B2B
relationship-building. I recommend this hidden gem without hesitation.”
RD Whitney, Executive Director,
Diversified Business Communications


5

CDO.net Events

Partner Features & Benefits
CDO.net events provide partners with a variety of features and benefits, including:
§  Turnkey Event Solutions: CDO takes ownership of every aspect of an event lifecycle: content
programming, venue selection and management, speaker and attendee recruiting, attendee
management, promotion, and post-event correspondence with attendees and speakers.
§  Relevant Topics: CDO’s editorial perch at the top of the digital value chain accommodates a
range of available topics – from corporate digital strategy to digital media budgeting and
technology deployment. CDO works in partnership with sponsors to define event topics that will
benefit both attendees and sponsors.
§  Access to New Audiences: The ‘Chief Digital Officer’ movement is new, exciting, and has real
momentum. CDO event partners can expect to gain access to companies and executives beyond
their traditional area of focus, due to the appeal of the CDO title and the surrounding hoopla (as
evidenced by the considerable coverage in recent months by Gartner, Forrester, McKinsey, MIT
Technology Review, etc.).


6

CDO.net Events 2014
Program Titles (1 of 2)

The following Chief Digital Officer program titles are planned for 2014:
I.  CDO Executive Roundtable: Social Marketing Strategy. A six-city tour on the eastern seaboard;
intimate events with 15-25 attendees and 2-3 speakers plus a moderator; 5:30pm-8:00pm time slot.

Status: BOOKED for Q4 2013 / Q1 2014 with two sponsors (one advertising network, one technology co.)

II.  CDO Executive Roundtable: Digital Infrastructure. CDO will assemble a group of 10-15 senior digital/IT
professionals in 3 – 5 North American cities to discuss challenges relating to building and maintaining digital
operations.
Status: Planned for Q1/Q2 2014. Currently seeking 1 or 2 sponsors

III.  CDO Executive Roundtable: Digital Marketing Optimization. CDO will assemble a group of 10-15
senior marketing professionals in 3 – 8 North American cities to discuss challenges relating to designing,
managing and optimizing digital marketing operations.
Status: Planned for Q2/Q3 2014. Currently seeking 1 or 2 sponsors


7

CDO.net Events 2014
Program Titles (2 of 2)

The following Chief Digital Officer events are planned for 2014:
• 

CDO Executive Roundtable: Content Marketing. CDO will assemble a group of 15–25 senior digital

professionals in 3 - 8 North American cities to discuss content marketing strategy.
Status: Planned for Q2/Q3 2014

• 

CDO Workshop: Digital Marketing Strategy. CDO.net will be assembling a group of 100 mid- and upper-

level digital marketing professionals for a day-and-a-half event that includes three 3-hour sessions lead by a
domain expert who manages a workshop using a case study format. Associated fees with be $1,500 for
attendees and $25,000 for each domain expert.
Status: Planned for September 2014 in Boston.


8

SAMPLE Executive Roundtable / Q1 2014
Program Details (1 of 2)

The ‘Social Media Strategy’ executive roundtable series will include the following (1 of 2):
• 

Roundtables in Six Cities in Q1 2014: Specific locales will be finalized during the collaborative
planning process, but cities under consideration include: Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Charlotte,
Dallas, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, Raleigh-Durham, Toronto, and Washington D.C.

• 

2-Hour Sessions: The two-hour format is a recognized best practice and appropriate for the
highbrow nature of these events. The format will be either a sit-down dinner or hors d’oeuvres, at
a top-tier restaurant (comparable to Menton in Boston).

• 

1 Moderator + 2–3 Experts: CDO will provide a non-partisan moderator (either a CDO editor or
academic) and work with the program sponsor(s) to recruit 2-3 experts to speak during the event.

• 

Compelling Programming. CDO and the sponsor(s) will collaborate to create an interesting
approach to “Social Media Strategy”, one that will interest and excite prospective attendees and
speakers.


9

SAMPLE Executive Roundtable / Q1 2014
Program Details (2 of 2)

The ‘Social Media Strategy’ executive roundtable series will include the following (2 of 2):
• 

15 – 25 Attendees Per Event: CDO is responsible for recruiting 15-25 senior digital professionals
to each event. CDO will collaborate with sponsor(s) to finalize the profile, but it is assumed that
prospects will include CxO’s, Vice Presidents, and Directors.

• 

Emails Invitations + Microsite: CDO will manage the invitation process using personalized emails,
and create a customized, branded section of ChiefDigitalOfficer.net to promote and manage the
series.

• 

Sessions Handouts: For each event, CDO will create a 2-sided, 1-page handout for attendees,
with information about the event, the speakers, and contact information.

• 

Personalized Follow-Up: On behalf of event sponsor(s), CDO will follow-up with each attendee
via email, thank him/her for participating, and ensure they have contact information readily
available.


10

CDO.net Event Series
Baseline Pricing

Program pricing is variable based on format, volume, and options. Baseline costs, core
characteristics, and variables are as follows:
Program: Executive Roundtable
• 
• 
• 
• 

Baseline: $105,000 for 3 cities; $180,000 for 6 cities; $250,000 for 10 cities
Characteristics: 15-25 attendees/city; sponsor collaboration on program content strategy
Variables: white paper; pre- and post-event breakout sessions
Notes: Designed for no more than 2 sponsors per program

Program: Workshop
• 
• 
• 

Baseline: $35,000 for a 3-hour training session
Characteristics: 100 mid-level digital professionals in attendance
Notes: Workshop will last 1 ½ days with 3 sessions (1 sponsor per session)

Program: Executive Dinner
• 
• 
• 

Baseline: $90,000 for 3 cities; $125,000 for 5 cities
Characteristics: Intimate dinner with 5 senior digital executives, 1 CDO representative, 1 sponsor representative
Notes: This format accommodates 1 sponsor


11

Contact Information
Jen Simonson
General Manager
ChiefDigitalOfficer.net
jsimonson@chiefdigitalofficer.net
617.670.0501 (office)
Mailing Address
300 Summer Street, Boston, MA 02210
Online
@ChiefDigOfficer


12

About ChiefDigitalOfficer.net
(The remainder of this document provides information about CDO.net and is not project-specific.)


13

CDO’s Executive Roundtable Series
Background
• 

Launched in 2012, ChiefDigitalOfficer.net (“CDO.net”) is a growing community of senior digital
professionals who embrace a multi-disciplinary approach to digital strategy that intersects digital
business, online marketing, and web technology. Indeed, the ‘Chief Digital Officer’ position is
being touted by some of the world’s most prominent CxO advisors – such as Forrester, Gartner
and McKinsey – as an effective or even preferred path to successful digital-enablement.

• 

High-profile companies that have created a new CDO executive position in recent years include
CVS, McDonald’s, and Starbucks. Russell Reynolds, the executive recruiting firm, has recently
stated: “In many cases, the CDO will be the senior executive handling the fastest growing
revenue streams within the business or will be the executive holding the keys to the company’s
future—placing him or her squarely in line to replace the CEO”.

• 

In October 2013, CDO.net launched the Executive Roundtable event series in Boston, featuring
speakers from MIT, Liberty Mutual, and Actifio, which attracted more than 25 attendees,
including senior digital staff from Akamai, The Boston Globe, Constant Contact, Kaspersky, and
TIBCO.

• 

Based on the success of the Boston event, CDO.net plans to launch a series of multi-city
Executive Roundtable programs, each focused on a topic that falls under the CDO’s purview.
Some examples include: Social, Infrastructure, Innovation, and Mobile, among others.

14

Background
ChiefDigitalOfficer.net (“CDO”) is a new online community that caters exclusively to senior digital managers at
corporations who are responsible for digital initiatives.
“By 2015, 25% of organizations will have a Chief Digital Officer.”
Over the past decade, corporate investments in digital initiatives – characterized in recent years by terms such as ‘big
data’, ‘social media’, and ‘mobile’ – have grown dramatically. In the U.S. alone, for example, internet advertising
revenues totaled $36.6 billion in 2012, up from $7.3 billion in 2003, a nearly 20% annualized growth rate (source: IAB/
PwC). In response to dramatically changing market conditions, many companies have created a new C-level office to
address the digital challenge: the Chief Digital Officer. In response to this phenomenon, ChiefDigitalOfficer.net
launched in 2012 to cater to this new senior executive.
“In many cases, the CDO will be the senior executive handling the fastest growing revenue streams
within the business or will be the executive holding the keys to the company’s future—placing him or her
squarely in line to replace the CEO.”
ChiefDigitalOfficer.net is capitalizing on these market trends by fostering a community that is free to evolve organically
and in-step with the marketplace, and with precision no longer afforded by communities that have traditionally
identified with the offices of the CMO, CIO, or CEO.


15

CDO Forecasting & Indicators
“30% of [850] respondents report a chief digital officer (CDO) on their companies’ executive teams, a sign of the
widespread awareness that these initiatives are important…”
- McKinsey Global Survey (published August 2013)
“The Chief Digital Officer will prove to be the most exciting strategic role in the decade ahead, and IT leaders have
the opportunity to be the leaders who will define it."
- David Willis, Vice President, Gartner
“Fact: When it comes to marketing spending, analog still outstrips digital by 3:1...analog spending still rules, as
confirmed by Gartner's 2013 digital marketing spending report...there's a digital disconnect in the executive ranks, a
leadership vacuum created by a mismatch between expertise and authority.”
- Jake Sorofman, ‘The Rise of the Digital CMO’, The HBR Blog Network, April 2013
“Digital business and a renewed awareness of the customer experience will drive many CEO to change the executive
team in 2013. While we will see more CEOs add chief customer officers (CCOs) and chief digital officers (CDOs) to
executive leadership teams in 2013, I predict that the chief digital officer won’t dominate until 2015 at the earliest.”
- Nigel Fenwick, VP, Forrester, December 2012
“Inaugural Chief Digital Officer Summit Sells Out”
- Held last April in NYC, the event attracted 100+ attendees


16

What’s Being Written
“The Emergence of Chief Digital Officers.”
- MIT Sloan Management Review, April 2013
“Leadership is the most decisive factor for a digital program’s success
or failure. Increasing C-level involvement is a positive sign, and the
creation of a CDO role seems to be a leading indicator for increasing
the speed of advancement.”
- Bullish on digital: McKinsey Global Survey results, Aug 2013
“The Rise of the Chief Digital Officer.”
- White paper by Russell Reynolds

“For many organisations, the Chief Digital Officer is a necessity.”
- eConsultancy, July 2013
“The Rise of the Digital CMO.”
- Harvard Business Review blog network, April 2013

“CEOs Welcome Chief Digital Officers to the C-Suite?”
- Wall Street Journal / CIO Journal, April 2013


17

The CDO.net Property
• 

• 

Employing a “curate”
strategy while ramping
up

• 

New, original content is
driven by “5 Questions
With…” interview
series

• 

Successful ‘Executive
Roundtable’ event held
in Boston (Oct 2013)

• 


Soft-launched in
September 2012

New, full-time editorial
hires planned for 2014

18

The Marketplace
There are few direct competitors that focus specifically on the office of the Chief Digital Officer, but
many indirect competitors with a CMO-, CIO-, or CxO-centric perspective.
•  CDO
Summit:
the
closest
‘direct’

compe@tor

•  CMO.com:
owned
by
Adobe;
well-‐
managed
and
formidable,
but

indirect
and
biased

•  CIO.com:
indirect
compe@tor,
but

is
forced
to
pursue
the
CDO
space,

as
it
bisects
the
CMO
and
CIO

offices

•  The
Forrester
Blog
for
CMOs:
a

thought
leadership
plaQorm
for

Forrester;
this
firm
has
been

aggressive
(as
Gartner
has)
in

defining
the
emerging
“digital”

sector
that
combines
IT
and

marke@ng,
which
is
the
focus
of

the
Chief
Digital
Officer


19

The Team
Our management and advisory team includes individuals with considerable
experience and reach in the digital marketing and media/event industries.
TIM BOURGEOIS (Founder, Executive Editor)
Partner at East Coast Catalyst, a digital strategy consulting firm in Boston. 15 years in the digital
industry, most recently as founder/CEO of Pixel Bridge, an interactive agency that was acquired in
2009. Previously held positions at Kennedy Information and IDC.
JEN SIMONSON (General Manager)
Jen has been with ChiefDigitalOfficer.net since its inception in 2012, and today manages a variety of
CDO.net’s operation, including the CDO.net digital infrastructure and the event management
business.
RD WHITNEY (Advisor)
Executive Director, IOFM, at Diversified Business Communications. Previously held senior positions at
Greenhaven Partners, Institute of Finance & Management, and Tarsus Group. Globally-recognized
expert in the event management and publishing industry.


20

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