The event was held at the Getty Images Studio, so whilst networking away guests were treated to an exhibition of Marilyn Monroe photographs.

The speakers outlined the role of content in their careers and then proceeded with a panel discussion.

Here are some of the main points they made

1.       Storytelling: help the client craft a brand

Companies must connect with their audience but technical product talk is not always an enticing read. Content should tell a bigger and broader story with lots of emotion. The end result is that the audience’s connection with an organisation goes beyond the product. Remember that content is not just about one press release or article; it’s about building the  brand narrative and meeting the company’s business objectives.

2.       Content myths

Quite surprisingly in an express-yourself-in-140-characters-or-less world, not all readers want bite sized chunks of text. Some people want long form content. That means more content of a higher-quality with more analysis. This is backed by the BBC who discovered that 90% of their audience want more content.

3.       Social media campaign

Do not be afraid of social media. Companies need to be in the conversation with their audience even if they can’t control the content. If a customer is unhappy, engage with them. Increase brand loyalty. To be confident use content calendars as a baseline and have Tweets prepared.

4.       Content strategy

Make sure you have a defined strategy for writing content. Ultimately content has to be created so that people are inspired to act; it must stimulate interest, opinion and action. Make clients feel happy about sharing content, and make that content easy to access. When doing sharing content, consider all of the channels your audience might use.

- Katie Simpson

Each event is considerably bigger and better than the average in its industry, but as with any successful conference, the struggle for brands to make an impact is that much harder as a result. The number of parties at GDC, for instance, was overwhelming. They ranged from the down-and-dirty, to champagne receptions, as gaming companies and relevant media titles battled to secure the best crowd.  Meanwhile, in Austin, start-ups across the city were trying every trick imaginable to have their Foursquare moments.

So, how should companies approach these big events and make sure they’re heard above the noise?

1. Work out what you want, well in advance

If it’s brand recognition you’re looking for, a panel, party, or yes, even a stunt can work. If it’s just networking, you’d do better to plan out dinners in advance. Get yourself on the VIP lists of all the best parties (where no one wears official passes) and plan on getting very little sleep.

2. Plan ahead

This point can’t be overemphasised. If you don’t, you’re unlikely to get a speaking position and once you arrive, there’ll be so much going on, you’ll get distracted and miss out on the best events. That’s not to say you shouldn’t be flexible. Some of the most interesting people you meet might be in a taxi to the next party, or at an unplanned lunch. So be prepared, but ready to change your plans.

3. Throw a party 

- if you have the budget. Unless you’re a huge name, partner with other players for maximum exposure. In fact, even if you are a huge name, collaborating can still be a good idea because it cuts down on costs and lets you do more than one event.

4. Be prominent on social networks

Everyone uses Twitter, Foursquare and whichever new app (e.g. Highlight at SXSW) is popular to find the buzziest places. One company that did this really well at SXSW was Birchbox. I discovered, via a special check-in on Foursquare, that the team was giving out free, high-end beauty products on the corner of a street.

5. Give out swag

Everyone does it, but no one gets sick of it. Basic but tasteful t-shirts are always a good choice and you create your own walking adverts around the city and beyond.

- Rachel Phythian 

While this presents new opportunities for entrepreneurs and VCs, there’s a lot to be learned about doing business there. As with all new markets, different cultures, business hours and relationships can all interfere with a company’s end-goal. It’s important to ensure, before you take a trip, that you understand the country, business rules and behaviour. 

1. Know the culture

Russia is a vast country with a big culture; a fact Russians are proud of. At the centre of its own world, Russia’s vision of what lies beyond its borders can sometimes be surprising. The country’s history is rich in authors, scientists, intellectuals and artists who have all left their mark on their homeland and the world.  Ensure you have some local knowledge. Whether you prepare for your trip through pure internet research, reading a book by a Russian author or attending a concert of a famous Russian composer, you’ll be able to engage on more than just a business level.

2. Get straight to the point

When dealing with international business and clients, it’s always important to be clear and precise with your intentions and goals. Russians appreciate simplicity and honesty, especially when trying to build strong relationships. This doesn’t mean you should forgo courtesy and forms of small talk; just don’t waste time with grandiloquent speeches that serve no real purpose.

3. Know the structure

A general rule for any business meeting: know who you are speaking to before you go in to a meeting and have patience.  This is especially true in Russia. Finding the decision maker isn’t always as obvious as finding the individual with the title of CEO. Decisions may depend on people who you previously didn’t think were in positions of power, or who you didn’t have access to beforehand. Be comfortable with a certain level of ambiguity as you work through your dealings and keep your patience when proceeding with discussions.

4. Don’t stereotype

Like anywhere else, Russia is changing. However, the degree of change can vary greatly from city to city and industry to industry. Understand the unique perspectives of the person sitting in front of you .. Not only will this help you communicate better, but it will also  help you evaluate the cultural gap and achieve your goals in Russia.

- Alessandro Lodola 

Wired UK recently ran a how-to special for start-ups that featured advice from our very own Colette Ballou. Entitled ‘How to start the hype cycle’, the piece runs through some dos and don’ts that companies need to consider when getting that hype cycle started. You can see the full article here.

1. Thou shalt remember that six things sell in the media. Sex, death, scandal, celebrities, money and humour. Keep that in mind when writing your releases and you’ll be on the right track. 
2. Thou shalt always use the preferred means of communications to pitch a journalist. We will try to make journalists’ lives easier however we can, if Twitter works – great. If it’s Facebook, fab. Texting? No problem.
3. Thou shalt not send out boring press releases. We’ll work to obtain journalists’ attention in innovative ways. Our pitches will be concise, pertinent and tailored to each publication.
4. Thou shalt read what a journalist has written previously before sending them a pitch. We know, we know, we promise this every year, but this year, we’re going to try really hard.
5. Thou shalt not share thine own news before it’s sent out. We’re looking at you companies for this. You’re ruining your own coverage and your PR’s day.
6. Thou shalt not assume people care about thine new carpet. Stop believing your own hype and look at what’s actually on the news agenda; that’s how you’re going to get coverage.
7. Thou shalt not covet your competitor’s news. Yes, they may be in the FT this week, but you were in it the week before. Focus on your timeline, not theirs. Remember copying won’t get you anywhere. Be bold, be different and stand out.
8. Thou shalt remember that the world is round and that online means everywhere. Remember, that an embargo has to work for all the countries you’re announcing in. If it’s a UK launch, don’t announce it in the middle of our night. And don’t give it is an exclusive to an online US title, as well as a UK one… neither will be pleased.
9. Honour your own customers. Try not to announce their news for them, use them as an important reference source, and don’t complain about them in public forums; especially not in interviews.
10. Thou shalt make time for PR. Probably the most important from our point of view, but if you want your campaigns to be successful, invest time in the team. Give them content, provide them with spokespeople. The more you give, the more we can do.

One company in particular is at the forefront of this trend: the Union Square Ventures-backed Codecademy that uses game mechanics to make learning to program easier. Launched in August 2011, the company ramped up its efforts in a big way on 1st January by announcing a new project called Code Year, with the tagline ‘Make your New Year's resolution learning to code.’ More than 290,000 would-be Spolskys or Dorseys have signed up to date, including New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Why now?

Despite the hype, learning to code via online exercises isn’t new. W3Schools for example, which provides tutorials on a wide range of web development topics, is a relative dinosaur, founded way back in 1999. Yet 2012 looks set to be the year when the wider industry goes code-crazy.

The reality, as we all know, is that tech has finally hit the mainstream. Geeks have never been so hot and tools like Codecademy and Bloc, that are fun and make joining the pack seem easy, are booming as a consequence.

Getting involved

At a time when tech is one of the few industries that is growing and software engineers are in high demand, new ideas for integrating programming into education are significant. Minister for Education Michael Gove seems to have picked up on this, announcing on Wednesday a complete overhaul of the current ICT curriculum. Alex Hope, one of the authors of NESTA’s Next Gen report, even told the BBC that coding should be ‘the new Latin’ (though famous coder-classicist Mark Zuckerberg might recommend both).

The benefits for non-technical founders are also clear: a little knowledge of code can go a long way towards making CEOs less dependent on their CTOs and helping them work better with their engineering teams. A small insight into programming is even valuable for people in PR and marketing, enabling them to communicate their clients’ stories with a greater level of understanding. In short, most people would probably benefit from some small insight into the workings of the tools that we all use every day. 

Getting carried away

I do think there's a risk of hyperbolising, however. There’s an interesting debate that non-technical founders are having with themselves every day: do I get really great at what I’m already good at (e.g. biz dev) or try to catch up on the technical side?

Complex programming, like any difficult skill, is not for everyone and personally, I question the value of dedicating too much time to something that's either not relevant to a person's job or goes too far against his or her skill-set. Even, if you don't believe the Gladwell theory of 10,000 hours of experience before success, it demonstrates a good point: sometimes, focus is good and a fun hobby (as coding is likely to be for many of the late-starters) is just that.

So, although Michael Bloomberg and, rumour has it, Boris Johnson, will be setting a great example in joining Codecademy and expanding their knowledge of important parts of their economies, we know (or at least hope) that for the most part, they'll be sticking to their day jobs. Without scuppering too many dreams, I think there’s probably a wider lesson in that for a lot of us.

- Rachel Phythian

There’s no right answer. Each launch must be evaluated from both a PR and business perspective to decide the best option. Below is a list of tips to help guide that decision.

1. The media demands news first. If something has been written about before, whether in a competitor publication or on a blog, they probably won’t touch it.
2. From which it follows: remind all team members not to tweet, blog or tell friends about the launch prior to the official announcement.
3. Never pre-announce things. You risk looking ineffective if the launch date slips. Who wants a supplier who misses deadlines?
4. Be prepared. Have your key messaging in place, your spokespeople chosen and trained, and additional company information available in a press pack. Take the time to think how you’ll answer the tough questions.
5. If you have case studies to show how a product is being used, all the better. Don’t just say your product is useful; let your customers show the media that it’s useful – ideally, with metrics to prove the value. Waiting for case studies does add the risk that the media or a blogger will find your product and write about it before you want them to. However, without third-party endorsement the same people might decide to wait for proof points before giving coverage to the product.

Finally, keep in mind that what’s interesting to you might not be to the media. “Product does what it was designed to do” won’t turn heads. “Product adds £1m to the bottom line” probably will.

- Cordy Griffiths

But could the burgeoning love affair be in trouble? 

US House of Representatives bill SOPA (Stop Online Privacy Act) and its Senate companion bill PIPA (Protect IP Act) may soon result in censorship of the Internet, endangering consumer rights and stymying free speech via techniques similar, absurd as it seems, to those used in Iran or China.

The goal of the bills is to stop global copyright infringement, an admirable aim in theory and one that’s been received warmly, not only in Hollywood but in many other creative industries, including the music business.

Contrary to the rights enshrined in 1998’s Digital Millennium Copyright Act, which protected search engines and other such third-party sites, SOPA empowers rights-holders like producers and record labels to take action against intermediaries doing business with “rogue foreign sites”. The hope is that the rogue sites would then be throttled.

Why does this matter, particularly to those of us over in Europe? Well, the reality is that many of the US services we use will be destroyed by the burden of unmanageable regulation, while new ones that we might want to use won’t get off the ground. As with many political issues, where the US leads, others follow and these bills set the dangerous precedent of censoring organisations that aren’t responsible for the root problem. The idea of similar legislation being passed in Europe is deeply unpalatable.

SOPA / PIPA-style legislation will damage one of the few industries that’s doing well in the current economic climate. It’s essential that the technology sector be cultivated, not penalised, to avoid driving innovators away.

There’s already a macro trend, demonstrated by initiatives like Bitcoin, of national boundaries and their associated laws decreasing in importance. Punitive legislation may protect the IP and associated assets of some industries in the short-term, but it could also leave the enforcing nations without a slice of a far bigger monetary pie.

- Rachel Phythian

What?!

For those of us who grew up playing Pac-Man at the video arcade or Frogger on the living room Atari, video games have come a long way.  Nowadays, the quality and features take users to an entirely new level—sometimes blurring the line between what’s real and what’s not. 

But there’s a new dimension in gaming right now involving a more traditional industry, one that—while most would probably not call it as much fun as gaming—is indeed very, very real.  The industry?  Health.

Often perceived as a sector somewhat resistant to change, health is a hotbed for innovation from a technology perspective—from consumer wellness apps to remote patient monitoring.  Just to put this in numbers:  the global health IT market is forecasted to reach $162.2 billion in 2015. 

So this brings me to the merging of gaming and health.  When I attended the Health 2.0 conference in San Francisco in 2010, I met a few attendees who were involved in some serious health-related stuff – with a twist.  One had developed a game to help medical students learn and memorise bacteria and their characteristics; another was a member of a disease-related association who was encouraging Twitter users to propose a gaming idea that could help “eradicate” the disease (on a virtual level of course). Two examples of how games have evolved from, say, frogs dodging cars in the street to dodging diseased molecules.

These ideas were just the tip of the iceberg of what was to come in 2011. There’s been talk of physical therapy computer games potentially helping Parkinson’s disease sufferers, video games that could possibly fix lazy eye in older children and technologies that merge exercise with video games, just to give a few examples.

Then in September, a major trade publisher, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., whose titles include the respected 30-year old Genetic Engineering News, introduced a bi-weekly e-newsletter G4H Industry Insider for “those involved in, or simply curious about, health games as a resource for improving human health and well-being.”  The publishing industry has recently been in a crisis, where a number of trade magazines have folded or been merged into sister publications, and now a major publisher creates a new media dedicated only to gaming in health—an interesting milestone, if not validation of a budding sector. 

So, back to that headline above:  This topic was featured in the international media, not just in headlines in scientific trade press, demonstrating the potential of two intersecting industries and its appeal to a broader audience.  Whether consumer health or scientific research oriented, the long-term benefits of technological developments in health gaming remain to be seen, a potential that only time and pooling together brainpower from multiple sectors will determine.

- Christina Aplington

Online shopping is undeniably big business and the figures are suggesting it’s going to continue to get bigger. Some online retailers are even going so far as to offer physical ‘stores’ on the high street. It was recently announced that eBay was setting up a five-day UK trial of a ‘try before you buy’ shop near Oxford Street. One of the remaining issues with online shopping is the inability to test a product before paying for it and these kinds of shops, even though consumers can’t buy the products there and then, could go some way to pushing eCommerce to the next level.

The high street has been threatened in the past by the growth of online shopping, as the disadvantages of eCommerce start to be outweighed by the benefits, but it seems like the high street isn’t quite willing to give up yet. Taking some of the major advantages of the lack of queuing, a to-your-door-service and guaranteed stock, a number of the major Oxford Street retailers are offering their own in-store eCommerce solutions for the Christmas rush. Shops including John Lewis, Gap, Topshop, Selfridges and Debenhams are planning to offer in-store ‘order online’ terminals and John Lewis is also offering free WiFi in its stores nationwide by Christmas so people can bypass queues and buy online.

The real trend emerging seems to be a blending of eCommerce and the high street, to bring together the best of both options. While this is mainly being trialled over the Christmas shopping period, with retail figures still not recovering fully, this mix of online and offline shopping may prove to be increasingly common in the future.

-Rose Crossgrove