The Heartland Mobile Council Announces #MobiU2013 Summit: Mobile→Reality

CHICAGO - Sept. 9, 2013 - PRLog -- CHICAGO, Illinois (September 9, 2013) – The Heartland Mobile Council (HMC) is once again bringing together a unique platform of mobile marketing education with the Midwest’s largest mobile marketing event, the #MobiU2013 Summit, on September 26, at the Microsoft Technology Center. Those interested in attending and learning more can visit the #MobiU2013 Summit page (http://heartlandmobilecouncil.org/events/mobiu2013/).

The 4th Annual Mobile University Summit provides a complete curriculum on the latest in mobile marketing. This year’s summit will feature brands, startups and professors trailblazing the mobile industry including experts from Allstate, Morningstar, PepsiCo, InterContinental Hotels Group, Whirlpool, Kimberly-Clark, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, Nielsen, and Mead Johnson. (Full speaker list below.)

The Summit kicks-off with opening keynote, “A Vision of Mobile Reality,” by Larry Light -- Chief Brand Officer of InterContinental Hotels Group, CEO of Arcature and former CMO of McDonald’s. Speaker sessions throughout the day include:

●      “Building a Mobile Team” panel with directors from Allstate, Morningstar and BCBS of Illinois
●      “Mobile & Moms” presentation from Whirlpool
●      “Mobile & Hispanics” presentation from Kimberly-Clark
●      “Mobile & Millennials” presentation from PepsiCo
●      “Creating Mobile Buy-in” presentation from BCBS of Illinois
●      “State of Mobile Industry” presentation from a Nielsen executive
●      “Location Based Behaviors” research from a University of Michigan-Flint marketing professor
●      “Mobile Privacy/Legal” presentation from Sedgwick, LLP

Edward Olebe, SVP & Group Head, MasterPass, MasterCard Worldwide will close the summit with his closing keynote, “Mobile Payments & Your Reality.” He will then join Stephen Surman, Head of Global Digital & Social Strategy, Mead Johnson, and another brand executive to close the day with “What’s Next?”

New this year is the “Mobile2Reality” Pitch Contest. The HMC has partnered with PepsiCo’s megabrand, Quaker Oats, to offer a real-time pitch to agencies and marketers. Registered agencies will be given a creative brief to create a mobile solution. The top four concepts will be pitched live in front of the #MobiU2013 Summit audience with a $15,000 cash prize and a business contract from Quaker Oats awarded on-site.

The HMC is also merging art with technology to help inspire marketers with the potential of mobile. This new “Mobile+Humanity” Curated Art Show will demonstrate how mobile will change consumer's lives through the eyes of artists.  More than 20 artists from across the country have submitted work that depicts their view of mobile and humanity - good, bad, scary, exciting. The best pieces will be displayed at the #MobiU2013 Summit as part of the HMC Experience Hall™ (ExpHall™), and the winner will receive a grand prize of $500.

"Big brands are moving away from mobile shiny objects and are now looking to convert mobile engagements into physical action,” says Hugh Jedwill, Executive Director, HMC. “The most sophisticated brands are moving from marketing to a segment of millions to marketing to an individual of one.  This is the potential as mobile becomes reality."

The evening will end with the ExpHall™ Reception bringing together more than 150 big company marketers and startup technologists. The HMC ExpHall demos new technologies from both big brands and local startups. This year features an exhibit on Near Field Communications (NFC) technology - the latest innovation in mobile technology, as well as a demo of ISIS, a leading mobile wallet solution. Past demos have included the Google Wallet and Walgreen’s print-from-phone mobile app.

View last year's presentation (http://heartlandmobilecouncil.org/upcoming-events/present...), and register for the #MobiU2013 Summit at http://heartlandmobilecouncil.org/events/mobiu2013/.  Attendees are encouraged to register early as all MobiU events sell out. For those not available to attend the full Summit, a separate ExpHall Reception ticket (http://heartlandmobilecouncil.org/events/mobiu2013-experi...) may be purchased. More information and videos of past Seminars and Summits may be found at heartlandmobilecouncil.com. Interested attendees are encouraged to follow #MobiU2013 or @heartlandmobile and text HEARTLAND to 41411 for updates.

This year’s Summit sponsors include: Microsoft Innovation Center and Utopic (Gold), and the Boss Group, as well as partners, CIMA (Chicago Interactive Marketing Association) and the Chicago AMA Up & Comers.

Opening and Closing Keynotes Speakers:

●      Larry Light, Chief Brand Officer of InterContinental Hotels Group, President and CEO of Arcature, and former Global CMO of McDonald's.
●      Edward Olebe, SVP & Group Head, MasterPass, MasterCard Worldwide
●      Stephen Surman, Head of Global Digital & Social Strategy, Mead Johnson

Breakout Panelists Speakers:

●      Mark Sneathen, SVP of Media Analytics, Nielsen
●      Corey Bieber, Senior Analyst, Mobile & Emerging Technology, BCBS of Illinois
●      Kyle Mengwasser, Commercial Platform and Digital Strategy Manager, Kimberly-Clark
●      Roger Tye, Senior Director of Consumer Engagement, Allstate
●      Patrick Feeney, Director of Mobile & Emerging Tech, BCBS of Illinois
●      Vivek Vaid, Director of Engineering – Mobile & Cloud, Morningstar
●      Erin Schroeder, Senior Marketing Manager, Whirlpool
●      Sy Banerjee, Assistant Professor Marketing, University of Michigan-Flint

Full speaker bios may be found at: http://bit.ly/S13Speakers

About The Heartland Mobile Council

The Heartland Mobile Council is a Chicago-based (501c6) non-profit organization whose mission is to educate and inspire brands on how to use mobile effectively. Led by Executive Director, Hugh Park Jedwill, the HMC is 100% volunteer run and includes more than 50 active volunteers. The Council produces three Seminars each year, the annual MobiU Summit, as well as partner events.  In 2013, the HMC launched its Brands+Startups™ initiative that paired brand marketers with up-and-coming startups with the culminating event ending at Techweek Chicago. More information on the HMC may be found at www.heartlandmobilecouncil.org.

Media Contact:
Hugh Park Jedwill
Executive Director, HMC
hugh@heartlandmobilecouncil.com
312-235-2821