So the year is really off and running. It’s only mid January but the WebsEdge team has already been on the ground in Boston and Chicago producing Historians TV as well as covering the Joint Mathematics Meeting – the world’s largest gathering of mathematicians. And next week we have a team in Washington DC for the National Council on Science and the Environment.

This is our first year producing JMM TV but our fourth with Historians TV. And as always there was a really interesting mix of pre-made films and coverage of the event itself. All put together into a television programme shown at the conference venue and in the delegate hotel rooms. And as always a lot of positive feedback – which is always good. Just don’t test me on my algebra!

Whilst we’re always tuning the model the basics of that programme formation and distribution haven’t really changed over the last few years. But this year there was one major difference – the use of video via social media. B2B media – be it video, magazines or even events – isn’t always the first place you find innovation in social media. And whilst Facebook, Twitter and YouTube have been ever present among consumers for quite a while now they have been slower to take hold with events.

But all that is beginning to change. We saw two trends emerging last week.  First, more and more people are joining in the twitter conversation using the conference hashtag. But what’s interesting is that whilst many of these are at the conference a sizeable proportion isn’t. Enabling folks not at the event to actually take part in the conversation.

Second, people are embedding the videos we made at the conference into tweets using YouTube. I think that’s a really interesting development for two reasons.  It allows people to have a conversation around the videos rather than just watching them. But even more interesting is the effect this has on mobile media. Because YouTube videos can play on most devices the video clips of that days conference can now be carried around with you in a form anyone can access on any device. And for business to business media that’s really a first.

And here at WebsEdge we’re no exception. We’ve three major events in January alone with two inside the first week. We’re off to Chicago to produce Historians TV for the AHA’s 126th Annual meeting and to Boston for the Joint Mathematics Meeting – the world’s largest mathematics meeting.

And these are interesting times for both groups. The venues will be bursting at the seams with a combined audience of around 15, 000 professors, graduate students and undergraduates. And as we go around conducting interviews and putting together television programmes we’ll be struck by the depth, the diversity and the sheer sense of optimism that abounds in both these meetings.

But there’s no doubt that both of these meetings also take place against a very challenging budget cycle. As politicians look to make federal spending cuts there is less money to fund many important programs. Take the ‘Teaching American History’ grants for example which have just been eliminated from the 2012 Federal Budget.

But what also strikes me is the new wave of innovation that is tackling both the need to compete on a global scale and ever declining budgets. This may be the 126th annual meeting of the American Historical Association but one of the main themes for discussion is the use of digital technology in all it’s forms. And I think that’s what drives these organisations and their members forward. Of course the challenges are great. But we’ve been here before. And the only way through is by constantly challenging ourselves to be more relevant in the future than we’ve been in the past.

Stephen Horn, CEO

WebsEdge

And a whole host of new services are launching to take advantage of this change. Tesco and HMV have both recently launched Video on Demand services and Netflix is leading the charge from the United States. All the content you ever dreamed of, right into your living room.

According to a study just out from Bain and Co over 60% of households will have one of these connected televisions by 2014. One of the report’s most interesting findings is that 50% of people surveyed expected they would access this content in different ways. Instead of simply watching a channel they would use search engines and social networks to hunt down specific content they were interested in fueling discussion of a major transformation in viewing habits.

But despite this flood of content most people surveyed didn’t think they would watch more television. And they certainly didn’t think they would pay more for it. When it came to new forms of content – such as ‘webisodes’ – few respondents said they would be prepared to pay anything at all.

So where does this leave us? With the rapid expansion of connected devices – not just televisions but phones and tablets as well – there are more ways than ever to watch video. With this rapid expansion has come an explosion in available content it is safe to say there are more and more ways to watch more and more content. But here lies the paradox. With the same amount of money funding rapidly increasing content the amount spent creating each piece is going to fall. And yet given all this ‘noise’ the only way to reach consumers is through what the report calls an ‘improved content experience’.

So it’s all about sending the right piece of great content to the right person. And I guess that hasn’t changed – whatever device you choose to watch it on.

Each of these organisations is facing radical change. In the UK local authorities have borne the brunt of government spending cuts. More for less has become a popular mantra. 2011 is the pivotal year for health informatics in the US as the Obama health care reforms take centre stage. For the International Association of Police Chiefs the ever evolving threats to national security are the order of the day in law enforcement.

And there lies an interesting paradox. These are complex issues and are becoming ever more so. Lets look at law enforcement for example. Local policemen all round the world are no longer just fighting local crime. The bobby on the beat may be central to community policing but just as important they’re also seen as the front line of attack combating international terrorism.

But these complex issues need broad communications. All the organisations involved not only need to reach large numbers of people – they also need to break these issues down so we can all understand and act on them. We might not be able to untangle the federal budget but we’re all going to need to know what electronic payment records mean to us.

So our job in October has been working with a number of different stakeholders – local authorities, charities, hospitals, police forces etc – to help them use video and specialised video channels to reach their audiences. For example, how can people help transport police in the US stop home grown terrorism in its tracks?

By definition this isn’t easy. But I think we’ve seen real progress. A growing realisation that content needs to be accessible and audiences need to be reached – even if both of those things can be a messy process.

As always, WebsEdge/Government is at the heart of the action and will be producing SOLACE TV at the event. SOLACE TV will be a mix of interviews and coverage of the Summit keeping participants (the new term for delegates) informed about how each workstream is developing.

We’ve worked with WRVS and Bracknell Forest Council this year to produce two excellent films related to two of the propositions. Read about the propositions here.



You can watch the films, and all of our content on the Local Government Channel, on the SOLACE website, or on the new SOLACE TV YouTube channel. Enjoy!

You can follow the action, too. Just follow @websedge_gov on Twitter and we’ll keep you up-to-date with developments as they happen. 

Stay tuned, and as always, let us know what you think.

The WebsEdge Team

Now clearly Milwaukee has a proud industrial heritage. And walking through the city a lot of its history is very much in tact. But as with any industrial city it’s had its challenges as manufacturing takes up a smaller proportion of our GDP. But Milwaukee has also seen a cultural renaissance with the building of the new conference centre and the Riverwalk.

So what better place then to hold the conference?  All of the city managers gathering here this week have faced challenges over the past few years. And let’s be honest – continue to face them. Every community is focused on jobs and providing better services to its citizens against a backdrop of continuing economic uncertainty.

But don’t mistake that for doom and gloom. If you look around you’ll find a lot of innovative approaches to these issues that people in central government right around the world would do well to take notice of. So I’m really looking forward to the week. Time to interview lots of really interesting people, talk to old friends and meet some new ones. Not to mention the trip to the brewery! But what I’m looking forward to the most is the opportunity to witness this pioneering approach first hand.

Watch all our conference interviews and reports on www.icmatv.com.

Follow us on twitter @ICMATV and the conference using #icma11

But what an interesting week it’s been. I started in New Delhi and made my way via Kochi to Mumbai. I’ve met so many great people to talk about introducing conference tv and on-line television channels to core clients in India.

Not that there’s a shortage of television in India of course. Sitting here in the heart of Bollywood that’s all too obvious! And whilst I write this the whole of India, or so it seems, is watching the 2nd cricket test match against England.

But there are also a plethora of news and business channels here that give you a window on the world. It’s been particularly fascinating for me to watch reporting on the Indian economy. Company after company has been reporting it’s figures which, by and large, show significant increases in sales and profits. And whilst a lot of the names are similar – I’ve been watching coverage on both local CNBC and CNN – the coverage isn’t . It’s less critical and of course the numbers are radically different.

It’s also been fascinating to watch the US debt crisis evolve here and to see how that’s been reported. It’s clear to people here – and throughout Asia – that the US economy and it’s problems are of vital importance to everyone. And of course they’re hoping for – and expecting – a sensible outcome. Though you do get the feeling that many here wonder how it got to this in the first place.

Stephen Horn

CEO, WebsEdge

Follow me on Twitter: @stephenjhorn

And in many ways it’s meetings like these that lie at the heart of business. In cities like Vancouver we may no longer be able to compete on cost of labour and other inputs but we certainly can still lead the knowledge economy. You just have to look at some of the excellent work being carried out by local universities to realise that.

But the location of this event just adds to the symbolism. Vancouver Convention Centre is right on the Pacific Ocean. Ships come here from many different countries but it seems a good number of them are from China. Vancouver is clearly where East meets West.

The ICIAM conference itself takes place every four years. And, you guessed it, the next one is in Beijing in 2015. I just wonder by then who will really be at the heart of the knowledge economy.

And that’s true this week more than ever. The headlines are full of very mixed economic news along with the battle of wills on Capitol Hill as Washington tries once again to deal with the American budget deficit. If they don’t reach agreement on budget reductions in time to raise their ceiling on borrowing there is a risk the whole US Government will go into default. And whilst most people don’t think that will happen right now we’re certainly seeing more heat than light.

And the economic statistics don’t look good either. Figures for small firms in particular are at best flat and unemployment rates are edging up rather than down.  A double dip recession seems a long way off but right now it is stagnating at best.

So is that the reality? I don’t think so. I’m currently on a digital mission to Washington with ten other UK businesses. And what a whirlwind tour it’s been. We’re seeing a whole host of companies and government departments at all levels. And they tell a different story.

First, lets look at the fundamentals. Did you know that 20% of the world’s GDP – yes the World’s GDP – is located within a two hour flight radius of Washington. The city is well known as the centre of government in the US but its economic importance is often overlooked.

But it’s not just the numbers that have attracted my attention. I’m really fascinated by the amount of innovation going on in DC at the moment. We spent some time at Microsoft and Deloitte yesterday talking to people in their government innovation centres. They’re working on some great projects bringing together the best and the brightest as well as some serious amounts of money.

And the very best news for British companies is that they are open for business. So yes, there is some serious economic news out there. But the opportunity is more substantial – and it’s there for the taking.

Stephen Horn

CEO, WebsEdge

Twitter: @stephenjhorn or @WebsEdgeTV

It’s quite an agenda. We’re meeting with government bodies at both a local and federal level to find out a little more about what their challenges are. And hopefully what we can do to help.

Now given we have an office here – in beautiful Georgetown – I’ve been thinking a little about government communications on both sides of the ‘pond’. At WebsEdge we’ve worked with about a hundred city governments here in the US – both large and small – and a similar number of local authorities back in England.

On the surface there are quite some differences. Just look at the funding mechanisms. But I’ve really been drawn to the similarities as well. On both sides of the Atlantic local government suffers from an image problem.  And the reality is that it’s getting worse. Whilst people value the services offered they don’t always rate the service provider very highly.

Which is a shame. Because the reality is that towns and cities are providing excellent public services that also provide good value for money. And those are the stories WebsEdge has helped to tell through The Local Government Channel, ICMA tv and now IAFC tv as well.

So we’re all set for a busy week. Lots to learn, new people to meet and, who knows, the odd cold beer along the way!

Follow all the action on Twitter:

@digitalmission

@stephenjhorn

@WebsEdgeTV

#dm2dc