Society of Publishers in Asia to stage first regional media summit in Beijing

“SOPA Media Summit 2009” to be endorsed and supported by China Youth Center for International Exchange and General Administration of Press and Publication

Hong Kong, November 18, 2009 – The Society of Publishers in Asia (SOPA) will host its inaugural “SOPA Media Summit 2009” under the theme “The Future of Publishing – New Platforms, New Technologies, New Models” at the China World Hotel, Beijing from November 19-20, 2009.

The landmark conference is supported by the China Youth Center for International Exchange (CYCIE) and the General Administration of Press and Publication of the People’s Republic of China (GAPP). It will bring together international and Asian senior executives from print, digital and mobile media groups, agencies, research and industry bodies.

Distinguished media luminaries speaking at the summit include:

• Ms. Rhona Murphy, Publisher & Managing Director of Newsweek International and Mr. Glenn J. Hansen, President & CEO of BPA Worldwide (United States)
• Ms. Angela Mackay, Executive Director, Head of Asia Pacific of Financial Times; Mr. Victor Visot, Chief Executive Officer, Greater China, South East Asia & Australia of Lagardère Active and Doug Stotland, Director of Strategy & Monetization, Greater Asia Pacific of Microsoft Advertising (Hong Kong)
• Ms. Christina Lee, Asia Managing Director of BusinessWeek & SOPA Deputy Chairman and Mr. Robin Hu, Deputy Chairman of SPH Magazines & Senior EVP, Chinese Newspapers & Newspaper Services of Singapore Press Holdings Ltd. (Singapore)
• Mr. Li Shuanke, Publisher & Editor of Chinese National Geography; Ms. Li Peiyu, Editor-in-Chief of China Business Journal; Mr. Melvyn Goh, Chief Executive Officer & Group Publisher of M Media Group and Mr. Matthew Wisla, Vice President of Communications, American Chamber of Commerce (China)
• Mr. Anurag Batra, Chairman & Editor-in-Chief of exchange4media (India)
• Ms. Wenny Wang, Chief Executive Officer of Business Weekly Group; Mr. Fei-Peng Ho, Chief Executive Officer of Cite Publishing Group and Mr. Kuo-Ting Yu, Adviser of Business Weekly Media Group & Chairman of Magazine Business Association of Taipei (Taiwan)
• And many more. Full details at: https://sopasia.com/old/summit09/sb-speakers.html

“The SOPA Media Summit 2009” will take place over two days, and will consist of a one-day conference, followed, on the second day, by visits to the State Council Information Office (SCIO) and prominent media companies such as Trends Media Group and Google Inc. It will appraise the challenges and growth opportunities, re-define new business strategies and models, and uncover new commercial values to emerge strongly from the economic crisis and unlock partnership opportunities in China and across the region.

“The media summit seeks to engage and help media professionals exchange best practices to further foster industry development via the latest and most innovative brand strategies,” said Mr. Terence Tung, SOPA Chairman.

“The summit will provide a useful platform for participants and speakers alike to enter into thought-provoking discussions on publishing trends and strategy redeployment for revenue optimization and shed light on new technologies that can help regenerate growth in the industry.”

Meetings will also be arranged with the State Council Information Office (SCIO) on November 20 giving an additional opportunity to confer on key issues relating to media market development and increase knowledge about China-specific publishing practices.

For more information, please visit https://sopasia.com/old/summit2009/beijing