Editor's Note: Publishing Industry Thought Leaders Head Up Free Virtual Event on the Future of Digital Content

Book Business and Publishing Executive magazines, producers of the industry-leading Publishing Business Conference & Expo, have announced the editorial advisory board for their second-annual Publishing Business Virtual Conference, called "Digital Content Day @ Your Desk," on Sept. 16.

Members of the advisory board include:

• Maurice Bakley, COO, FierceMarkets
• Andrew Brenneman, founder and president, Finitiv, and Book Business columnist
• Jenny Bullough, manager, digital content, Harlequin Enterprises Ltd.
• Cheryl Cramer-Toto, senior vice president, digital strategy and planning, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
• David Granger, Editor-in-Chief, Esquire
• Clint Greenleaf, CEO, Greenleaf Book Group
• Gregg Hano, group publisher, Bonnier Technology Group, Bonnier Corp.
• Ted Hill, president, THA Consulting
• Anne Jackley, director of digital products, ALM
• Angela James, Executive Editor, Carina Press
• James R. Keefe, executive vice president and group publisher, GIE Media Inc.
• Kelly Leonard, executive director of online marketing, Hachette Book Group
• Peter Meirs, vice president of production technologies, Time Inc.
• John Morse, president and publisher, Merriam-Webster Inc.
• Mike Rosiak, lead content architect, Wolters Kluwer Health
• Kilian Schalk, technical director of digital projects, The New Yorker
• Tod Shuttleworth, senior vice president and group publisher for specialty and global publishing, Thomas Nelson Inc.
• Michael Smith, executive director, International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF)
• Debbie Stier, senior vice president, editor-at-large and director of digital marketing, HarperCollins Publishers

The Publishing Business Virtual Conference will address the most crucial issues facing book and magazine publishing industry executives today, as they strive to develop profitable business models around digital content, and keep pace with new and emerging technologies and shifting consumer and b-to-b marketplaces.

"With the support of the amazing board members who have stepped up to help direct the content, this promises to be the 'must-attend' show of the year for navigating the digital content world in which we're now engulfed," says Noelle Skodzinski, conference director and editorial director of Book Business and Publishing Executive magazines. "From questions surrounding the iPad, e-readers, apps and new technologies on the horizon to profitable multiplatform business models and processes, shifts in marketing spending, and adapting internally to face a different publishing world successfully, there are so many issues right now that publishers need to address. This free event is designed to provide them with answers to many of their most pressing questions and help them develop effective strategies to implement immediately-without even having to leave their desks."

The virtual show environment is essentially a visual depiction of an expo center rendered on attendees' computer screens via their Web browsers. They can visit the information booth or the exhibit hall to browse and chat with leading vendors, or enter the auditorium to attend educational sessions. "Among the best benefits of a virtual show, in my opinion, is that, in most sessions, attendees can ask the speakers questions, and they can also see who else is attending the show and can 'chat' (via instant messages) with any attendees privately," notes Skodzinski. "There's also a networking lounge where they can participate in group discussions, and they can exchange virtual business cards to keep in touch after the show."

Save the date-Thurs., Sept. 16-for the free Publishing Business Virtual Conference "Digital Content Day @ Your Desk." Registration opens in July; visit PublishingBusiness.com in a few weeks for registration information.

For information on sponsoring or exhibiting at the Publishing Business Virtual Conference, contact: Drew James, associate publisher, at djames@napco.com or 215-238-5473.