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Geekend lands woman innovator as keynote speaker [Savannah Morning News, Ga.](Savannah Morning News (GA) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) July 13--The Geekend interaction conference will feature a female keynote speaker for the first time in its short history during this November's event. Vivian Rosenthal, a digital media marketer and the CEO of tech start-up GoldRun, will be among the headliners at the third annual Geekend, scheduled for Nov. 10-12 at the Coastal Georgia Center. Landing Rosenthal is a coup for Geekend, said organizer Sloane Kelley. "As a woman who attends and speaks at a lot of interactive conferences, I can attest to the fact that there aren't many women out there leading tech start-ups," Kelley said. "It is a male-dominated field, and we're excited to have Vivian joining us. She just has creativity coming out of her pores." Rosenthal has been among the leaders in digital marketing since cofounding Tronic Studios, a digital design firm, a decade ago. She launched GoldRun in 2010. GoldRun utilizes GPS and smartphone technology to help clients market and promote their products through augmented reality. Augmented reality incorporates virtual reality with the physical world. Among the more mainstream uses is the yellow first down line that appears during football broadcasts on television. The GoldRun iPhone app allows users who visit specific locations, such as a retail store, to see virtual images through their phone's viewfinder. Those users can then take pictures incorporating the virtual objects and post those photos to social networks and share them virally. One of GoldRun's early projects was collaboration with Esquire Magazine and Barnes & Noble Booksellers to promote an issue featuring supermodel Brooklyn Decker. Smartphone users who downloaded the GoldRun app and visited Barnes & Noble stores could see a virtual image of Decker. The phone users could then take photos of themselves or friends with Decker and post them, with the magazine and bookstore offering prizes to the most creative shutterbugs. GoldRun plans to put on a Savannah activity during Geekend weekend. "GoldRun and the way they use augmented reality is cool to talk about, but when you actually experience it, it's really cool," Kelley said. Rosenthal's keynote is among the finishing touches on Geekend 2011. The speaker lineup and event schedule are nearing completion, according to organizer Jake Hodesh. Sessions geared toward business development are a focus this year. "We're still going to have some awesome speakers for those interested in digital content and Web development, but we also want to open it up to geeks in more traditional businesses and industries," Hodesh said. Early ticket sales have been brisk, Hodesh said. Tickets for the three-day conference cost $95 for adults and $65 for students and military. The adult price jumps to $165 on Sept. 2. IF YOU GO Geekend 2011 When: Nov. 10-12 Where: Coastal Georgia Center Tickets: $95 (until Sept. 1) For more information or to buy tickets, go to www.geek-end.com. ___ To see more of The Savannah Morning News or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.savannahnow.com. Copyright (c) 2011, Savannah Morning News, Ga. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com, e-mail [email protected], or call 866-280-5210 (outside the United States, call +1 312-222-4544) |