With regulatory scrutiny heating up following the “dis-app-ointing” findings in the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) Mobile Apps for Kids Report (pdf), Digital Kids Conference is pleased to welcome FTC Staff Attorney Kenneth H. Abbe and State of California Special Assistant Attorney General Travis LeBlanc to the Digital Kids Safety Track. Both will be speaking in the Safety and Privacy in Mobile Apps session.

In light of their recent commitments to step up enforcement in this area, Abbe and LeBalanc will address the unique set of safety and privacy concerns the mobile space presents for children and how new Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act requirements could affect compliance. They’ll help the operators of social networks, online games, mobile apps, virtual worlds, and related products and services spot risks and advise what companies need to know to develop kid -friendly apps on multiple platforms.

We are pleased to announce our first keynote speakers!  Todd Coleman and Josef Hall, co-creators of KingsIsle Entertainment’s popular online game Wizard101, will deliver the 6th annual Digital Kids Conference opening keynote address at 9:30 a.m., on April 25, 2012 in Los Angeles at the new Pasadena Convention Center.

Coleman, VP and Creative Director at KingsIsle and Hall, VP of Development at KingsIsle, will discuss how they moved from hardcore gaming in the world of massively multiplayer online games (MMOG) and achieved runaway critical and commercial success with Wizard101, the #1 AAA family-friendly online social game in North America.From Hardcore Gaming to Kids.

Wizard101 recently topped 25 million players and 13 million monthly visitors to Wizard101.com. The game launched in 2008 and is becoming increasingly popular with children 8 – 12 years of age and adults. Wizard101 currently operates in six European countries including the U.K., Germany, France, Spain, Poland and Italy, and moves into China later this year for a potentially huge pool of customers.

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With the proliferation of digitally connected youth and growing public concern for online and mobile children’s safety, our Digital Kids Safety Track on April 25 brings together the brightest minds in the field today to address issues challenging the operators of kids-focused social networks, games, apps and related products and services.

Children and teens are among the most active users of smartphones and tablets. In fact, the number of toddler and preschooler apps alone grew by 23 percent over the last two years according to the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop. And a recent study by Common Sense Media found that half of children under 8 have access to mobile devices.

Co-produced by kidSAFE® Seal Program, the Digital Kids Safety Track, features experts providing practical advice and techniques for creating secure online and mobile experiences for child-aged users.  There wide ranging implications to companies providing products and services to digitally connected kids and youth according to kidSAFE Founder and President Shai Samet. “Digital Kids Conference will provide unprecedented access to information companies need,” says Samet, “to assess where they’re at, wisely prepare for the hurdles ahead, and gain a competitive advantage in the market.”

It’s been a while since our last update but that’s only because we’ve been busy bringing together this year’s Digital Kids’ program.  We now have 46 confirmed speakers from a variety of backgrounds and industries. From sports, games and toys to music, publishing and software – this year’s Digital Kids conference program promises to provide a comprehensive understanding of digital kids and how to build services, products and interactive content to the ever increasing demand.

Recent speaker adds include:

Ryan Bettencourt – President, Zui.com
Beth Blecherman – Founder/Editor, Chief Technology Mom (CTM), TechMamas.com
Jess Brallier – SVP and Publisher, Poptropica and Funbrain, Pearson
Linda “Brasse” Carlson – Director, Global Community Relations, Sony Online Entertainment
Anne Collier – Executive Director, Net Family News
Anastasia Goodstein – Director of Digital Programs, Reachout.com
Travis LeBlanc – Special Assistant Attorney General for Technology, State of California
Larry Magid – CBS News Technology Analyst and Co-Director, ConnectSafely.org
Marian Merritt – Norton Internet Safety Advocate, Symantec
Nic Mitham – Founder and CEO, KZero Ltd.
Matt Palmer – Chief Strategy Officer, Sweety High
Amy Pritchard – CEO, Metaverse Mod Squad
Asra Rasheed – CEO, RRKidz
Tiffany Richison – Premium Account Manager/Moderation Manager, Gazillion Entertainment
Richard Rowan – Executive Producer, The Amazing Society
Craig Sims – VP Global Licensing, Spin Master Ltd
Toper Taylor – Chief Operating Officer and President, Cookie Jar Entertainment
Dan Wilmer – SVP of Digital Media, KIDZBOP

Our our lowest possible registration rate for the Digital Kids Conference ends tomorrow, January 31st. The prices are more than 60% off the onsite, so you will definitely want to register now to take advantage of the savings. The low rate is in part to celebrate our name change from Engage! to Digital Kids Conference (details here).

Digital Kids takes place April 25-26, 2012 in Los Angeles, CA. The show promises to deliver a robust experience to participants and conference goers alike, as growth in the digital youth market continues to skyrocket. It is already shaping up as our best event ever, with 5 full conference tracks, including: Operations, Safety, Content, Business and Market research.  Coverage will include social games, mobile and tablet apps, virtual worlds, social media and marketing and more.

Our first 25 speakers have been announced.  They include executives from National Football League (NFL), Mind Candy (Moshi Monsters) KingsIsle Entertainment (Wizard101), venture capital firm Mayfield Fund, The Marketing Store, magazine publisher Highlights for Children, game publisher Ubisoft, Tiny Speck, American Express, The Amazing Society and more. Each brings an expert voice to the conversation taking place in LA in April.

We are pleased to announce our first 25 speakers for the Digital Kids Conference (formerly Engage). As you can see from the list below they hail from both the near and far corners of the media, entertainment and technology world. Each brings an expert voice to the conversation taking place in LA in April.  Click a speaker to learn more about them and what session they are speaking on. We are 90 days out and things are taking shape fast now.  The sparks and multicolored cloud you see pouring from the roof of the Digital Kids Conference factory is a byproduct of the friction created as we continue rubbing our brains together to bring you our best show yet.

Stephanie Azzarone – President, Child’s Play Communications
Eric Brassard – Chief Executive Officer, Woozworld
Jon Paul Buchmeyer – VP, Digital Engagement, Metaverse Mod Squad
Yuanzhe (Michael) Cai – VP of Research, Games and Technology, Interpret LLC
Tim Chang – Managing Director, Mayfield Fund
Jorian (Jori) Clarke – CEO, Circle 1 Network
Matt Cullen – Marketing Manager, National Football League
Noemie Dupuy – Partner / VP Business Development & Marketing, Budge Studios
Dan Ferguson – VP of Creative Services/Co-Founder, Blockdot
Darran Garnham – Chief Business Development Officer and Chief Licensing Officer, Mind Candy
Mike Goslin – GM Rebel Entertainment Company, Rebel Entertainment, an IAC Company
Stephane Jankowski – Producer, Ubisoft
Ed Lewis – Founder and CEO, Media Chaparone
Stacey Matthias – Co-Founder and Co-CEO, Insight Strategy Group
Wanda Meloni – Founder/Senior Analyst, M2 Research
Izzy Neis – Vice President of User Engagement, Everloop
Chris Rettstatt – Director, Digital Content, Highlights for Children
Shai Samet – Founder and President, kidSAFE® Seal Program
Kiersten Samwell – Community Relations & Social Media Manager, KingsIsle Entertainment (Wizard101)
Nathan Sawatzky – Director, Player Support, Tiny Speck, Inc.
Ian Swanson – Vice President Serve Enterprises, American Express
Matthew Warenford – Chief-Technical-Officer, Dubit
Jo Webber – CEO, Virtual Piggy
Renee Weber – VP, Consumer Strategy and Research, The Marketing Store
Jake Witherell – Chief Operating Officer, Schell Games

As a celebration of 2012 and our name change from Engage! to Digital Kids (see previous post), we are pleased to extend our end-of-the-year registration price discount into January.  This pricing, our lowest possible rate, will continue to be available until January 31st.  These prices are more than 60% off the onsite, cover rates, so you will definitely want to register now to take advantage of the savings. The sale ends Jan. 31st.

Happy New Year!  In 2012 the Engage! Expo brand becomes Digital Kids Conference with a new home at http://DigitalKidsCon.com

Slated for April, 25-26, 2012 in Los Angeles at the Pasadena Convention Center, DigitalKids promises to deliver a much more robust experience to participants and conference goers alike, as growth in the digital youth market continues to skyrocket. Our goal is to continue bringing to light the best practices in digital product development, marketing and business strategies to reach and engage kids and youth.

An authoritative rebrand, Digital Kids evokes a much more relevant and compelling alignment with leading producers of kid-related digital content, services and software. With the participation from industry leaders worldwide, this year’s conference includes dedicated tracks on operations, safety, business, production and market research.  We are confident the subject matter will be among our most focused, and the conference, one of our best ever. We look forward to working with you to make the most of the opportunity to highlight individuals and companies with keen ingenuity and leadership in the digital kids market space.

Please don’t hesitate to contact us if we may be of any assistance to you leading up to the conference. Thank you for an outstanding 2011. We wish you and yours a very prosperous year ahead.

Chris, Tonda, Tim and the Digital Kids Team

We have opened registration for Digital Kids/Engage! 2012. There is no event that provides you better insight into the best practices required to connect with digital kids and youth. We are providing both a 1 day pass (good for either day you choose) and a 2 Day, All Access, registration option. The earlier you register, the more you save.  To celebrate the close of 2011 and the approach of 2012 we are offering our lowest rate available: $445 for an all access pass and $295 for a 1 day pass.  These prices are more than 60% off the onsite, cover rates, so do take advantage of the savings. The end of the year special is good through December 31, 2011.  We look forward to you joining us April 25-26, 2012 in Los Angeles.

The preliminary Digital Kids / Engage! 2012 schedule is now online.  Conference tracks include Operations, Business, Content and Safety.  In the new year we will begin to announce our speakers and discuss the program in detail but we wanted to give you an early snapshot prior to the end of 2011.  Of course, we welcome active speaker suggestions and additional input on the program. We look forward to having you join us April 25-26, 2012 in Los Angeles, CA.