MePaper and Bookeen Join Paris E-Reader Conference

Français Laurent Picard, co-founder of the eBook company Bookeen, and Jan Bierhoff, a professor at the Infonomics and New Media Research Group at Zuyd University in the Netherlands, have joined the programme of the International E-reading Conference, to be held in Paris on 1 and 2 October.

Mr Picard, whose six-year-old French company develops and provides eBook reading devices, will discuss how a small 'pure player' can compete with the leading eBook suppliers. His presentation will also focus on content offerings from a user's perspective, device developments, and on his experience with what works commercially and what doesn't.

Mr Biefhoff will present his "MePaper"; project, launched in collaboration with four Dutch newspapers, to develop novel journalistic formats designed for electronic mobile reading.

The event, organised by The World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA), will identify and examine the latest developments on the e-reader market and explore the strategies of the leading players in the press sector.

WAN-IFRA has invested in e-reading research and testing, and participated in the development of e-reading technologies, since 2003.

Senior publishing executives from 17 countries are already registered for the event. There is still time to register; the programme and registration details can be found at www.ifra.com/ereading_europe [1].

Others presentations include:

  The latest buzz on developments in e-reading, by Stig Nordqvist, Group Director, Emerging Digital Platforms and Business Development, WAN-IFRA, Germany;

  NRC Handelsblad, the first Dutch newspaper on electronic paper, by Charles Lansu, Marketing Manager, NRC Handelsblad, Netherlands;

  Les Echos E-paper experience, by Olivier Delteil, Business Development Manager, Digital edition, Groupe Les Echos, France;

  How are the press product and book distribution specialists positioning themselves? The task of the HDS Digital kiosk, by Aymeric Bauguin, General Manager, HDS Digital, France;

  The New York Times Reader 2.0: a newspaper reading experience for multiple platforms, by Gary Cosimini, Business Development Director, Creative Solutions Business Unit, Adobe Systems Inc, USA;

  Evaluation of newspaper editions on eReading devices: Key findings and perspectives, by Martin Kohls, Innovation Manager, DPA-infocom GmbH, Germany.

Full programme and registration details can be found at www.ifra.com/ereading_europe [1].

WAN-IFRA, based in Paris, France, and Darmstadt, Germany, with subsidiaries in Singapore, India, Spain, France and Sweden, is the global organisation of the world¹s newspapers and news publishers. It represents more than 18,000 publications, 15,000 online sites and over 3,000 companies in more than 120 countries. The organisation was created by the merger of the World Association of Newspapers and IFRA, the research and service organisation for the news publishing industry.

Please address all queries to:
  Larry Kilman, Director of Communications and Public Relations, WAN-IFRA, 7 rue Geoffroy St Hilaire, 75005 Paris France. phone: +33 1 47 42 85 00. fax: +33 1 47 42 49 48. mobile: +33 6 10 28 97 36. e-mail: larry.kilman@wan-ifra.org [2].
  Sandrine Proton, Event Manager, WAN-IFRA SWE, 66, Cours Charlemagne, 69002 Lyon, France, Tél : + 33 4 72 77 05 95 ­ Fax : +33 4 88 67 98 23. Email : sandrine.proton@wan-ifra.org [3].