Investment Bank 'Marlin & Associates' Sponsors SIIA's 'Global Information Industry Summit'
Investment Bank ‘Marlin & Associates’ Sponsors SIIA’s ‘Global Information Industry Summit’
NEW YORK, October 20th 2006 --
M&A’s George Beckerman Kicks Off Conference, Speaks on Prospering in Government Information Market
At the Global Information Industry Summit, held September 14th and 15th at the Hilton Amsterdam in the Netherlands, George Beckerman opened the Conference with his introduction of keynote speaker Ruud Bakker, Chairman and CEO, VNU Business Media Europe.
Mr. Beckerman made note that Mr. Bakker’s keynote theme is a recurring one at these senior executive meetings: the compelling, necessary and continuing transformation of traditional print publishers – especially B2B publishers – to online publishers. “The matter is not yet settled,” Beckerman said, “not in North America, and not here in Europe.” Bakker’s presentation was very well received.
Mr. Beckerman is a Managing Director at Marlin & Associates LLC, a specialized investment banking advisory and consulting firm focused primarily on providing transaction advice and services to middle-market firms supplying digital information or information-related software and technology.
Mr. Beckerman also joined a General Session panel of industry experts addressing critical challenges in adding value of governmental content that is an essential source for information publishers. The panel was chaired by David Worlock, founder of EPS, Ltd., now a unit of Outsell, Inc.
Beckerman’s key points were:
Overall Industry View
The Commercial Market of Users for Basic and Value-Added US Government Information is enormous and growing:
As we globalize, serious US and RoW users require global information—basis and value-added
Users relying on US publishers may be the growth driver for use of RoW Government Information, e.g., public/listed companies, weather, international trade flows
RoW domestic and regional users will enter the market
It is NOT necessary for any specific, value-added publisher to also offer basis/raw content
Access to basic content is not a barrier to entry
Government as Suppliers, Partners & Competitors
An estimated 25-40% of content used in private sector information is ultimately derived from the work of the public sector. Where government releases content for non-exclusive re-use by private vendors, value is added and price and service options for end users are created in a competitive context. Today, governments are proactively creating platforms for delivering their information digitally, thereby changing the relationship with the private sector.
Are governments overplaying their role as information providers through activities that they traditionally left to the private sector?
In Europe, EU regulation of the re-use of Public Sector Information is aimed at stimulating competition and growth in the information industry. What is the reality?
Is the hybrid status of regulatory information—as both core asset of governments and core data for the information industry—a challenge to the industry or an opportunity for integrated solutions?
Other Panelists were:
Gerhard Wagner, Director Content, Internet Service Providers - Austria
Martin Malliet, Finance Director, Belgium Institut Géographique National
Zsolt Zodi, Publishing Director, Wolters Kluwer Hungary
For the program, sessions and moderators visit: http://www.siia.net/giis/2006/schedule.asp.
About Marlin & Associates
M&A, headquartered in New York City, provides transaction-related advice and strategic consulting to firms in the digital information economy worldwide. It advises clients on mergers & acquisitions, divestitures, private placements, business strategy, and valuations. Our clients supply software and technology, on-line and off-line content, and related services and tools.
Marlin & Associates’ team is highly focused and brings a wide breadth and depth of transactional and operational experience, having advised on hundreds of digital information economy transactions. Each of its managing directors has substantial c-level operating experience. Ken Marlin, M&A's founder, was a CEO in this space four times.
About SIIA
The Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) is the principal trade association for the software and digital content industry, having a more than twenty year history. SIIA provides global services in government relations, business development, corporate education, and intellectual property protection to more than 700 leading software and information companies.
Contact:
For further information on Marlin & Associates visit: www.marlinandassociates.com or contact M&A at: pr@marlinandassociates.com.
For further information on the SIIA visit: www.siaa.net.