Keynote: Lessons from the world's biggest interactive event

We are happy to announce that Martin Gil will be joining us this year from the UK as one of our keynote speakers. Martin is the new media manager for Comic Relief, and led online projects for Live8 and MakePovertyHistory.org.

Helping LIVE 8 be Gr8 - Adding a digital interactive dimension to the world’s largest concert

LIVE 8 was a series of ten concerts across nine countries on July 2nd, 2005, that set out to drive issues of poverty and injustice higher up the international political agenda. With Sir Bob Geldorf at the helm, and with Bono and Richard Curtis adding weight to the charge, the arrangements were finalised in the six weeks running up to the date – the weekend before the 2005 G8 Summit in Scotland.

With the Make Poverty History and ONE campaigns in full swing in the UK and US, the vision of a media-frenzy generating concert looked like a brilliant way to considerably increase public awareness of the issues. Digital media stepped into the mix to deliver a response channel to deliver a massive petition to the G8 to show them that the public they represent really do care about these issues.

In about 45 minutes you’ll hear how the digital elements came to pass, the challenges, the “could have done better”s and the outcomes, with a little time to ask questions-a-plenty.

About Martin:

After four years at Oxford University uncovering various scientific mysteries, in 1998 he moved to Comic Relief where he worked as the Public Fundraising Manager and later New Media. As head of the department he is responsible for a key strand of the marketing and campaigning tool-kit along with corporate partnerships across the tech sector. As part of a mainly fundraising organisation, he has driven the development and inclusion of digital functionality and SMS / online / interactive TV income streams within Comic Relief's campaigns.

Working with his team at Comic Relief and key members of the global voluntary and technology sectors, he recently delivered the recruitment, empowerment and action strategy behind the UK's largest online campaign, MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY and delivered the world's largest interactive music experience, LIVE 8.