Google, Dell, Nokia, T-Mobile, Yahoo, Dell and BBC Meet in Amsterdam to Discuss Monetisation Strategies for Location Based Services and Data

Europe's biggest Location Based Services conference is being held on April 28th - 29th at the Hotel Okura in Amsterdam. 250 senior LBS executives will come together to answer the industry's most pressing question - how should companies monetise location based services and data?

March 19, 2010 -- After years of hype, location-based services are gaining real traction with consumers and businesses alike. Innovation and investment is rampant, but one vital question remains: How should companies monetise location data and services?

Gartner predicted that the number of subscribers using location-based services (LBS) globally would double in 2010, even as mobile device sales decline by 4%.

The number of LBS subscribers is forecast to reach 95.7 million by the end of this year, up from 41 million in 2008. LBS-associated revenues will also more than double this year, reaching $2.2 billion, up from $998 million last year. However, the industry is struggling to identify the winning profit strategy.

"The expected increase is due to the availability of GPS-enabled wireless phones, along with reductions in prices for services and the growth in application storefronts that offer location-aware software," says Annette Zimmermann, a Gartner analyst, who will be keynoting the Location Business Summit in Amsterdam on April 28th - 29th.

The industry also seems confident that 2010 is the year in which LBS will take off with consumers.

"Location is everywhere," says Fraser Campbell, CEO of Wcities. "Location-enhanced services are multiplying at an incredible pace. The key disrupting trends are platforms, convenience and personalisation."

Analyst predictions are also supported by serious investment in the industry. After Nokia's $8.1 billon acquisition of mapping giant NAVTEQ, it is clear that location-based services are a top priority for the world's largest phone manufacturer.

Sylvain Grande, head of Places at Nokia, agrees, and stresses the importance of a seamless experience. "The companies that facilitate the interactions between the desktop and the mobile while connecting people, personalising their experience and making it effortless, will be a great value to the consumer."

Despite consumer adoption and investment, the clear profit models are yet to be defined. Location and context-enhanced advertising still attracts the most attention, but there is also a great interest in local search, location data mining and intelligence, revenue sharing models, the long tail of services, premium content and free services.

The location industry will be convening to discuss the winning profit models on April 28th and 29th in Amsterdam at The Location Business Summit - Europe's largest LBS conference.

Osman Iqbal, Head of research at TheWhereBusiness and conference director, commented: "The demand for a high level LBS meeting in Europe has been absolutely phenomenal. It's incredible that there isn't a conference out there for an evolving industry that is bursting with players, investment and innovation."

With more than 200 attendees, the conference will be the business epicentre for high-ranking members in the LBS ecosystem. The fast evolving competitive landscape will be dissected by the leading industry figures, partnerships formed and vital decisions made on the future direction of companies.

The industry's elite will come together with more than fifty senior level speakers from Google, Yahoo!, T-Mobile, Vodafone, Microsoft Advertising, Nokia, Ogilvy, BBC, Dell Computers, Intel, Open Street Map, Orange FT, Opera Software, Penguin Books, Yelp, KPN and more.

With a mix of mobile operators, advertising agencies, content providers, LBS service providers, mapping companies and device manufacturers attending, the Amsterdam conference will be the hub of the entire location ecosystem.

For more information download the PDF brochure here