Must-know details to prepare for your participation in the 26th edition of The ROUNDTABLE in Vail, CO on August 22-24.

1. The ROUNDTABLE
Handbook
Please read and print

2. WELCOME!
Welcome to The 2018 ROUNDTABLE presented by LEAP Media Solutions, a
division of BlueVenn.
On behalf of our exceptional partners in this event – Brainworks, FTI
Consulting and TownNews – we would like to express our sincere appreciation
for joining us in Vail.
Like the 25 that proceeded it, the focus of the 26th edition of The ROUNDTABLE
is on innovation, transformation and collaboration. The ROUNDTABLE is the
anti-conference – casual, intimate and interactive. We expect you will depart
not only smarter – but with an incomparable network of peers and associates
that will prove to be a lifetime asset.

3. The Fundamentals
Travel – The Sonnenalp is located in the heart of Vail Village, approximately two hours due west on
Interstate 70 from Denver International Airport. Colorado Mountain Express operates a van service that
runs from DIA to Vail every 1-2 hours. Alternatively, you can connect from DIA to the Eagle-Vail Airport,
although keep in mind that you will still be a good 30-35 minutes from Vail Village.
Arrival – Upon arrival at the hotel, you are welcome to check in at the front desk to see if a room is
available. Check-in time is officially 4pm but the staff will do their best to accommodate you. Please
note that the show officially gets started at 3:30 on Wednesday.
Attire – The ROUNDTABLE is designed to be informal and interactive. We recommend insist that you
avoid business wear or attire other than comfortable, casual clothing. Shorts, t-shirts and sandals are
encouraged. You should know that the days are typically quite mild and warm while the nights cool off
considerably.
Altitude – You will be at an elevation of 8,500 feet. Make sure you drink plenty of water prior to your
arrival and during your stay in Vail. The climate is very dry and the air is thin. Consume alcohol
judiciously…at least to start. There is probably a humidifier in your room. Our suggestion…use it,
especially at night.
Attitude – The casual, intimate atmosphere is designed to promote interaction among the participants.
You may take part in the discussions–or simply sit back and take it all in. Either way, we want your
experience to be both enlightening and enjoyable. Relax!

4. The Program
• The ROUNDTABLE kicks off at 3:30pm Wednesday. The start time on
Thursday and Friday is 8am.
• All sessions on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday will be held in the
Bavaria/Allgau meeting rooms on the lower level of the hotel.
• Detailed session descriptions are available for review at your convenience.
• In order to transition quickly and provide ample time for discussions, there
is no formal introduction of the faculty/session leaders. Please feel free to
peruse the individual bios on LinkedIn prior to the event.
• Your tuition includes the Wednesday reception, breakfast and lunch on
Thursday and Friday, and The ROUNDTABLE Dinner on Friday at 6:00 pm at
the Sonnenalp. All meals will be at Ludwig’s.

5. Presentations
With permission of the faculty members, the slide decks will be
made available for review.
Please join The ROUNDTABLE @ Vail LinkedIn Group to stay
apprised of any last minute developments – as well as
communications regarding the availability of the slide decks and
future ROUNDTABLE events.

6. Case Study
The case study is a major focal point of The ROUNDTABLE. It is led by Dr. Paul
Wang of Northwestern University. If you’ve been here before, you know it is
quite an experience.
Please read the case study prior to your arrival in Vail. It is the only homework
you will have.
The link to the case study is:
VOICE WAR: HEY GOOGLE VS. ALEXA VS. SIRI
It will cost you $7.46 to download so please have a credit card available.
Related: Smart Speakers Are the Hot New Platform; Voice Control Forces
Marketers to Think Differently

7. Extra-Curricular Activities
Mexican Food & Margaritas: Tuesday, August 21 @ 7pm
– If you arrive early and want to join a small, casual group for dinner, we’ll meet in the hotel
lobby at 6:45pm for the short walk to Los Amigos in the heart of Vail Village. To confirm,
please email tom.ratkovich@leapmediasolutions.com
Golf: Wednesday, August 22 @ 8:00am
– Tee times are booked at the Sonnenalp Golf Club. Golfers meet in the hotel lobby at 7:00
Hike: Wednesday, August 22 @ 10:00am
– Want to get the blood flowing while enjoying the magnificence of the Rocky Mountains?
Meet in the hotel lobby at 10. No need to RSVP.
Cocktail Reception Hosted by Jim Moroney: Thursday, August 23 @ 5:30-7:00pm
– The Dallas Morning News’ Publisher Emeritus has graciously offered to host ROUNDTABLE
participants at his Vail residence for beverages and hors d’oeurves. Fun fact: Jim’s home served
at President Ford’s Western White House during his administration.
Post-Conference Blowout at The Red Lion: Friday, August 24 around 9pm
– Following The ROUNDTABLE Dinner at the Sonnenalp on Friday evening, we encourage you to
meet at the Red Lion in the heart of Vail Village for music and socializing with your new BFF’s.

8. Our Partners in The ROUNDTABLE
LEAP Media Solutions is pleased to present the 26th edition of The
ROUNDTABLE in partnership with Brainworks, FTI Consulting and TownNews.
The ROUNDTABLE is not a profit-making event. Without the participation of
these companies, this experience would not be possible.
We also work hard to make The ROUNDTABLE as “commercial-free” as
possible. That is, there will be no hyping, no promoting and no selling in the
context of the program. There is no trade show. We are grateful for the
opportunity to share this time with you and our primary goal is to deliver an
experience of immense value. That said, we want you to know who we are
and what we represent. Your hosts in The ROUNDTABLE are:

9. LEAP serves a client community of more than 100 local media
companies to consolidate disparate data assets into a
sophisticated Customer Data Platform for customer journey
management and optimization.
LEAP deploys this environment to engineer data-driven
processes designed to grow, activate, engage and monetize
audiences – building the volume and value of customers across
print and digital portfolios.

10. Brainworks solutions evolved from real world newspaper needs
and experience. Our passion has been, and continues to be, to
anticipate the industry’s challenges and create solutions to meet
them. It’s what we do. It’s all we do.
And because Brainworks has this unique insider perspective,
we’ve been singularly able to create a powerful collection of
21st-century tools the industry needs to face its great 21st-
century challenges…how to increase revenue, efficiency and
productivity.

11. FTI Consulting is proud to be a major force in the transformation of scores of
newspapers and magazines. Taking a disciplined approach to creating
sustainable, measurable improvements in cash flow and enterprise value, FTI
Consulting draws on perspectives gained from work on more than 300
engagements.
Our understanding of industry best practices and operating metrics has been
captured in a proprietary benchmarking database which supports a fact based
approach to redesign organizations, restructure legacy workflows, identify
revenue opportunities in various channels and find expense reductions across
the organization that create solutions for the rapid migration of consumers
and advertisers to digital alternatives.

12. Today, our integrated digital publishing and content
management solutions power some of the most distinguished
media organizations in the industry. More than 1,700 newspaper,
broadcast, magazine and web-native publications rely on us for
their web, print, mobile and social media products. Our
complete solutions suite includes add-ons for data management,
content exchange, business directory and more, helping you
boost revenue, improve efficiency and grow your audience.

13. Social Media
You are encouraged to share insights, photos, questions and more with the
less fortunate folks that are unable to join us.
• #vailroundtable
• @LEAPMediaUS
• @bwsoftware
• @fticonsulting
• @TownNews

14. And if you’ve made it this far…
Please respond that you received and read these materials and
we will have two beverage coupons for the Welcome Reception
waiting for you.
And as an added bonus, here is advanced notice of our annual
“Break-the-Ice” question that we will pose to each of you during
introductions on Thursday morning…
What song do you secretly like but won’t admit it publicly?
(If you want to send it in advance, we’ll try to pull a playlist together)