Last week, the IAB held its second annual Long Tail Alliance Fly-In in Washington, DC. CPX’s CEO Mike Seiman, and VP of Publisher Development, Mike Zacharski, joined other IAB member supporters, and 46 small publishers, to tell their elected officials about the importance of Internet advertising to small business growth. The publishers represented 14 states, and spent a day on Capitol Hill meeting with members of the House and the Senate to discuss how the privacy legislation proposed by Rep. Rick Boucher would negatively impact them.

According to MediaPost, the bill “would require companies that track users across the Web to notify them and either obtain their consent — though opt-out consent would be okay if the companies allowed consumers to view and access their profiles. The bill also would require opt-in consent before sites collect or disclose sensitive information, defined as medical records, race or ethnicity, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, financial records and precise geolocation information.”  The Fly-In attendees split into groups and spoke with members of Congress about issues that concern them, such as why they believe cookies are beneficial, and the importance of the fact that IP addresses are non-personally identifiable pieces of information.  This video shows more about the positive impact of cookies on a user’s online experience.

In addition, a new study issued by the IAB on June 10 found that interactive advertising is responsible for $300 billion of economic activity in the U.S.–or 2.1 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP). Plus, over three million people are employed in the U.S. thanks in part to the online ad business, including 1.2 million with high-paying jobs that did not exist two decades ago, says the study.

“The results of this study confirm the vast influence and driving importance of the ad-supported Internet to the overall economy,” said Randall Rothenberg, IAB president and CEO. “By understanding the total contribution of the Internet to the U.S. economy, we can more accurately assess the impact of potential legislative changes on the Internet’s operations, particularly the consequences of any actions that would alter ad-supported business models.”

When they were not meeting with legislators, the Long Tail members attended training sessions, strategic planning panels and roundtable discussions created specifically to address the business interests of small publishers. Mike Seiman joined Jarvis Coffin of Burst Media, and Scott Portugal of TRAFFIQ/MMi to answer the publishers questions about ad networks.

Mike was grateful for the opportunity to participate in this event, and enjoyed speaking to members of Congress. Read about his experience here on his personal blog.

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It’s a busy week for the online advertising industry, and CPX Interactive is taking part in events in Florida and Washington, D.C.

COO & President, Rob Rasko, and EVP of Sales, Gary Bembridge, are attending the iMedia Brand Summit in Miami.  At this Summit, iMedia is asking digital marketers and their brand manager colleagues to pair up and learn together. They have been discussing core business challenges with peers-and publisher and service provider partners, and yesterday, enjoyed a keynote from Mark Snyder, CMO of the Kmart Corporation. CPX is sponsoring today’s lunch, from 12:30-1:45.

While Gary and Rob are in Florida, CPX CEO Mike Seiman, and VP of Publisher Development, Mike Zacharski, are in Washington D.C., lobbying Congress on behalf of small website publishers. They are participating in the IAB Long Tail Alliance Fly-In, a unique opportunity for small publishers from across America to tell their story to Congress. CPX is a major supporter of the Long Tail Alliance, and is proud to be a part of this event.

CPX Interactive Director of Sales, Chris Paine, talks about the benefits of CPX’s new ad management platform, adROIt^TM, at the iMedia Agency Summit in Austin, TX.

CPX is a sponsor of IAB Europe’s Interact Congress Barcelona 2010, which takes place June 2^nd-3^rd at Casa Llotja de Mar. Rob Rasko, COO & President of CPX Interactive, will take part in a panel on the second day of the event. The panel will discuss Direct Response vs Online Branding, and will be moderated by Randall Rothenberg, CEO of IAB US. It takes place at 2:00 pm on Thursday the 3rd.

The overarching theme of this year’s Interact Congress is Branding Online: The Time is Now. Panels and keynote addresses will cover topics including opportunities and challenges, creativity and engagement, use of social media, and the role of online in overall strategy. The event concludes with the Mixx Europe Award ceremony, recognizing the best branding campaigns across Europe, as well as the most awarded brand, agency and advertiser.

CPX is proud to sponsor lunch at the iMedia Agency Summit on Tuesday, May 18, in Austin, TX. The Summit takes place from the 16-19, and focuses the agency’s role in the integrated media landscape, with a keynote by Lisa Donohue, CEO Starcom USA. Since 2001, iMedia Agency Summits have been a place for agency executives to gather and network in a collaborative learning environment. This year’s Summit is located at the Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort and Spa, and is already sold out. Visit the iMedia website for more information.

CPX Interactive would like to invite to you to join the IAB and other online entrepreneurs like yourself in representing small publishers from across the country at the 2010 Long Tail Alliance Washington Fly-In, June 14-15. This event is a great opportunity for long tail tail publishers. During the two-day meeting you will:

• Meet with members of the U.S. Congress and their staffs to tell the story of your small business.
• Learn strategies and best practices for growing your business through workshops designed specifically for the small publisher.
• Be guests of honor at a special networking reception and dinner at the Google offices in Washington, D.C.
• Share your personal experiences on how interactive advertising has impacted your life and sustained your business.

More information plus photos and highlights from last year’s Fly-In can be found at www.iab.net/flyin.

There is no charge to attend the Fly-In. However, you must pay for your own travel and lodging. As a thank-you from the IAB, those who come to Washington will receive a complimentary one-year Long Tail Alliance Membership or a one-year extension to their existing membership.

If you would like to be part of this special event, visit www.iab.net/flyin to register and book your hotel. The IAB has reserved a block of discounted rooms specifically for Fly-In attendees. Or if you want more information, please contact Chris Glushko of the IAB at chris@iab.net or 212-380-4722.

When choosing a back end NoSQL database management solution partner to supply the database structure for its new proprietary ad management platform, CPX adROIt™, CPX Interactive was quick to select Objectivity.  With the platform well into testing, and a wider launch in the offing, Objectivity asked CPX CTO, Carlton Hickman, and EVP of Technology, Sid Fein, to discuss the selection of Objectivity as a key back end partner.

Check out what they had to say HERE. (Warning: It gets pretty techie!)

CPX Interactive will be sponsoring breakfast at the SFIMA Summit, which takes place at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on May 14. The summit will cover in-depth tactics and strategies from top keynote speakers, case study workshops, panel discussions, and presentations on driving ROI with search and social media. CPX Director of Sales, Chris Paine, will be attending the event.

For more information, visit the SFIMA Summit website.

Did you pick up the CPX adROIt^TM puzzle at any industry events? Can’t figure out how to solve it? Watch Alex Andreyev, CPX Account Manager show you how it’s done:

CPX Interactive CEO, Mike Seiman, has been selected as a semi-finalist for Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year in Metro New York for the second year in a row. The awards program, which is in its 24^th year, recognizes entrepreneurs who demonstrate extraordinary success in the areas of innovation, financial performance and personal commitment to their businesses and communities.

Mike will join his fellow semi-finalists at a judging reception next week, and when the finalists are selected, they will be honored at an Awards Banquet on June 15^th. Mike is honored to be recognized as an exemplary business leader:

“Being nominated again for E&Y Entrepreneur of the Year is not only exciting for me personally, but for all of CPX. The incredible work done by the employees of CPX has helped create an amazing atmosphere to truly grow a global organization.   We should all be proud of this win as it is a true testament to the highly successful business we have created at CPX,” Mike said.