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 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.

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:

Next week, members of the CPX Interactive team will be attending ad:tech San Francisco 2010.  ad:tech is an interactive advertising and technology conference and exhibition with shows around the globe every year.  This year’s San Francisco show takes place April 19-21 at the Moscone Center North. CPX will be exhibiting at booth #5641.

Check out the conference schedule to learn more about the topics covered at the show, and read the ad:tech blog for special insight.

On Thursday, April 15, CPX Interactive will be sponsoring a 313 Digital Casino Night in Birmingham, MI.  The event will take place at the Birmingham Community House, and will last from 6-10 pm. Attendees will be entered in a raffle drawing, with prizes awarded at the end of the night. Visit the 313 Digital website and event page for more info. Hope to see you there!

Next month, Sid Fein, CPX Interactive’s EVP of Technology, will be speaking at the 4th annual SugarCon. The conference brings together SugarCRM users, developers, partners, and experts from around the world. This year, it will take place April 12-14 at the Palace Hotel in San Fransisco, CA.

Sid will be speaking at the session called: Case Study: Using Sugar as a Transactional Platform, which takes place on Tuesday, April 13 from 4:00-4:40 pm in the Marina Room.

CPX is a major user of the SugarCRM system, and it has played an essential role in the development of our proprietary ad management platform, CPX adROIt.

“SugarCRM is a significant technology at CPX Interactive enabling our staff to increase the level of service and efficiency that we provide to our Advertisers and Publishers,” Sid said.

Break a leg, Sid!