Why Aren't Conferences Including Online Video Topics?

I don't get to as many conferences as I use to, but I still get to at least half a dozen or so outside of my own. The more conferences I go to and the more agendas I look at, I can't figure out why so many of these conferences are not including online video topics in their programming?

For example, the INTERACT 08 show taking place in DC later in the year says it will gather together the top creative, strategic, and tactical marketing minds to speak about proven methods for Interactive Media. They have topics on social media design, evolution of advertising models, bunch of Web 2.0 subjects and some topics that sound pretty interesting that meld the topics of design, creativity and advertising together. The problem is, aside from one session entitled "Creating Rich Internet Applications" which probably will contain a lot about video, none of the more than 25 sessions on the agenda speak to video at all. In fact the word video is not even used in any of the session titles or session descriptions across the agenda, on both days. Now maybe they just don't want to include video, but personally, it sounds like a pretty good conference to me, and some interesting topics. But it will be very hard to discuss them and showcase "interactive media" without a strong video component.

And what about the Web 2.0 Expo that starts today? They have over 112 sessions across three days and other than two sessions, one by Adobe on RIAs and one about the video ecosystem, there are no other sessions focusing on any aspect of online video. And at this year's NAB show, while it was all about video, almost none of the sessions were about online video. Topics about broadcast video, mobile video, video editing and IPTV ruled the agenda with a few topics around TV content online.

Am I the only one seeing this trend? Are you visiting non-video/entertainment specific shows and seeing any of them include online video topics in their agenda?

Comments

[Steve]

Dan - I agree with you on the trend. Is it that the attendees are not asking for the topic to be covered or is it the organizers just not up to speed on the arena? My guess is that it is a little of both.

[Jim B.]

Over the past several years while I have been researching the video market, it has been my findings/opinion this trend could be due to maybe 3 things;
1) They really don't get it(don't understand the potential and possibilities)

2) They don't want to admit that they have no idea how to present,control or monetize it

3) They have some workings going on that they don't want to let anybody onto

Still, many questions and no one to try to answer or probe into them with transparency.

[Steve Lerner]

Or it could also be that most of the issues around online video are 'solved problems' so there isn't much interest anymore... I remember when they were not solved problems- now anyone can shoot a video on a cell phone and have it available to the world within minutes at no cost at all.