Columbia Business School Hosts the 2000 Conference On Brand Valuations.

Business Editors

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 25, 2000

International Experts Discuss Global Brand Valuation

Strategies on June 1 and 2, 2000

In response to the growing opportunities for global branding, some of the world's most renowned brand strategists and corporate leaders will meet at Columbia Business School for the 2000 Conference on Brand Valuations to develop branding strategies for the international marketplace. The conference, taking place on June 1-2, is hosted by Columbia Business School's Center on Global Brand Leadership in conjunction with the School's Jerome A. Chazen Institute of International Business.

Featuring brand experts from academia and industry, the conference will explore different aspects of brand valuation including financial valuation in a global economy, measurement of intangibles and branding strategies for the digital economy. The conference will open with a discussion of brand strategies and tactics to improve stock price and profitability. The second day of the conference will commence with an examination of accounting techniques that measure intangible assets such as brands, copyrights and other forms of intellectual capital.

"The conference addresses obstacles that have prevented companies from effectively promoting their brands," said Professor Bernd Schmitt, executive director of Columbia Business School's Center on Global Brand Leadership. "Participants will leave the conference with strategies for improving profitability as well as methods for quantifying their brand's value."

The 2000 Conference is the second in a series of international conferences planned by the Center on Global Brand Leadership to be held on three continents over the course of three consecutive weeks. The first conference will take place in Hong Kong from May 25-26. Organized by the Conference Board and the Hong Kong Chamber of Commerce, the conference will focus on corporate image in the Asian marketplace. The third conference, hosted by the University of Munich in Germany, will be held June 6-7 and will address brand leadership and changing business models in the new economy.

The conferences have been organized to address issues affecting global branding strategies. In recent years, the growth of a global marketplace has promised exciting opportunities for international branding. But implementation of global strategies has been hampered by local customs and behaviors, political and financial uncertainties, and the fast-changing pace of technology. Many companies have experienced dramatic setbacks as they have sought to expand their companies and brands into international markets.

The Center on Global Brand Leadership's mission is to foster cutting-edge solutions to achieve and maintain brand leadership in face of these challenges. The conferences are designed to bring together top management with product and brand managers to develop successful corporate strategies for expansion into global markets.

The Center on Global Brand Leadership was founded at Columbia Business School by Professor Bernd Schmitt. The Center also has offices at the University of Munich and CEIBS (the China Europe International Business School) as Center headquarters for Europe and Asia. Professor Schmitt joined the Columbia Business School faculty in 1988 and is an expert in the area of branding. His most recent book, Experiental Marketing, focused on the growth of marketing strategies that appeal to consumers' senses, emotions and identities.

For more information about the 2000 Conference on Brand Valuations or the other conferences planned in Germany and Hong Kong, visit the Center on Global Brand Leadership web site at www.globalbrands.org/conferences.htm .