Popular Live Events Stage "Imagine Park" Returns to The Cable Show 2012

WASHINGTON, Jan. 18, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA) said today that "Imagine Park" will return to The Cable Show 2012 as a prime venue to introduce and demonstrate innovative new products and services, and facilitate a timely discussion on issues affecting the future of media and entertainment. 

The Association also opened the window for proposals from Cable Show exhibitors and others, to showcase intriguing and impactful new ideas in the Park during the Show. 

NCTA's 61st Annual Convention and International Exposition takes place May 21-23, 2012, at the Boston Convention & Exposition Center.

Imagine Park – known last year as "The Park" – will be a fully equipped amphitheater in the midst of the bustling Cable Show exhibition floor with ample accommodation for an audience of journalists, analysts, cable industry executives and other Cable Show attendees.  In addition to hosting a live audience, events at Imagine Park will be live-streamed and archived at live.thecableshow.com. 

"Imagine Park is a high-visibility platform for unveiling innovative new products, concepts and services that help make entertainment engaging, personal, and convenient for consumers," said Michael Powell, President & CEO, NCTA.  "Cable is enabling a new era of powerful consumer devices and providing limitless entertainment choices for customers.  Imagine Park is where you can see it all first."

Inspired by Boston's historic outdoor gathering place, the Boston Common, Imagine Park will once again feature several TV-talk-show-style sessions throughout the Show.  Professional hosts will interview guests with compelling new products, breaking news, and interesting points of view in a series of short, impactful segments – all in a scenic park-like setting. 

Imagine Park also will be a premiere destination on the Cable Show exhibit floor.  It will feature food carts, cafe seating, and access to the latest innovations from local tech start-ups and thought-leadership from a number of Boston-area institutions of higher learning – all integrated into the Park's landscapes.  Imagine Park also will be strategically situated next to CableNet – the popular and always-innovative showcase of the new and next in cable telecommunications, from CableLabs®.      

NCTA is now accepting proposals from exhibitors, NCTA member companies, local innovators and academia/research firms.  Presentation ideas should focus on residential or commercial cable services, consumer electronics, or important trends in the modern telecommunications industry.  Ideas for Park segments could include press conferences, product demonstrations, performances, one-on-one interviews, or even live focus groups.  Proposals must be submitted using the online submission system found at www.thecableshow.com/thepark no later than March 31, 2012.  Proposals will be considered by a working group of the NCTA Convention Committee and selected presenters will be notified in mid-April. 

Imagine Park sponsorship opportunities are available.  Please contact Michael Garner at NCTA Convention Headquarters at 202-463-7905 or via email at [email protected]. 

Additional, up-to-the-minute information for Imagine Park as well as The Cable Show 2012 is available at www.thecableshow.com, or from NCTA's Department of Industry Affairs (202-222-2430).  Prime exhibition space and sponsorship opportunities are available by contacting NCTA Convention Headquarters at (202) 463-7905 or e-mail [email protected].

NCTA is the principal trade association for the U.S. cable industry, representing cable operators serving more than 90 percent of the nation's cable television households and more than 200 cable program networks. The cable industry is the nation's largest broadband provider of high-speed Internet access, serving 45 million customers, after investing more than $185 billion to build two-way interactive networks with fiber optic technology. Cable companies also provide state-of-the-art digital telephone service to 24 million American consumers.

SOURCE NCTA