3rd Monaco Media Forum

The Fourth Annual Monaco Media Forum

Each year since its inception in 2006 the Monaco Media Forum has brought representatives of the "old" and "new" media to the Monte-Carlo Bay hotel for two and a half days of conferences and discussions. (November 11th to 13th 2009)

World leaders in the field of communications gathered from November 11^th to 13^th at Monaco's Monte-Carlo Bay & Resort for the 4^th annual Monaco Media Forum, presided over by H.S.H. Prince Albert II.

 The event, of a kind new to Europe, always takes place over a period of two and a half days. This year it received more than 300 participants (by invitation only) representing the "old" and "new" media. With the support of the Monaco Government and leading businesses the Monaco Media Forum points up new opportunities in technology, distribution and commercial structures as well as recent developments in marketing and economics.

 The Forum was created in 2006 by Richard Attias, president of Publicis Events, a group specializing in publicity events and part of the Monaco Mediax Company, and H.S.H. Prince Albert II. Its purpose is to open opportunities for interaction between leading professionals from the world of traditional and contemporary media and investors from around the globe, thereby helping to find solutions to tomorrow's challenges. "It has become evident to me that the international media community needs a place to come together, debate and find solutions", Prince Albert stated in 2005 when the project was first conceived. For David Tomatis, deputy vice-president of Monaco Mediax, the objective was to create a veritable annual "Davos Conference of the Media".

 From its outset the Monaco Media Forum proved to be a success, creating enthusiastic response from all over the media community. Worldwide recognition of its position at the forefront of media events has been confirmed by the presence year after year of prominent media leaders such as Bob Wright, vice-president of NBC International (2006); Riugang Li, president of the Shanghai Media & Entertainment Group (2006 and 2008); Maurice Levy, president of the Publicis Group (2006 to 2009); Jacques Attali, president of Planet Finance and Attali & Associates (2007); Ben Silverman, co-president of NBC Entertainment & NBC Universal Studio (2008);  Nikesh Arora, senior vice-president of Google (2008 and 2009) and Lucian Grainge of the Universal Music International Group (2009).

 The Monaco Media Forum has become a must on the calendar of media professionals everywhere. It provides solutions to vital current issues and promotes the emergence of young startup companies like the two that were present in 2008, bought up since by multinational companies that insure their rapid growth and stability.

Monaco honours the founder of Wikipedia

On Thursday, November 12th the Monaco Media Forum awarded its Special Prize to Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia. The third annual award ceremony took place in the Salle Empire of the Hotel de Paris.

Last November 12^th, during an official Monaco Media Forum dinner in the Salle Empire of the Hotel de Paris, Her Royal Highness the Princess of Hannover presented the MMF's third Special Prize to Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia. The Prize is a unique glass statue created in Biot (France) by master glassmaker Jean-Claude Novaro.

 At present Mr. Wales' invention Wikipedia is the most widespread and popular of all Internet reference sources. This multilingual Web encyclopedia comprises more than 13 million articles written by volunteer contributors from all around the world.

 The Monaco Media Prize is awarded every year during the Media Forum in recognition of "innovative use of the media for the good of mankind". In 2008 the award went to Lawrence Lessig, professor of law at Stanford University and founder of the Scholastic Centre for Internet and Society. He was given the Prize for his inventive efforts to help breach the gap between antiquated copyright laws and recent technological developments.