DALLAS, May 7 /PRNewswire/ --

Parks Associates and CEA(R) today welcomed Roger Pitton, Program Director, TV Business, Microsoft Corporation, as the Keynote speaker for CONNECTIONS(TM) Europe Summit, taking place May 19, in Nice, France.

This one-day executive seminar will be held in cooperation with TM Forum annual management conference at the Hotel Palais de La Mediterranee.

Mr. Pitton will deliver his keynote "IPTV and the keys to keeping customers" in the Cotton Club Room at 9:45 a.m. He will address business strategies for IPTV operators, including best practices to gain and retain customers in the highly competitive European market. Mr. Pitton, an expert with several years of firsthand experience in marketing and selling IPTV services, will specify the keys to differentiation, including unique content, an unmatched user experience, and the convergence of technology and content, required for sustaining success.

"Telco/IPTV services are among the fastest-growing television services in the world, jumping from two million households in 2005 to more than 14 million households in 2007," said Kurt Scherf, vice president, principal analyst, Parks Associates. "Europe was a driving force in this growth and continues to be a competitive and fragmented region. Microsoft's expertise in software and services provides an edge to anyone looking to succeed in IPTV, and we are pleased to have Roger at CONNECTIONS(TM)."

TV service in Europe is one of several key digital living domains that CONNECTIONS(TM) Europe Summit will address:

Building the European and Global Business Cases Differentiating Video Services in a Hyper-competitive Market Broadband, Value-added Services, and the Bundle Adding Value to Access Services Which Connections Matter? Connected Home and Device Management Surrounding the Digital Home with Support The Role of Customer Support Consumers and Digital Media

The second CONNECTIONS(TM) Europe Summit will take place August 29, 2008, in Berlin, Germany, during IFA and is currently accepting speaking proposals at http://www.connectionseurope.com.

For information on attending CONNECTIONS(TM) Europe Summit, call +1-972-490-1113 or e-mail sales@parksassociates.com.

Registration is available for the May event at http://www.connectionseurope.com.

About CONNECTIONS(TM) Europe Summit Series

CONNECTIONS(TM) Europe Summits are produced by Parks Associates in partnership with the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA(R)). These one-day summits provide attendees with high-level analysis and consumer research from Parks Associates, networking opportunities, and information on emerging residential and mobile technologies and services. http://www.connectionseurope.com

Contact: Chelsey Tyson Parks Associates +1-972-490-1113 Email: chelsey@parksassociates.com Web site: http://www.parksassociates.com http://www.connectionseurope.com

Chelsey Tyson of Parks Associates, +1-972-490-1113, chelsey@parksassociates.com