Ford, Microsoft and MEDC Slated to Speak at Mobile Monday Detroit Debut Event

Oct. 2, 2010 - PRLog -- DETROIT, MI – The mobile technology movement in Michigan is more firmly entrenched than the casual observer might believe.  In fact, major corporations here are embracing mobile technologies such as Bluetooth and GPS to help them solidify a leadership position in their own verticals.  One such organization will provide the featured speaker for the upcoming debut meeting of the Detroit Chapter of Mobile Monday Michigan.  That Michigan-based corporation is Ford Motor Company, represented by Michelle Moody, the firm’s Cross Vehicle Marketing Manager.  Ms. Moody will be presenting on the topic of “Ford’s Role in Mobile via SYNC Technology”.

Ford SYNC is a voice-controlled communications and connectivity system co-developed with Microsoft and using Nuance Communications voice recognition technology.  Launched in the fall of 2007, SYNC has since been installed on more than 2.5 million cars, trucks and crossovers.  According to Ford representatives, the company will launch the technology globally, in Europe and Asia-Pacific, in 2011 with the introduction of the new 2012 Focus.  It is currently available in U.S. English, Canadian-French, and North American Spanish, and will be expanding to 21 languages next year.  In general, SYNC is installed on 70 percent of all Ford vehicles sold.

The meeting’s featured presenter, Michelle Moody is responsible for the development and execution of all Ford marketing activities related to in-vehicle technologies such as Ford SYNC and My Ford Touch.  Of the challenges involved in marketing these cutting edge technologies, Moody states, “Using voice to interact with the vehicle represents a significant change for most consumers.  This magnitude of change requires fresh thinking on our part to ensure a great customer experience.”  Evidence of that fresh thinking is Moody’s role in the Ford SYNC alliance with BestBuy as part of the brand and marketing communication strategy to promote Ford SYNC technology.

As part of Ford’s participation in the Mobile Monday Detroit event, the company will be displaying a 2011 Ford Edge with My Ford Touch SYNC technology, and a 2011 Ford Fiesta with SYNC AppLink to enable event attendees to see the technology at work.

The Mobile Monday Detroit event will be held on Monday, October 11th from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. at the Compuware Building located at One Campus Martius in Detroit.  Attendance is Free, though space is limited for the event.  Those interested in attending may register at http://meetup.com/Mobile-Monday-Detroit. Parking will be validated for attendees who utilize Compuware’s parking deck.  Sponsors for the event are:  Mobile Monday Michigan and Compuware.

Additional speakers for the event will be Jennifer Marsman of Microsoft, who will speak about the company’s Windows Mobile 7 Platform Developer Launch Event in Detroit, and Cynthia Grubbs of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation speaking about resources and assistance available to entrepreneurs thru the State of Michigan.

Marsman is a Developer Evangelist in Microsoft’s Developer and Platform Evangelism group where she educates developers on Microsoft’s new technologies.  She will be detailing a Microsoft event for developers taking place in Detroit October 12th thru 13th, which includes a hands-on lab component where developers will work on Windows Phone 7 coding with Microsoft experts in the room to assist.

Grubbs is the Small Business Liaison for the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC).  A 10-year veteran of the organization, she has been intricately involved in the organization’s efforts to create and implement initiatives that have created new Michigan jobs, with her main focus areas being:  diversity and minority / woman-owned businesses. Grubbs will be speaking about the economy, public resources, and financing for small businesses.

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MobileMonday (MoMo) is an open community of mobile industry visionaries, developers, influential individuals, and users fostering cooperation and cross-company business development through virtual and live networking events. The group's programs are designed to facilitate idea sharing, best practices development, trends identification, and Mobile Industry growth locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally. The Michigan branch executes on these objectives, thru Ann Arbor and Detroit chapters, by delivering a balanced approach of business and technical content from within the Michigan business community, as well as beyond our State, in order to insure the Michigan community is aware of developments taking place outside our area that can aid local businesses. Those interested in learning more about Mobile Monday Detroit can find the group’s website at http://MobileMondayDetroit.org ; and information about the International organization can be found at http://MobileMonday.net.