LEGO Pioneer to Speak in Silicon Valley, Hosted by Eastwick Communications and BroadVision

Tormod Askildsen, an Early Shaper of Online Communities and Open Branding, to Be at Ongoing Enterprise 2.0 Event


MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA--(Marketwire - September 9, 2010) -  Eastwick Communications will welcome globally recognized innovator Tormod Askildsen, senior director of community engagement and communications for LEGO, to the Computer History Museum on September 29, 2010. The gathering will be jointly hosted by Eastwick and by BroadVision as the second event in BroadVision's business-focused Clearvale SecondFloor (CSF) speaker series. The company featured Altimeter's Charlene Li in last month's inaugural event.

Askildsen, a 23-year LEGO veteran and the force behind the company's move into the "13 and over" market -- encompassing MindStorms, LEGO robotics competitions, community activities, and adult-oriented block kits such as the Architectural series -- will visit California to meet with technology companies and user community representatives.

Accompanying Askildsen will be Conny Kalcher, LEGO's vice president of consumer experiences, and Peter Esperson, a lead on the company's social media team.

"Tormod's work has helped shape the LEGO brand we know today, and has brought millions of LEGO users together to share their passion online and in real life," said Ellen Leanse, vice president of Eastwick Communications. "His role in proving the value of online communities is truly worthy of a place in computer history. We're thrilled to welcome him to Silicon Valley."

"I'm looking forward to this opportunity to share some of our learnings in engaging LEGO fans," said Askildsen. "It has been a long and exciting journey where we have built hundreds of personal -- and millions of online -- relationships. Going forward I think these relationships will benefit us as we scale up and really start to leverage the potential of close consumer -- company collaboration."

"LEGO was involved in building communities online long before the term, or the technique, became fashionable," said John Hollar, president and CEO of the Computer History Museum. "We're looking forward to welcoming Tormod and hearing how the communities he helped to create have shaped the way the world thinks about connecting online today."

The CSF event series is sponsored by SINA, one of the largest media companies in China. SINA is distributing videotaped interviews from the event in both China and the United States.

"It's an honor to have Tormod speak at the CSF event series," said Giovanni Rodriguez, CMO of BroadVision and Executive Director of CSF. "What LEGO has done with communities is extraordinary. They continue to teach the world of business how community is done. By bringing Tormod to Silicon Valley, and to a wider audience via the SINA channels, we hope to widen the reach of those lessons."

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About Eastwick Communications
Eastwick Communications is one of the top independent integrated communications agencies in the country with specific expertise in enterprise technologies, consumer technologies and the SMB market. Using a unique blend of art and analytics to develop comprehensive, strategic communications programs, Eastwick provides a full range of inbound, outbound and word of mouth services customized to reach key individuals and groups who are leading online conversations and shaping opinions in its clients' markets. For more than 18 years, Eastwick has helped put emerging technology companies on the map, build category leaders into multi-billion dollar enterprises, and develop global businesses into powerhouse brands.

Contact Information:

Contact:
Ellen Leanse
Eastwick Communications
ellen@eastwick.com
(650) 480-4043