Cummings joins a powerful list of directory company CEOs who will address DMS, which for the first time is being co-presented by the YPA. Joining Cummings as featured speakers are Frank Jules, president and CEO, AT&T Advertising Solutions; Donat Retif, CEO of Truvo; and Dave Swanson, chairman and CEO of R.H. Donnelley.

Cummings is a longstanding industry leader from the national side of the business. He is the first CMR ever to serve as the association’s chair. He can offer a view of the industry today from the point of view of national advertisers. He can also talk about what the industry needs to do collectively to succeed.

Dave Swanson, chairman and CEO of R.H. Donnelley, will deliver the featured presentation on the event’s second day. RHD has experienced all the ups and downs that the era of publicly traded directory companies has had to offer. I’m interested in hearing Swanson’s take on the way forward for RHD and Yellow Pages industry.

Donat Retif, CEO of Truvo, a European directory publisher with operations in Belgium, Ireland, Portugal and Romania, will talk about his company’s aggressive efforts to migrate the business from a subscription based business model to one that is largely pay for performance. Having met with and interviewed Retif recently, I am struck by how plainspoken he is in assessing the situation his company and the global directory industry faces. Retif will speak on the morning of the conference’s final day, Wednesday, Sept. 24.

Finally, Frank Jules, president and CEO of AT&T Advertising Solutions, will again address DMS, this time as our final speaker. Jules runs the world’s largest directional media company. Jules oversees assets that range from print and Internet Yellow Pages, ad-supported DA and mobile search to leading-edge platforms like IPTV. Anyone who attended last year’s event knows what an engaging speaker Jules is.

All three executives are at the epicenter of efforts to transform the directory business from a medium that is static and product-centric into one that is dynamic and performance driven. This requires changes in culture, business models, systems, recruitment and training, and on and on. DMS will be all about understanding how these efforts are unfolding and where they are leading the directory industry.

This year, DMS is partnering with the Yellow Pages Association, an alliance we announced Monday morning. We’re pleased to join forces with the YPA to put on the most compelling, hard-hitting and insightful event yet covering the global directories industry. Check out DMS ’09 here, and don’t hesitate to post your questions and suggestions.

Our working theme for this year’s event is, “a five-year roadmap for directional media.” In today’s business climate, five years can be a lifetime. But a big part of our job is to look ahead and help our clients understand how they need to adjust their businesses to seize longer term opportunities. Our conferences share this emphasis.

There will be a lot to talk about at DMS this year. We’ve seen major upheavals among some of the industry’s biggest players, major shifts in how local advertisers view their media investments and, of course, an economic crisis that cuts to the heart of some of the key drivers of directional media usage — home values and consumer confidence. Add to these challenges the opportunities presented by new media options and distribution platforms — think online video and the iPhone. Industry players grappling with all these issues need a steady diet of good ideas — on new products and how to roll them out successfully; on selling in a difficult environment; on structuring a business for long-term success. Our agenda is designed as a forum for sharing the best available ideas.

We are adding some new elements to this year’s show, including a “debate” format where we will bring together two strong advocates for opposite sides of a burning industry question. We think this will be a thought-provoking and fun approach.

We encourage you to check out the agenda and give us your feedback.