Uncertainties in today’s marketplace are often analogous to wild roller coaster rides. So much so, they underscore the value of an upcoming conference in Portland.

By way of explanation, marketers have an ever-increasing quandary in this Internet age – how to successfully drive demand for products and services.

It’s becoming more and more difficult to understand consumers: Their attitudes on social and political issues, lifestyles, media habits, and their ultimate purchasing decisions.

Fast-appearing advances in technology hurtle at us like meteors in space. Depending on your perspective, the marketplace roller coaster ride can be thrilling, scary or bewildering.

Consider these developments:

With the mounting global use of broadband, TiVo and increasingly sophisticated Web-technology, some companies are exploring alternatives to saving money on TV production and advertising schedules. They’re substituting online videos on their Web sites with interactive, virtual experiences for TV commercials.

Spending for advertising slowed 3.5 percent in Q2, according to investment firm Sanford C. Bernstein as reported in Advertising Age. Normally, the second quarter is strong. The drop in ad spending was most noticeable in computers, manufacturing and telecommunications. Primarily, the spending fall-off adversely affects radio and TV stations as well as local newspapers.

Publishers admit revenue questions keep them up at night. Over 80 percent are finding it difficult to make revenue from advertising, according to a new study by YUDU Media, a digital media company. The survey of 300 publishers also shows 72 percent are troubled by circulation woes and 64 percent worry about increasing distribution and print expenses.

Spending is rising in the national media, which includes magazines, network TV and cable. Online advertising jumped 28.6 percent from $2.72 billion to $3.49 billion last quarter compared to the same period last year.

At least one trend in online advertising is serving as fodder in a court case. Google is being sued for trademark infringement by American Airlines. The lawsuit complains Google is using the airline as keyword triggers for other advertisers so they can attract Web surfers as customers. American Airlines wasn’t the first to complain. Google has prevailed in similar lawsuits, but the plaintiffs didn’t have the airline’s deep pockets.

In the latest Nielsen/NetRatings released Monday, Google maintains its dominance with its 53.3 percent share of all searches. MSN/Windows Live Search is a distant third but appears to be growing rapidly at the expense of Yahoo.  Yahoo is second with 20.1 percent and MSN is third at 13.6 percent. Until recently, MSN recorded a single-digit share.

The fastest-growing travel/vacation destination site: Travelzoo, which jumped 80 percent in one week just this month.

Such developments represent quite a shakeup and reflect chaos in the somewhat turbulent landscape. It’s increasingly important to better understand how to anticipate connecting with consumers.

To improve odds for success, it’s important to stay grounded and rely on history for direction. In this case, I’m reminded about this quote by Albert Einstein: “Imagination is more important than knowledge.”

With all these fast-changing dynamics converging on the minds of marketers, a Portland technology professional has a vision. His solution? Experts from all allied fields – from advertising to interactive technology – will be sharing their insights at an event called “inVerge 2007” in Portland, September 6-7.

“With the digitization of content and the democratization of distribution, the lines are blurring across industries, professions and corporate silos,” said Steve Gehlen, the conference founder. “So, the timing seems right for a multi-disciplinary conference where we can come together, interact with experts across various fields, and learn from each other.”

Speakers with impressive credentials from allied traditional media include: Catherine Ogilvie, executive vice president of the San Francisco office for Edelman, the largest independent public relations firm in the world; Adam Richardson, director of product strategy for frog design, a strategic consulting firm; and Jeff Yapp, executive vice president of MTV Networks.

From retailing: Chris Van Dyke, CEO at outdoor clothing company Nau.

Digital participants include: Renny Gleeson, director of digital strategies for Wieden + Kennedy, an ad agency best known for its Nike creative; Dalen Harrison, CEO, Ensequence, an interactive TV products and services company; Ken Papagan, president and chief strategy officer of Rentrak, a point-of-sale information company; Bill Barnett, general manager of 926 ventures, a financing and production firm for TV and the Web; and Jason Stoddard, the managing partner, and Ken Brady, vice president, of Centric, a new-media ad agency.

The academic community will also be represented: Joshua Green, research manager of Convergence Culture Consortium at MIT; and Mark Deuze, a professor of journalism and new media at Leiden University in The Netherlands.

“The event is designed as a national event, but for our first year the audience will be mainly Pacific Northwest,” said Gehlen.

How and why did he originate the conference? “I am driven to bring creative and technical professionals together for networking, education and professional development,” he said. ”In February of this year I left a 12-year career as a corporate Internet strategist (for companies such as Nike, Hollywood Entertainment and Oregon Health & Science University) to focus on that passion.”

Sponsored in part by the Portland Development Commission, Gehlen is enthusiastic about the venue location.

“As a location for inVerge, Portland has the advantage of being away from traditional industry centers while also being one of the country’s most lauded cities and a well-regarded source of creative innovation,” said Gehlen. “It’s an obvious neutral location to bring together thought leaders, influencers and cultural creatives to discuss new ideas about how to invite and excite consumers to interact with brands and each other.”

The inVerge conference coincides with three Northwest cultural events: 1. The Portland Institute for Contemporary Art’s Time-Based Art Festival. 2. MusicFestNW (featuring more than 125 indie bands, it runs for three days). 3. First Thursday Gallery Walk. (A pass to inVerge includes full access to MusicFestNW  and vouchers to three Time-Based Art Festival events.)

Here are some concluding Biz Coach thoughts:

Gehlen’s vision is welcome. In essence, newspapers need revenue in order to hire journalists, who receive information from PR firms, in-part, so they can supply consumers with quality information. So the print companies need to monetize their online content. Consumers won’t visit your video-rich Web site to buy your products and services unless you’re a brand name, which also underscores the value of quality local TV and radio.

Whether you’re in academia or business – inVerge 2007 appears to be a wise investment – in order to put it all together to ride the marketplace roller-coaster.

For more on the conference, visit: www.inverge.com.

From the Coach’s Corner, there’s also some excellent activity at Oregon State University.

OSU provides assistance for new businesses. Here’s a link: http://oregonstate.edu/research/technology/startup.htm

In invention-licensing deals, the school recently made news when it earned $2.48 million. The top inventions include a creation in wood glue and varieties in wheat and potatoes. These developments primarily help the faculty inventors and the school, financially.