Three of the country's leading figures in the development and use of digital media have been signed up to highlight how small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in the West Midlands can take advantage of digital media.

Anthony Lilley, Dr Jon Salkeld and Dr Adam Rutherford will be the keynote speakers at the "Using Digital Media in Marketing and Communications" conference to be staged by ideasforlife.tv at Alton Towers on March 18.

Anthony Lilley is chief creative officer of Magic Lantern, a company which creates interactive media with clients and partners including the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Google. He is a member of the Content Board of OFCOM (the communications industry regulator) and is also the appointed News International Visiting Professor of Broadcast Media at the University of Oxford.

Jon Salkeld is the managing director of QinetiQ's Optronics Division. QinetiQ is one of Europe's largest science and technology solutions providers.

Adam Rutherford is the editor of web publishing at Nature, the weekly science magazine publishing research, news and features covering all fields of science. A genetics expert, he also featured in Channel 4's Men in White series. The speaker line up will be complemented by a range of interactive workshops.

The conference has been organised by the team behind ideasforlife.tv, an online video channel designed to promote science and innovation from the region.

The channel has been developed by the University of Warwick and Birmingham-based Maverick Television, whose current programming includes How to Look Good Naked, Embarrassing Illnesses, 4Homes and Ten Years Younger. The project is also supported by regional development agency Advantage West Midlands (AWM) and ideasforlife.tv is one of the initiatives from Birmingham Science City, which aims to develop and use science and technology in the West Midlands and the UK.

Dr Norman Price, Head of Birmingham Science City said: "Birmingham has long had an enviable reputation for developing some of the world's most important inventions and scientific breakthroughs, and now ideasforlife.tv is helping to put the West Midlands firmly on the digital map.

"A whole host of businesses specialising in producing and distributing digital content have emerged in the last ten years.

"Birmingham is rapidly establishing itself as a major force in the digital media landscape and this conference will help regional SMEs capitalise on this."

Jonnie Turpie, founder and digital media director at Maverick Television said: "It is an exciting time to be here - Birmingham has embraced digital media. We hope that ideasforlife.tv and the conference will help to further this trend."

The conference is on Tuesday March 18 at Alton Towers, Staffordshire. It is free to attend for businesses of up to 250 people. For information email events@ideasforlife.tv or go to www.ideasforlife.tv.