Lance Weiler, the mastermind of last year’s experiential educational project Laika’s Adventure, will be kicking off  iKids 2014 with a keynote on building digital experiences for modern audiences, entitled Designing for the 21st Century.

Weiler’s keynote will headline the full-day iKids event taking place on February 13 at the Westin NY Times Square as a companion event to the annual Kidscreen Summit, which is taking place from February 9 – 12.

Last fall, under Weiler’s guidance, two classrooms from different parts of the globe collaborated to get a lost robot home, and over 10 days, the robot traveled more than 2,000 miles and visited 56 cities. Weiler’s presentation will explore how to take advantage of changes in media consumption, embrace emerging technologies and build storyworlds that innovate new business models.

An alumni of the Sundance Screenwriting Lab, Weiler has designed experiences that have reached millions of people via theaters, mobile devices and online. He currently sits on a World Economic Forum steering committee for the future of content creation, and he teaches courses at Columbia University on the art, craft and business of storytelling in the 21st century. He is also developing a slate of film, TV and gaming projects.

In related news, the full conference program for iKids has been unveiled. In addition to the iKids Awards Ceremony and Luncheon, where the winners of the second-annual awards for the market’s best digital media products for kids will be announced, highlights of the event include:

In Pursuit of the iDream   With hundreds of thousands of kid-targeted apps in the Apple App Store alone (never mind Android, Windows and other marketplaces), competition is only getting tougher for developers. Drawing on research from her upcoming book on the US app market, Dr. Carla Fisher will give a lowdown on the current kids app landscape and share tips on how to leverage its biggest possibilities and sidestep its biggest challenges.

Nick App: A making-of case study  Sitting at five million downloads and counting, Nickelodeon’s Nick App has more than made good on its promise to deliver the net’s content through fun and games wherever kids may be. In this session, Katie Bessiere and Jane Gould from Nick’s Consumer Insights Research Group will provide an in-depth look at the role kids’ input played in designing and building this ground-breaking app and the features that are driving its audience engagement.

Playing by the Rules  COPPA 2.0 changed the children’s app development space in the US. And now, Apple’s new global Kids category is poised to change the game around the world. But as the new regulations and restrictions that come along with these initiatives continue to pile up, how can IP owners and developers create apps that comply, meet parental approval, and keep kids engaged? In this session, renowned consultant Linnette J. Attai will give five essential tips to do just that.

Making Sense with Digital Marketing  There’s no shortage of apps, websites and subscription-based diversions for kids to choose from, so how do you get your properties and products noticed in all the digital din? This panel’s group of experts will offer key insights on the marketing and promotional strategies, tactics, and tools to guide digital goods to the top of the charts.

Hot Right Now: 45 minutes, 11 slides and a lot of good ideas  To cap off iKids 2014, five digital media pros who live on the bleeding edge of innovation will talk through 20 new things they’re excited about, and highlight what it all means for the kids industry in particular. This can’t-miss session is sure to be informative, inspiring―and a lot of fun!

More information about iKids can be found here.