The second annual FOBM full-day conference will focus on the future of the business and trade media industry, and the changes brought along by consolidation and digital media.

In a year that saw News Corp. finally absorb Dow Jones, CNBC fend off the launch of Fox Business, the Thomson Reuters merger go through, TheStreet introduce Main Street and BusinessWeek introduce a search product, what were the trends, who were the players and where will business media be this time next year?

With the weakening economy and the credit crisis, these business media companies have seen cuts where it hurts. How is the industry coping with the downturn, and what are the bright spots? What are the pockets of innovation?