You may have heard by now about Fresh’s upcoming conference, Social Media Day. We could not be more thrilled to produce this event following our Social Media 201 and Social Media 301 events in 2010 and 2011, respectively.
This post explains a little about why this conference at this time and what’s in it for the attendees.
The Why
- We felt it might be useful to combine some level of 101-level and 201-level content in a one-day conference.
- The producers of Seattle’s Northwest Women’s Show approached us after 301 last year and pitched us on the concept and we felt Social Media Day would be of great value to the attendees and we’re taking a different angle than we have in our prior conferences.
- We considered the types of attendees and Social Media Day is open and valuable for all and we wanted to appeal to attendees of the Northwest Women’s Show by providing the why, what and how fundamentals for engaging in social media.
This event is going to be fantastic for those who know they need to Go Social and for those who have started in that direction and want to fine-tune their efforts. I could not be more excited to present our amazing speaker line-up to you!
The What
We carefully consider the messaging we want to present, what we hope to communicate as value and who would be the best at presenting that message based on their expertise and experiences. With this thought in mind, please let me share what you’ll come away with from our speakers:
- Kathy Ireland – Kathy and I became acquainted via social media. Yes, I’m an ’80s kid and knew her first as a supermodel. Kathy has effectively moved from the “beach to the boardroom” and continues to build a multi-billion dollar, worldwide, B2C retail. She’s also built her brand upon who she is as a person and in my consulting work I find a very common question, namely, how much of yourself should you mix with your brand. Kathy will speak to this very effectively to help you consider what might work for you. See the latest issue of Forbes Magazine with Kathy on the cover!!
- Another note on Kathy – she’s a wonderful example of bringing all of herself, what principles drive her, into her work. Her standards and desires influence her brand and she continues to change the world through more than just social media engagement, but also through her tireless efforts with non-profits around the globe. My words do little justice – check out her website at KathyIreland.org.
- Rod Brooks – As CMO of PEMCO Rod brings a financial services perspective to the conference and – think about this – how the heck do you make a product like insurance “fun?” We all recognize PEMCO’s brand and ads and Rod’s journey into digital media is a fascinating one. He’ll share compelling stories, data and tie the event together as our host for the day. He’s also a member of the WOMMA Board of Directors and Immediate Past Chairman, the leading entity establishing ethics standards, policies and best-practices followed by companies world-wide.
- Jeff Dance – Jeff was the first person I ever heard speak on Digital and Social Media and I was enthralled. I was captivated and I was motivated to get involved. He mentioned dozens of applications that make running business easier via the web and I hadn’t heard of 90% of them and the other 10% he mentioned I thought were worthless (Twitter, Facebook, ODesk…). Coming from a disciplined consulting and accounting background he opened my eyes to the new, digital media evolution. As the Fresh’s founder and principle at Fresh he manages our delivery with our global clients. He’s a recognized leader in creating engaging and compelling digital content that drives engagement brand recognition to generate sales leads.
- Jennifer Houston – Jennifer leads the Studio D team at Waggener Edstrom, one of the largest PR firms in the world. Jennifer knew digital media would be a game-changer and she led the effort in developing WE’d strategy for their global practice areas. How has this affected the economy and where are we going? Jennifer will share her in-depth knowledge and insights from her experience and provide her vision as to what she see is coming in the near-term. A colleague of mine describes Jennifer as “wicked-smart” and from my experiences with her I have to agree!
- Heidi Miller – We all have friends who are so freaking brilliant that at parting we always want to know a little more? Heidi is one of my friends in this category. Her experience in digital media began with podcasting and you’ll hear this in her voice. She’s an amazing speaker and presenter and, like all of the speakers, will put 20 hours into her 1 hour presentation with us. Her wisdom and feedback have been very insightful to me on more than one occasion and she brings a wealth of knowledge, insights and data that support her conclusions. Get ready for a deep dive with many “a-ha!” moments from Heidi as you prepare to Go Social!
- Jenny Kuglin – Jenny’s expertise from broadcast media as an anchor and now in the digital media space with Fisher Broadcasting will open our eyes as to trends in this space. She’ll also share her expertise in training journalists, anchors and on-air personalities of how they need to present and interact online. I’m thrilled to have her joining our panel on the very important topic of developing your social media personality and how that translates into success for your business. She’s lived this and now trains others to do the same.
Hearing from just one of these speakers is worth the price of admission and I know you will come away greatly enlightened with specific action items you can implement and get results. Many of these speakers are my mentors and I’m sure you will have a similar experience at Social Media Day! I hope the above helps explain why I chose this great lineup.
I was just the host at 201 and 301, but this time I am speaking as well and I’ll cover more about my personal journey into digital media. You see, I was a social media skeptic and my whole world has changed as I’ve embraced it. I’ll share some of the amazing experiences I’ve had personally and professionally (like how I connected with many of our speakers on Twitter FIRST!) and how we utilize social in unique ways for our clients.
No social media conference is complete without adequate time for networking with the other attendees. We have specific time for this and you’ll come away connecting not only with the amazing presenters but the other attendees as well. Come prepared to connect and grow your network!
Are you ready to Go Social? Then click on this link to join us at Fresh’s Social Media Day, Saturday, March 3rd!