Social Brand Forum 2016: Speakers Announced, More Coming Soon


May 3, 2016

social brand forum 2016

We have a very exciting May here at Brand Driven Digital! As you know, my book Get Scrappy: Smarter Digital Marketing for Businesses Big and Small comes out next week (order your copy now for the best price and extras). May is also the FINAL month for early bird registration for Social Brand Forum 2016. Remember, we’re a month earlier this year so don’t delay in registering for this industry leading event. We’ll have a month full of #SocialBrand16 announcements starting right now …

First, a reminder of the event basics: Social Brand Forum 2016 will take place on September 22–23 at the historic Englert Theatre in downtown Iowa City. Last year we had a blast moving the event downtown, where attendees could learn against the backdrop of Iowa City’s thriving dining, arts, and cultural scene. This year, we’re also changing up our schedule a bit based on your feedback. Instead of day one being a half day and day two being a full day, #SocialBrand16 kicks off with a full day on Thursday followed by an action-packed half day on Friday. We’ll also have a special VIP event Wednesday evening.

So, how about some announcements? We’re excited to bring the best and brightest digital marketing thought leaders to the heart of the heartland. This year we’re working even harder on providing a balance of high-level insightful keynotes and practical, tactical how tos. Here are the latest additions to the Social Brand Forum 2016 line-up.

Speaker Announcement for Social Brand Forum 2016

andy-crestodinaAndy Crestodina, Orbit Media — Crestodina is a co-founder of Orbit Media, an award winning, 35-person web design company in Chicago. Over the past 15 years, Andy has provided web strategy and marketing advice to more than 1000 businesses. Andy has written hundreds of articles on topics including search optimization, social media, Analytics and content strategy. He is also the author of Content Chemistry: The Illustrated Handbook for Content Marketing. Follow Andy on Twitter.

melanie-dezielMelanie Deziel, MDeziel Media — Deziel is an award-winning branded content strategist and consultant, and the founder of The Overlap League, the native ad newsletter. She is a board member of the Native Advertising Institute, has served as an executive judge for the Digiday Content Marketing Awards, and travels the country educating marketing, sales and editorial teams on branded content strategy. Melanie is the former Director of Creative Strategy for Time Inc., where she led ideation for sponsored content programs across 35+ publications, and was the first editor of branded content at The New York Times, where she conceived and wrote in-depth pieces sponsored by advertisers, including the “Women Inmates” piece created in partnership with Netflix and Orange Is The New Black and the “Grit & Grace” feature on The New York City Ballet presented by Cole Haan, which earned the OMMA for Best Native Advertising Execution in 2014 and 2015 respectively. Follow Melanie on Twitter.

kristen-craftKristen Craft, Wistia — Craft is a big fan of technology, education, and business. As the Director of Business Development at Wistia, she enjoys helping people use video more effectively. She loves working with Wistia’s partner community, building connections with other companies that care about video marketing. Kristen holds advanced degrees in business and education from MIT and Harvard.  In her spare time, she brews and drinks different varieties of beer. Follow Kristen on Twitter.

Crestodina, Deziel, and Craft join other previously announced speakers Jay Baer of Convince and Convert, Joe Pulizzi of Content Marketing Institute, and Gini Dietrich of Arment Dietrich and Spin Sucks. Remember, everyone who attends gets a FREE copy of Jay Baer’s book Hug Your Haters while VIPs also get a copy of Content Inc. by Joe Pulizzi.

large

More #SocialBrand16 Announcements Are Around the Corner

As we lead up to the end of our early-bird pricing period at the end of the month, we’ll be announcing more speakers, sponsors, musicians, the full agenda including speaking topics, and much more. Attendees can once again expect local music and other forms of art and fun integrated into this one-of-a-kind digital marketing experience. Don’t delay! Register now.

Don’t Miss Early Registration for Social Brand Forum 2016!

Like last year, there are three registration/access levels to choose from — Basic, Full, and VIP.

  • hyh-bookVIP Access is the best way to experience the Social Brand Forum! In addition to full access to both days of the event, a free copy of Hug Your Haters, the opening reception, and Thursday’s networking lunch, our VIP experience guarantees seating in the first few rows of the Englert Theatre, convenient access to power, multiple books from our speakers, as well as special VIP-only pre-conference networking opportunities to get to know our speakers.
  • Full Access allows attendees to experience both days of the event, a free copy of Hug Your Haters by Jay Baer, the opening night reception, and Thursday’s networking lunch. Full access attendees also receive an additional book by one of our speakers.
  • Basic Access provides back row and/or balcony level seating for both days of the event, a free copy of Hug Your Haters by Jay Baer, and access to Thursday’s networking lunch. An ideal fit for students and educators!

Early registration at all levels is open until June 1st. After that, all levels go up in price.

  • Register now at socialbrandforum.com.
  • We also have special conference hotel rates at the Sheraton Iowa City and hotelVetro. More on the venue and lodging.
  • Are you a potential sponsor? We have several amazing opportunities available to get your brand in front of an excited group of marketers and social media influencers. Contact us now.
  • Join the Social Brand conversation by liking Brand Driven Digital on Facebook, following us on Twitter, and using the hashtag #socialbrand16.

We’ll have many updates to share here and on the conference website in the months leading up to this event with new speakers and additions to the agenda. Check out this new video we made during last year’s event!

I hope to see you in Iowa again this fall for the Social Brand Forum!


Email Brand Driven Digital

is a strategist, speaker, educator, and author of Brand Now: How to Stand Out in a Crowded, Distracted World and Get Scrappy: Smarter Digital Marketing for Businesses Big and Small. He is the Chief Brand Strategist at Brand Driven Digital, an educator at the University of Iowa, and host of the On Brand podcast. More about Nick.