I have some exciting news to share! Brand Driven Social is honored to be convening an event that will bring national-level social media content to the Eastern Iowa Creative Corridor. The Social Brand Forum will take place October 17–18 at the Coralville Marriott Hotel and Conference Center at the Iowa River Landing.
This event is designed to help marketers at organizations small and large build stronger brands and customer relationships through social media content, conversations, and community.
Who’s Speaking?
I’m also thrilled to share the headlining speakers who will be joining us as part of this event. An obvious benefit of planning your own conference is including your favorite speakers. The Social Brand Forum is no exception to this rule.
Ann Handley, Chief Content Officer of MarketingProfs – Cited in Forbes as the most influential woman in social media and recognized by Forbes Woman as one of the top 20 women bloggers, Ann is the co-author of the bestselling book on content marketing, Content Rules: How to Create Killer Blogs, Podcasts, Videos (and More) That Engage Customers and Ignite Your Business. She also writes a monthly column for Entrepreneur magazine.
Mack Collier, Social Media Strategist/Founder of #Blogchat — A highly sought-after speaker and strategist on social media and customer engagement, Mack helps businesses of all sizes — from sole proprietorships to the Fortune 100 — connect with their customers via social media. In addition to founding and moderating #Blogchat, the web’s largest Twitter chat, Mack is the author of the upcoming book, Think Like a Rockstar.
DJ Waldow, Founder/CEO of Waldow Social – As an email marketing consultant, writer, blogger, speaker, and (now) author, DJ advises clients on how to optimize their marketing campaigns and — on occasion — break some of the “best practice” rules. An expert on email marketing, DJ is the co-author of the upcoming book, Rebel’s Guide to Email Marketing.
Other speakers will be announced in the months ahead. Wednesday’s keynotes and panels will conclude with a live, interactive version of Mack Collier’s #Blogchat. Later that same evening attendees will enjoy a networking reception. Thursday rounds out the event with an action-packed day of discussions from speakers and industry thought leaders.
Why It’s Important
This event means a lot to me for a couple of reasons. First, it’s an opportunity to bring some of the dynamic speakers I’ve had the privilege to meet and speak with at conferences throughout the country here to Iowa. As I’ve said many times, to access two days of content at this level, most marketers in our area have to travel to Chicago, Minneapolis, or St. Louis. The Social Brand Forum will bring the action here.
Second, this event is the first in what I hope will be a series of new training and development offerings from Brand Driven Social. It’s also an opportunity to create an event specifically designed around the intersection of topics covered on this blog — branding and social media — or more specifically building more social brands.
We’re also thankful for early support from an incredible group of sponsors including the University of Iowa’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication and Fusionfarm (a multimedia agency and digital innovation team connected to SourceMedia Group), as well as additional support from (mt) MediaTemple.
What’s It Cost?
Registration for the Social Brand Forum is $275, which includes a copy of Ann Handley’s book, Content Rules, for each attendee. However, the first 100 to register will receive a special rate of $195 as well as copies of Mack Collier and DJ Waldow’s new books. A student rate of $95 is also available by emailing [email protected].
What’s Next?
- Ready to go? Registration is open at socialbrandforum.com.
- Interested in speaking at this event? Contact me directly or submit the contact form at the conference website.
- 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. Give me a holler on this too.
- Join the Social Brand conversation by liking Brand Driven Social on Facebook for updates and using the hashtag #socialbrand12 on Twitter.
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. Thanks for reading and for your support!
I hope to see you in Iowa this fall for the first ever Social Brand Forum!
Looking for the formal event press-release? Check it out on Pitch Engine >>
