Schedule
8:00 am - Registration opens9:00 - 9:15 am - Opening remarks
9:15 - 10:00 am - Opening Keynote: Amber Mac; CTV and BNN host, journalist, author of “Power Friending”
Topic: Social Media for Entrepreneurs - Amber Mac's 7 Steps to Success
In this talk, Amber will share how her entrepreneurial roots took her from a one-room schoolhouse in the remote countryside on Prince Edward Island; to Razorfish in the heart of Silicon Valley in the late 1990s; to launching her own business where she was recently crowned one of Canada's top social media expert on how to build a brand. While Amber is well-known as someone who has chronicled the digital revolution in major newspapers, in online publications, and on TV networks throughout North America over the past decade, it is her insight as an early adopter and social trendspotter that gives her a unique perspective on the top 7 things entrepreneurs need to know to survive and thrive in the Internet economy. With a practical approach, Amber will focus on simple tips and strategies that will help you grow your own business and bring a army of loyal online supporters along for the ride.
10:00 - 10:35 am - Matt Hixson; CEO, Tellagence
Topic: Social Media Influence: Today and Beyond
Influence in social media is one of the hottest and most volatile subjects in marketing today. Marketers know they need to "influence" their target markets in order to drive their objectives, but are we being honest about what we have today and what we really need? This conversation will help you understand the gaps in current thinking and where we are going so that you can make informed decisions to fuel your social media strategy.
10:35 - 11:25 am - Panel Discussion: Moderated by Saul Colt; with Frank Falcone, Mark Greenspan, Laurie Dillon-Schalk and Aayaz Pira
Topic: How companies of different sizes use Social Media and how you can learn from them
Today, Social Media is a vitally important part of most businesses marketing and communications departments. But it’s not a “one size fits all” solution. Depending on company size, available budget and staffing, and overall resources, a social marketing strategy that works for one company may not work for another. So, how does an organization determine which direction to head when building and implementing their social media strategies?
At this panel, moderated by Saul Colt, you will meet, learn from, and be inspired by social marketing experts from PricewaterhouseCooper, The Rotman Centre for CRM Excellence, Achilles Media, and Social Wisdom. Find out what has worked for them - and put their tips and tactics to work for your company - in this informative, 45-minute discussion.
11:25 - 11:50 am - Marc Mondesir; Outside Regional Sales Manager, Dell
Topic: Dell’s Innovation in the Virtual Era
This presentation offers entrepreneurs insight to help them better understand how to truly reap the benefits offered by technology in today’s business world.
The Cloud, Social Media, Tablets and other new technologies offer today’s businesses a host of new opportunities, but several questions remain: What are my options? What are the risks? How do I secure my data/my customer’s data? Where do I begin?
11:50 - 1:00 pm - Sponsored Lunch
1:00 - 1:35 pm - Gini Dietrich and Geoff Livingston; Authors, Marketing in the Round
Topic: Marketing in the Round: How to Develop an Integrated Marketing Campaign in the Digital Era
For the past five years, we've been solely focused on social media: What's the ROI, where does it belong, and how do we integrate it. Authors Geoff Livingston and Gini Dietrich take you back to basics. They'll teach you how to demolish organizational silos, create a marketing round, choose the right approaches for your strategy, and how to determine the right metrics to measure... in a completely integrated fashion.
1:35 - 2:10 pm - Sgt. Tim Burrows; Corporate Communications and Social Media, Toronto Police Service
Topic: How Police Engage, Connect and Build Relationships - Marketing an a Difficult to Market Profession
The positive efforts of what police do on a daily basis is at the core of a vibrant and safe city. Prior to social media, the control of the information flow from police was left to the mainstream media and Hollywood. That left an incredible void in awareness of the positive side of policing, and more importantly, made it difficult for the public to get the information they truly needed to empower themselves and help take control of their own safety and security.
The ability for the police to share their message and to receive and share information from the community - and also to establish trust and know where to turn for accurate, honest and transparent information - is a key component of dispelling rumours, separating fiction from fact, and understanding the realities of a veiled and secretive world.
Teaching police and other similarly constrained industries to take control of their messaging, market themselves as a trusted source and brand themselves properly is long overdue, and necessary to help not only their agencies, but the public they serve. We'll take a look at the constraints that make this profession so difficult to market, and how it can be done properly with the right tools, techniques and know how.
2:10 - 2:45 pm - Danny Brown; VP Partner Strategy, Jugnoo, Top 100 Marketing Blogs and Author, Parables for Business
Topic: Your Business Is Not The Story - Why You Need to be Your Customer's Best Friend
When we talk about social media, we often hear the phrase, "Be part of the conversation." What your customers are saying about you and to you, and why you need to be part of that conversation. But is "the conversation" where it's really at? In this talk, Danny Brown shares why the term "be part of the conversation" is no longer relevant - instead, you'll get to know when to talk, when to listen, and when to just be there. You'll learn why you need to offer solutions for your customers based on natural conversations between friends, as opposed to scripted keyword rules that social monitoring platforms need you to play by, so you can be there for your customer with the right answer EVERY time, and only when you're actually wanted.
2:45 - 3:00 pm - Closing remarks and presentation ceremony
3:00 - 4:00 pm - Closing Keynote: Gary Vaynerchuk – social marketing expert, New York Times and Wall Street Journal best-selling author
Topic: The Thank You Economy
In his session, Gary Vaynerchuk teaches entrepreneurs how to take advantage of the current business environment, while also preparing them to succeed as it changes and evolves into what he’s termed “The Thank You Economy.”
Gone are the days when a blizzard of marketing dollars could be used to overwhelm the airwaves, shut out the competition, and grab customer awareness. With the rise of the Internet and the power of the common consumer, customers' demands for authenticity, originality, creativity, honesty, and good intent have made it necessary for companies and brands to revert to a level of customer service rarely seen since our great-grandparents' day, when business owners often knew their customers personally, and gave them individual attention.
Today, individuals and brands that out-care and out-love their competition - those emphasizing quality, value, responsiveness, and attention to detail, among other essentials - see the biggest returns.
Gary discusses the incredible tool that allows brands to show customers that they care: social media. Social media offers brands the opportunity to listen to and engage with not only their customers, but anyone having a conversation on these networks. Brands are able to take part in the necessary one-on-one conversations and interactions that show a consumer that they are important. We are on the verge of the humanization of business and victories will only be measured in how much a brand cares about its customers.
4:00 - 5:00 pm - Gary Vaynerchuk Book Signing: The Thank You Economy
5:00 - 7:00 pm - Networking reception