Public Service Announcement: SOBCon 2009- Don’t Miss It!
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SOBCon, Biz School for Bloggers, is going to be happening on May 1-3 in Chicago! It’s an exciting conference with lots of helpful information for bloggers at all points in their careers! I have signed up to be an affiliate for SOBCon this year in hopes of being able to raise enough revenue to pay for my trip there. If you are interested in attending, please click on the banner here. Please read below for information taken from their website so that you will understand the massive value of SOBCon and the ROI of Relationships.
What is SOBCon?
To quote Tony D. Clark about SOBCon . . .
It’s fitting that a great blogging conference mimics a great blog…
- Stays on topic, but remains flexible
- Is informative, but friendly and welcoming
- Is a conversation, rather than a lecture
- Makes it hard to leave, but easy to want to come back
That was the beta edition of SOBCon. And like other exceptional online betas it set the path and standard for the SOBCons that followed.
Who Attends?
The attendees are just as impressive — the attendees ARE the conference. In the community of business bloggers and social media practitioners, this group of professionals is defining online business by the conversations and relationships they make every day.
May 1-3, 2009, 150 of the most deeply networked, conversational business bloggers and social media practitioners on the Internet will be defining how business works best there. If one evangelist can move a crowd, think of the influence in the single room that is SOBCon08.
The event includes a pre-conference “open mic” night with interactive storytelling. And a Sunday Meeting Time to seal the relationships and make plans for the future. Sponsors are planning interactive participation, including special events, woven seamlessly into the conference.
What Is An SOB?
Let’s answer the question . . . about the SOBs, how it got started and what it stands for.
- The SOB program, which stands for Successful and Outstanding Bloggers, now boasts a directory of over 700 blogger and social media practitioners hand-picked by Liz Strauss, most of whom sport the SOB badge on their blog. The program has spawned imitators and caught the notice of Seth Godin.
- Tuesday Open Comments Night At 7pm CST bloggers gather in the comment box to have a conversation at the rate of as many as 90 comments per minute. It’s been called live social media and been live blogged many times.
THE SESSIONS: Products and Practices
Friday, MAY 1st
Meet us at the Summit Executive Center!
10:00am Registration and Check-in
PRODUCTS AND PRACTICES
Single topic sessions built around how-tos important to online business and social media products and practices. Each session is 45 minutes — part presentation, part conversation with the presenters.
10:30am Opening! — Terry Starbucker & Liz Strauss
11:15am – Noon Chris Brogan and Julien Smith
Noon – 12:40pm Lunch — delicious, healthful hot and cold food served in the cafe
12:45pm – 1:30pm Brian Clark
1:45pm – 2:30pm Denise Wakeman and Chris Cree
1:45pm – 2:30pm Wendy Piersall and David Bullock
2:30pm – 2:50pm Break – generous spread of sweet and healthful snacks and beverages
3:00pm – 3:45pm Stephen Smith and Michael Martine
3:00pm – 3:45pm Lorelle VanFossen and Melissa Pierce
4:00pm – 4:45pm Saul Colt and Terry Starbucker
4:00pm – 4:45pm Glenda Watson Hyatt, Karen Putz, and Stephen Hopson
5:00pm – 5:30pm return to hotels
7:00pm – 10:00pm OFFICIAL SOBCon09 Opening Night Event
Hotel 71 Ballroom 39th floor
Hot and cold foods enough to be a meal.
THE WORKSHOPS: Models and Masterminds
Saturday, May 2nd 8:30am – 6pm
Meet us at the Summit Executive Center!
MODELS AND MASTERMINDS
Presenters discuss one aspect of the ROI of Relationships in Social Media Business. Each presenter offers a model or an actionable strategy. Attendees working in teams of five or six people immediately discuss and apply the model to their business.
7:45am – 8:30am Breakfast — delicious, healthful hot and cold food served in the cafe
8:30am – 9:00am Opening and Overview Terry Starbucker
9:00am – 9:45am Model 1 Talk: Relationships — Liz Strauss
Negotiating Relationships: New Clients, New Products, and Intellectual Property
9:45am – 10:30 Model 1 Interactive: Mastermind Teams work together on Relationship Strategies
Break (15 min) — generous spread of sweet and healthful snacks and beverages
10:45am – 11:30am Model 2 Talk: Communication — Brian Solis
Communication Networks and Competition in the SocialSphere
11:30am – 12:15pm Model 2 Interactive: Mastermind Teams work together Competition Strategies
12:15pm – Lunch — delicious, healthful hot and cold food served in the cafe
1:00pm – 1:40pm Model 3 Talk Being Seen, Heard, and Understood — Kali Evans-Raoul
Transparency and Visibility as Connectors in Business
1:40 – 2:15pm Model 3 Interactive: Mastermind Teams work together on Visibility Strategies
2:15pm – 3:00pm Model 4 Talk: ROI — KD Paine
The ROI of Relationships in Social Media
3:00pm – 3:45pm Model 4 Interactive: Mastermind Teams work together on ROI Measurements
Break (15 mins) — generous spread of sweet and healthful snacks and beverages
3:45pm – 4:30pm Model 5 Talk: Growth Partnerships — Geoff Nelson and Chris Aarons
The Art of Relationships with Corporate Partners and Sponsors
4:30pm – 5:15pm Model 5 Interactive: Mastermind Teams work together on Partnership Strategies
5:15 – 5:30 Wrap up — Liz Strauss
7:00pm – 10:00pm SOBCon Evening Event
To be announced.
Mastermind Social Media Presentations:
“SHOW THE SPONSORS” CHALLENGE
Sunday, May 3rd 8:30am – NOON
39th Floor Ballroom at Hotel 71
8:00am Breakfast begins — delicious, healthful hot and cold food on buffet
Here’s where attendees get the chance to “meet the challenge” and show corporate sponsors how social media can connect their product with their customers. Each sponsor will have 10 minutes to present a product they need to promote. Mastermind teams comprised of attendees will then have one hour to develop an initial idea and action plan using social media to build product awareness. Teams will then present their approach to the sponsor and the group for open discussion.
This is when the fun learning begins.
The “cut and thrust” of the open discussion will build on the initial idea presented so that everyone can contribute – and learn – how the spark of a social media idea can evolve to play an integral part of a real world product marketing solution.
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Again, please help me make my trip to SOBCon a reality by purchasing your event tickets through me. I’d love to see you there!
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