{"id":21923,"date":"2016-04-18T13:05:50","date_gmt":"2016-04-18T12:05:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.sotrender.com\/?p=21923"},"modified":"2024-04-22T10:58:08","modified_gmt":"2024-04-22T08:58:08","slug":"social-media-marketing-world-2016","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sotrender.com\/blog\/2016\/04\/social-media-marketing-world-2016\/","title":{"rendered":"All Aboard the USS Midway – Social Media Marketing World 2016 Day 1"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s my first time at Social Media Marketing World<\/a>, aka #SMMW16<\/strong>, the alleged biggest cyclical social media conference in the world. I\u2019m having a great time here and would like to share my observations and impressions of the event with you so far, as well as for the next few days. I hope I\u2019ll have the time to do it – the schedule is really jam packed.<\/p>\n

There are a few reasons why I\u2019m writing this. Mainly, it\u2019s to share my thoughts on what was interesting and valuable at this year\u2019s edition. I\u2019m also writing to help people decide whether or not to come to next year\u2019s conference. Personally, I often check reviews of conferences before I make my decision – and I don\u2019t think I\u2019m the only one. I also write for myself, as it helps me to synthesize the most important information and take-aways. Previously, I have written about other interesting events like Web Summit Dublin 2013<\/a>, Social Media Week London 2015<\/a>, and recently Social Tools Summit Boston 2016<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Sotrender<\/a>

The view from the conference<\/p><\/div>\n

Success Even Before the Start of Social Media Marketing World<\/strong><\/h2>\n

I should start my review not from day 1, but from what happened the day before. I have to say that the Social Media Examiner events team did a great job. Social Media Marketing World is a huge event with over 3000 participants, but the organisation was simply amazing.<\/p>\n

I need to list some things that every conference organizer out there should include in their activities:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Great communication<\/strong> before the event: organizers were actually over-communicating and over-sharing, but as a result, everything was clear and easy to stay informed and updated.<\/li>\n
  • Many dedicated communication channels<\/strong>: Facebook closed event, LinkedIn closed group, Twitter with the clear official hashtag #SMMW16, and the especially great closed Slack group, with a number of channels that turned out to be particularly useful.<\/li>\n
  • Special event app at Bizzabo<\/a>, with the ability to quickly add every part of the agenda<\/a> to your calendar, among other great features.<\/li>\n
  • Facilitating constant networking<\/strong> – with big badges with visible names, networking ambassadors, games, communication\u2026 There were events for a number of unofficial dinners and drink meetups on Saturday, one day before the opening, and the organizers helped people find them. Not only did I have a chance to eat delicious seafood and try Maine lobster bisque for the first time, but it was all happening in the great company of other social media professionals.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
    \"Sotrender<\/a>

    No badge, no access<\/p><\/div>\n

    I have to mention San Diego, too. Often called America\u2019s finest city, it\u2019s a pleasant location with a nice, mild climate. Well, the latter can be a bit treacherous – the Saturday sun and beautiful beaches caused a few cases of heat exhaustion, myself included.<\/p>\n

    Workshop 1: Park Howell’s Story about Storytelling<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    The official program of Social Media Marketing World 2016 started with 2 sessions of 4 parallel 1.5 hour workshops. An important thing to note is that they were free for participants.<\/p>\n

    \"Sotrender<\/a>

    Everybody has a story – what’s yours?<\/p><\/div>\n

    My first pick was \u201cHow to Craft and Tell Compelling Brand Stories That Sell\u201d by Park Howell. It was a blast. Park was leading his workshop brilliantly, had very interesting insights, and planned his work in ideal fashion. Even though there were over 200 people, we had enough time for exercises and examples. One of which was an exercise in which we created our own story using a special booklet<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    In Park\u2019s opinion, creating stories in business is especially important in the current social media landscape, as traditional advertising is becoming more and more difficult. Brands used to own mass media. Now the masses are the media, and storytelling seems to be the best way to connect with them. During the workshop, we were working mostly on the story cycle. Howell often referred to the works of mythologist Joseph Campbell<\/a>, who identified the common motifs of the hero\u2019s journey in various myths across countries. Actually, his framework fits perfectly with such stories as Star Wars (Lucas himself admitted Campbell\u2019s influence on his work), The Hunger Games, or Lord of the Rings. Here you can find a really nice sum up of Campbell\u2019s idea of Monomyth:<\/p>\n