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6 Great Conferences to Attend Before the End of 2012

Authors: Amy Schmittauer Amy Schmittauer
Posted Under: Social Media
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Amy Schmittauerguest postAmy Schmittauer is the Founder & Face of Savvy Sexy Social. She is a “social media frenzy” working in social relations consulting, blogging, and, of course, vlogging about life on her YouTube channel. Connect with her on Twitter.

If there’s anything I’ve learned throughout this crazy ride of working in digital marketing, it’s that reading all the blog posts ever written, staying up-to-date on all the latest news, and watching all the how-to YouTube videos you can find is still not enough. There’s no doubt that all the information you need to learn about the Wild West world of social media is available online. But do you really “get it”? How do you bring all of those tangents of information in to one great feeling of understanding?

Just like with anything else, it’s when the conversation is taken offline that things come full circle. And when it comes to getting educated on how you can grow your business and attract positive (while properly handling negative) attention through social media, there’s nothing quite like the experience of an in-person conference with the brilliant minds of digital unloading all of their tips to attendees. Not to mention the killer networking. Oh the people you’ll meet and the connections you’ll make. It’s unlike any tweet you’ll ever receive.

This list is of some of the best conferences still to come in 2012 that are offering amazing speakers in the business and social media marketing industries. Whether you want to help your own business succeed or contribute to your work at a larger corporation, there is a gathering here that you will find well worth your dime and time.

Ohio Growth SummitOhio Growth Summit

May 24, 2012, Columbus, Ohio

Who knew Columbus would be such a hot spot this year for great business and marketing advice? Ohio Growth Summit is held by the Ohio Small Business Development Center at Columbus State Community College and I’m really excited not only for this great extension of the great work they do for my hometown, but also because I have the opportunity to work with them for this year’s event. With past speakers including Guy Kawasaki, Chris Brogan, Nick Warnock, Carrie Wilkerson, and of course, Jay Baer just last year along with co-author Amber Naslund, this intimate, small business-focused, development and marketing conference is definitely a contender with all the bigger events across the country. This May, Gini Dietrich of Spin Sucks will be the main keynote, along with a morning session with Paul Evans of Impact Living. More information, including what to expect from workshop sessions, are available on the OGS website.

BlogWorld Expo EastBlogWorld Expo East

June 5-7, 2012, New York, NY

BlogWorld Expo quotes itself as “the first and only industry-wide, trade show and media event for all new media”. With all the content and amazing speakers they consistently have to offer every year, it’s so true. As a matter of fact, it was only last year that BWE introduced an Eastern version of the conference. With great demand for the top-notch minds in blogging, social, and multimedia, they decided to double up their yearly conference to serve a larger audience of businesses and content creators. Excited to see Jay’s name listed as a speaker for the event in June, along with more (blogger) household names like Robert Scoble, Scott Stratten, Peter Shankman, Chris Garrett, Jason Falls, and many more. Learn more on the BlogWorld Expo website.

Small Giants International SummitSmall Giants International Summit

June 28-July 1, 2012, San Francisco, CA

Another pretty new but very successful event is the Small Giants International Summit. The first conference kicked off last year in Konstanz, Germany. Started by SmallGiants.org, this Summit brings together the most excited and passionate of the small business world. A great opportunity to network with like-minded professionals and address some of the hard-hitting issues that are presented with running a business. Being able to work out those ideas with others, especially owners who conduct business in different countries is great for improving upon problem-solving skills and network growth. The 2012 event is in the U.S. this year, in San Francisco, and the keynote speaker is Chip Conley. To learn more about Small Giants International Summit, check out the conference page.

Explore MinneapolisExplore Minneapolis

August 16-17, 2012, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Social Media Explorer founder Jason Falls is holding another great Explore event, this time in the Twin Cities. Jay Baer joins the event to help businesses “push the thinking” for a more prominent online presence and goal-driven social marketing plan. Additional speakers include Kipp Bodnar of Hubspot, Jeff Rohrs of ExactTarget, Neil Patel of Kissmetrics, Nichole Kelly of Full Frontal ROI, and more. Register here to attend and watch the #GoToExplore Twitter hashtag before, during, and after the events to see what attendees in other cities are saying.

Content Marketing WorldContent Marketing World

September 4-6, 2012, Columbus, Ohio

Content Marketing World kicked off it’s first event last year in Cleveland with more than 600 marketing professionals in attendance, and it’s already set the bar as one of the best events to network with those in content marketing. Jay was a speaker last year, participating in a few different sessions, along with many great names in the industry. Speakers slated for this September (this time in my hometown of Columbus) include Sam Sebastian from Google, Inc., Mitch Joel from Six Pixels of Separation, and Marcus Sheridan of The Sales Lion. To see the rest of the impressive lineup for September’s event, visit the Content Marketing World website, and for a limited time, use the code CONVINCECONVERT at checkout to save $100 on your ticket! (expires 5/31)

Social Fresh ConferenceSocial Fresh Conference

September 27-28, 2012, San Diego, CA

Social Fresh Conference was started by the popular social media for business blog, Social Fresh. Obviously the focus of this event is helping businesses conduct an effective online presence for both brand awareness and customer service. Therefore, a lot of different types attend this event including social media thought leaders, marketers, and business owners. This conference is known to be one that is extremely popular with its attendees, especially in regards to networking. There’s a lot of opportunity to learn from not only their great speaker lineup, but from other talented attendees about what they’re applying to their online marketing that’s been successful for them. Learn more about the next event coming up in San Diego on the Social Fresh website.

Do you have any events to add to the list? Leave a comment below!

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