Quantcast
23 January 2012 / 251 ReTweets

10 Best Social Media Conferences to Attend in 2012

By
Buffer

In the many public engagements that I’ve been invited to present at as a social media speaker, people often ask me to recommend which social media conferences and events they should go to, both for networking and educational purposes. I’ve observed that lately, more and more companies are staging and/or sponsoring social media events, and I attribute this phenomenal growth to the maturity of social media and it’s acceptance by major businesses as well as adoption by industry after industry. With that in mind, I’m glad to share with you what I believe are the best conferences and events social media practitioners should go to this year, all in the United States (sorry but I don’t know enough about events outside of the United States to be able to offer my international readers any advice). Each event has garnered a lot of praise from its past participants, with sought-after speakers and expert panels in attendance discussing the most relevant social media topics of the day. Some of these events, like Blog World, have multiple events where they have not announced dates and locations for their conferences later in the year.  Make sure you check back here for updates.  And feel free to add other social media conferences that you recommend in the comments. Thanks!

Social Fresh Conference - (East) February 6 – 7, 2012, Tampa, Florida; (West) September 27 – 28, 2012, San Diego, California

With a distinct focus on social media for business results, the Social Fresh Conference is staged with the end goal of inspiring marketers to create social media strategies that produce tangible results. The upcoming Social Fresh WEST will feature some of the best social media marketers in the country, who are executing high level social strategy every day. Brands like Hershey’s, Pepsi, Cisco, Intuit, and Citi, and TaylorMade will share the data, case studies and best practices that they use to succeed.   Also joining the event will be vendors and agencies that help build the tools and tactics that drive the industry forward. Software solutions like HubSpot, Spruce Media, Expion and Argyle Social will present on social media automation, Facebook ad success, content marketing strategy, and community management best practices. Sign up today using this link and save $100 off when you use the promo code WINDMILL at checkout.  .

As BlogWell – January 24, 2012, Dallas, Texas; March 27, 2012, San Francisco, California; July 18, 2012, Chicago, Illinois; September 12, 2012, New York City, New York; December 5, 2012, Los Angeles, California

BlogWell is a unique event where 8 great case studies on the best social media programs at large companies are presented to audiences. Staged by SocialMedia.org, a community of social media leaders where members help each other by sharing ideas, best practices, and solutions. Held in 4 locations in 2012, BlogWell speakers will present case studies from many well known brands, including companies like AMD and Farmer’s Insurance who have been blogged about here before.

BlogWorld & New Media Expo - June 5 – 7, 2012, New York City, New York, January 6 – 8, 2013, Las Vegas, Nevada

BlogWorld is undoubtedly the largest in scale and longest running social media event on this list. Originally for bloggers, BlogWorld now includes enough social media speakers and workshops so that I can say that if there was only one event you could go to in 2012, this would be the one I recommend. With past speakers that include tech guru Guy Kawasaki, you can be assured of high-impact exchanges plus the chance to meet and collaborate with fellow practitioners and innovators. BlogWorld is also held in Los Angeles late in the year will also be held in Las Vegas in early 2013.

Register Now for NMX 2013 in Las Vegas, Jan 6-8!

Content Marketing World 2012 – September 4 – 6, 2012, Columbus, Ohio

Dubbed as the largest gathering of content marketing professionals in the world, CMW is where content marketers converge to tell their stories. Covering topics that include Managing Content Marketing and the ROI of Content Marketing, Content Marketing World is the brainchild of the “Father of Content Marketing,” Joe Pulizzi, and his Content Marketing institute.

iStrategy Conference – January 31 – February 1, 2012, San Francisco, California, October 9 -10, 2012, Chicago, Illinois

iStrategy’s mission is to spread passion for existing and emerging digital media throughout the world, where each event offers original experiential learning opportunities for participants. It is for senior executives who espouse the belief that the success of their business requires a solid digital strategy. While the concentration is on digital, there is more than enough social media content to keep you satisfied, including an emphasis on “results-oriented social media strategies.” Note that iStrategy also holds international events, with London and Sydney conferences slated for later in 2012.

Inbound Marketing Summit – February 28 – 29, 2012, New York City, New York; June 12 – 13, 2012, San Francisco, California; October 23 – 24, 2012, Boston, Massachusetts

The Inbound Marketing Summit is one of the leading national conferences for digital and social media marketing professionals. Featuring inspirational speakers coupled with cutting edge content and real-world case studies, IMS is where innovators from media and marketing meet their peers, engage in lively and productive sessions, and broaden their networks – all in two power-packed days. The upcoming Boston event features the following tracks: Inbound Marketing, Mobile Content, Content Automation, and Convergence.

Online Marketing Summit – February 6 – 9, 2012, San Diego, California

The Online Marketing Summit puts education first. Beyond the usual conference and tradeshow set-up, through lab sessions with experts, thought-leadership presentations and peer-to-peer collaboration, OMS’s focus is providing direct, hands-on training workshops that are personalized and one-on-one. A four-day event traditionally about online marketing, there is a healthy dose of social media marketing content for those in attendance.

The Social Media Strategies Summit 2012 – February 7 – 9, 2012, Las Vegas; April 18 – 19, 2012, Chicago

The Social Media Strategies Summit has been designed in such a way that learning objectives are spread across six tracks, each outlined to focus on a particular industry – yours. So while sessions are focused on specific categories that are tailor-fit, such as case studies, ROI and tools, and legal risks & strategies, participants are free to move between tracks based on their own learning objectives. Note that the Social Media Strategies Summit also has an event in London as well as Miami. The Miami event is not listed above as it is focused on social media in Latin America.

Gravity Summit - February 22, 2012, Los Angeles, California

Held annually, the Gravity Summit event in 2012 is where leaders from the realm of sports and entertainment discuss social media marketing trends, innovations and tools and how these are reshaping the industry and audiences alike. The event is perfect for those involved in broadcasting, entertainment and sports. Created by the co-authors of The Power of Real-Time Social Media Marketing, Gravity Summit always promises unique and high quality social media content.

SocialTech 2012 – March 29 – 30, Seattle, Washington

Sponsored by one of the largest online marketing communities, MarketingProfs, SocialTech is the leading social media conference that focuses purely on B2B social media marketing. The first day will feature workshops on Content Marketing and Social Media Measurement while the second day will feature quality speakers on relevant topics such as “Using Gamification to Captivate Your Customers” and “Social Media Guidelines for Highly Regulated Industries.”

Have you been to any of the above events? Which ones are you the biggest fan of?

Buffer

Related Posts

If you enjoyed this article, sign up for my newsletter and get FREE chapters from Neal's Books!

40 responses to “10 Best Social Media Conferences to Attend in 2012”

Please Leave a Comment!

Windmills Marketing, 14271 Jeffrey Rd., Suite 177, Irvine, CA 92620 | (888) 541-3429 | info@windmillnetworking.com