Keynote Speakers
Darren Barefoot
Darren Barefoot, co-founder, Capulet Communications, is a writer, marketer and technologist. He regularly speaks about social media and digital marketing, and has been quoted as an expert by the CBC, BBC, The Wall Street Journal and dozens of other magazines, TV and radio programs.
He's been blogging since 2002, and one of the founders of Northern Voice, one of Canada's biggest conferences about the social web. He's the co-author, with Julie Szabo, of "Friends With Benefits: A Social Media Marketing Handbook", published by No Starch Press.
Keynote: Trackbacked: Lessons learned from a decade of social media
In 2002, the Internet was home to less than a million blogs. And most of those were the diaries of goth teenagers on LiveJournal. At that time, you had to be a programmer to host a video on the web, and 140 characters was not the length of anything important. Of course, by 2012, blogs have become the 8-track tapes of the social web. They've joined everything from podcasts to Google Plus in the modern morass of social media. Dig into ten years of social media history with Darren Barefoot, and uncover lessons about its meaning, its methods and its future. Content creators, communicators and casual observers will come away refreshed and inspired.
He's been blogging since 2002, and one of the founders of Northern Voice, one of Canada's biggest conferences about the social web. He's the co-author, with Julie Szabo, of "Friends With Benefits: A Social Media Marketing Handbook", published by No Starch Press.
Keynote: Trackbacked: Lessons learned from a decade of social media
In 2002, the Internet was home to less than a million blogs. And most of those were the diaries of goth teenagers on LiveJournal. At that time, you had to be a programmer to host a video on the web, and 140 characters was not the length of anything important. Of course, by 2012, blogs have become the 8-track tapes of the social web. They've joined everything from podcasts to Google Plus in the modern morass of social media. Dig into ten years of social media history with Darren Barefoot, and uncover lessons about its meaning, its methods and its future. Content creators, communicators and casual observers will come away refreshed and inspired.
Rebecca Bollwitt
Although she built her first website in 1997, Rebecca has been blogging about life in BC since 2004 on Miss604.com, and podcasting since 2005. Recently named one of BC’s Top 100 Women of Influence by the Vancouver Sun, Rebecca co-founded sixty4media, a WordPress website development firm in 2008, and has co-authored the book, Blogging to Drive Business. Miss604.com was voted “Best Vancouver Blog” by the Georgia Straight for 2009, 2010 & 2011, “Best Local Blog” by The Westender in 2010 & 2011, and has been ranked within the top ten blogs in Canada. Rebecca was also voted “Best Twitter User” in 2010 and 2011 by readers of the Georgia Straight.
Keynote: Blogging to Drive Business
Keynote: Blogging to Drive Business
Break Out Session Experts
Connecting to a Brand - Sponsored by Focus Communications
Focus Communications @focuscom
If your blog includes product testing and reviews, learn helpful marketing tips to catch the attention of major brands. Sue Heuman is the co-owner of Focus Communications, an Edmonton PR agency that works with several major clients, including Ford of Canada. She combines her ‘client-side’ product testing experience with her 30+ years of experience in marketing and PR to offer easy tips to bloggers looking to work with brands. You’ll learn practical ways to provide value to your readers AND the companies whose products you review.
The World of SEO - Sponsored by West Edmonton Mall
Top Draw @topdraw incDoes your blog sleep when you do? Are you having difficulty attracting and keeping visitors on your website? Search engine optimization can make a big difference! Adriel Michaud of Top Draw, a results-driven internet marketing agency, will provide tips and readily usable strategies to help you attract more visitors and iron out roller coaster-type traffic.
Attention Grabbing Pitches
Dynamite PR @dynamitePR
You know your business inside out. Every milestone, every piece of analytics data and every product you offer – but can you communicate it all in 12 seconds? This fast-paced session will touch on managing your company’s reputation and how to determine the right sponsors and advertisers for you and will also cover:
Dynamite Public Relations specializes in media training and media relations. We’ve worked with political candidates, non-profit organizations, businesses and individuals who want to maximize their positive exposure.
Inspirational Blogging
Donloree Hoffman @bikiniorbust
You're so inspired and passionate about that one thing you talk to everyone about, even the grocery store clerk, that you started a blog. You have a few committed readers - your mom, your best friend, and your cat. The content is great and you love what you're talking about....but where are all the readers? The first day you pressed 'publish' your palms were sweating with anticipation, now it is just one of those things you have to do.
In this interactive session you will learn how to build a community, connect with readers, and keep the motivation coming so you can inspire the world you live in.
Donloree Hoffman is a writer and leadership coach who has journeyed from obesity to Figure Competitor and empowers others to do the same. She is passionate about helping people live a good story by bridging the chasm of the impossible. You can connect with her on her blog: www.bikiniorbust.com or get early morning tweets starting at 4:30 am on Twitter: @bikiniorbust.
Social Media in Professional Sports: breaking the news & making the content compelling Edmonton Oilers @NHL_Oilers
In the world of sports, content is king. While there’s plenty of news to report the task becomes more tricky - how do you hook the reader and drive more traffic back to your website? This session will explore social media’s role in breaking news, how to connect with the reader and get them coming back for more. We’ll also explore the unique opportunity on social media to make your brand more authentic and showcase your people.
Jessica McPhee is the Director, Social Media for the Edmonton Oilers Hockey Club and along with her dedicated team have doubled the @NHL_Oilers feed in 6 months to over 120,000 followers with upwards of 20,000 mentions and retweets each month. The Oilers social media team also rocks the Facebook, Pinterest & Google+ realms to bring fans across Oil Country all their team news.
Not for Profit Blogging & Social Media Impact "Balancing Tools While Building Relationships" - sponsored by Junior Achievement
Edmonton Food Bank @yegfoodbank and Junior Achievement @jayball_JA
It’s difficult to know where to focus your energy while working with limited resources. Join us as we explore the tools that Edmonton’s Food Bank has used to build relationships. We will be reviewing different campaigns and the tools that have helped with their success.
Tamisan Bencz-Knight is a long time food banker starting with Edmonton’s Food Bank in 1988. Along with using traditional media and social media in promoting the Food Bank, she helps coordinate and facilitate more than 1,100 events each year. Tamisan’s responsibility is food raising, fund raising, and friend raising for Edmonton’s Food Bank.
Creating Personality on a business Blog
With Walter Schwabe of Fused Logic Inc @fusedlogic Managing reputation and brand is critical in today's digital landscape. Attend this breakout session with Walter Schwabe to have your questions answered regarding what is appropriate to share within the social web and how to best engage with your target audience. Further, learn how Walter Schwabe leveraged social media to generate nearly $200,000 worth of "earned media" for himself and his company fusedlogic in 2010, and reached an average of 1.5 million people per month on Twitter in 2011.
Focus Communications @focuscom
If your blog includes product testing and reviews, learn helpful marketing tips to catch the attention of major brands. Sue Heuman is the co-owner of Focus Communications, an Edmonton PR agency that works with several major clients, including Ford of Canada. She combines her ‘client-side’ product testing experience with her 30+ years of experience in marketing and PR to offer easy tips to bloggers looking to work with brands. You’ll learn practical ways to provide value to your readers AND the companies whose products you review.
The World of SEO - Sponsored by West Edmonton Mall
Top Draw @topdraw incDoes your blog sleep when you do? Are you having difficulty attracting and keeping visitors on your website? Search engine optimization can make a big difference! Adriel Michaud of Top Draw, a results-driven internet marketing agency, will provide tips and readily usable strategies to help you attract more visitors and iron out roller coaster-type traffic.
Attention Grabbing Pitches
Dynamite PR @dynamitePR
You know your business inside out. Every milestone, every piece of analytics data and every product you offer – but can you communicate it all in 12 seconds? This fast-paced session will touch on managing your company’s reputation and how to determine the right sponsors and advertisers for you and will also cover:
- how to create a convincing introduction.
- what to put into a presentation kit to get a sponsor’ attention.
- how to pitch traditional media.
Dynamite Public Relations specializes in media training and media relations. We’ve worked with political candidates, non-profit organizations, businesses and individuals who want to maximize their positive exposure.
Inspirational Blogging
Donloree Hoffman @bikiniorbust
You're so inspired and passionate about that one thing you talk to everyone about, even the grocery store clerk, that you started a blog. You have a few committed readers - your mom, your best friend, and your cat. The content is great and you love what you're talking about....but where are all the readers? The first day you pressed 'publish' your palms were sweating with anticipation, now it is just one of those things you have to do.
In this interactive session you will learn how to build a community, connect with readers, and keep the motivation coming so you can inspire the world you live in.
Donloree Hoffman is a writer and leadership coach who has journeyed from obesity to Figure Competitor and empowers others to do the same. She is passionate about helping people live a good story by bridging the chasm of the impossible. You can connect with her on her blog: www.bikiniorbust.com or get early morning tweets starting at 4:30 am on Twitter: @bikiniorbust.
Social Media in Professional Sports: breaking the news & making the content compelling Edmonton Oilers @NHL_Oilers
In the world of sports, content is king. While there’s plenty of news to report the task becomes more tricky - how do you hook the reader and drive more traffic back to your website? This session will explore social media’s role in breaking news, how to connect with the reader and get them coming back for more. We’ll also explore the unique opportunity on social media to make your brand more authentic and showcase your people.
Jessica McPhee is the Director, Social Media for the Edmonton Oilers Hockey Club and along with her dedicated team have doubled the @NHL_Oilers feed in 6 months to over 120,000 followers with upwards of 20,000 mentions and retweets each month. The Oilers social media team also rocks the Facebook, Pinterest & Google+ realms to bring fans across Oil Country all their team news.
Not for Profit Blogging & Social Media Impact "Balancing Tools While Building Relationships" - sponsored by Junior Achievement
Edmonton Food Bank @yegfoodbank and Junior Achievement @jayball_JA
It’s difficult to know where to focus your energy while working with limited resources. Join us as we explore the tools that Edmonton’s Food Bank has used to build relationships. We will be reviewing different campaigns and the tools that have helped with their success.
Tamisan Bencz-Knight is a long time food banker starting with Edmonton’s Food Bank in 1988. Along with using traditional media and social media in promoting the Food Bank, she helps coordinate and facilitate more than 1,100 events each year. Tamisan’s responsibility is food raising, fund raising, and friend raising for Edmonton’s Food Bank.
Creating Personality on a business Blog
With Walter Schwabe of Fused Logic Inc @fusedlogic Managing reputation and brand is critical in today's digital landscape. Attend this breakout session with Walter Schwabe to have your questions answered regarding what is appropriate to share within the social web and how to best engage with your target audience. Further, learn how Walter Schwabe leveraged social media to generate nearly $200,000 worth of "earned media" for himself and his company fusedlogic in 2010, and reached an average of 1.5 million people per month on Twitter in 2011.
#yeg iMedia-lite Panelists
Kathleen Smith @kikkiplanet - She's all about getting involved, giving back, celebrating who you are and the city you live in.
Mack D. Male @mastermaq - Top Blogger and Passionate about all things #YEG
Kendall Barber @kendallbarber - Marketer by day, Blogger by night. Co-Owner of Eye Bar Optical
Ryan Jespersen @ryanjespersen - Host, Breakfast Television, Citytv Edmonton
Mack D. Male @mastermaq - Top Blogger and Passionate about all things #YEG
Kendall Barber @kendallbarber - Marketer by day, Blogger by night. Co-Owner of Eye Bar Optical
Ryan Jespersen @ryanjespersen - Host, Breakfast Television, Citytv Edmonton
Wordpress Help Desk Experts
Gabrielle Fitzgerald - 12 Strong gabrielle@12strong.com @12strong
Kory Mathewson - Flagship korymath@gmail.com @korymath
John Bollwitt - sixty4media JohnBollwitt@Gmail.com @johnbollwitt
Kory Mathewson - Flagship korymath@gmail.com @korymath
John Bollwitt - sixty4media JohnBollwitt@Gmail.com @johnbollwitt
