ABOUT @MIDWEST
@MIDWEST GREW OUT OF A SERIES OF MEETINGS BETWEEN VARIOUS PROFESSIONALS IN THE BLOOMINGTON-NORMAL AREA TO DISCUSS THE BEST PRACTICES OF SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING. It quickly became apparent that there was a need to learn more about practical, results-driven business applications of social media in a broader sense. From that realization Marty Vanags, Erik Anderson, Mark DeKeersgieter, and Scott Arnold engaged with Brian Huonker, who aiding in builing the social media program at Illinois State, and started forming the vision of @Midwest as a one-day forum to put experts in a room with a professional audience that was hungry for more than just high level talk about social media marketing. Today, @Midwest is held in partnership with the School of Communication at Illinois State University and offers realistic tools and practical skills for businesses presented through a Midwest social media conference. The goal of @Midwest is for all attendees to gain real world, practical knowledge of how to utilize social media in achieving their professional goals. This year’s conference offers 9 inspiring sessions that offer realistic tools and practical skills for businesses, nonprofit organizations, and freelancers hoping to step up their social media strategy. Stimulating keynote speakers, hands-on sessions, and guided round table discussions give attendees the opportunity to interact with their industry peers and share ideas, tips, and techniques. @Midwest brings top industry experts from companies such as Microsoft, State Farm, Country Financial, and Heartland Bank to the campus of Illinois State University, offering organizations of any size the ability to achieve the greatest return on their social media investment. This year’s conference offers evening workshops on Thursday, and a full day of keynotes, panels, and roundtables on Friday.
THURSDAY, APRIL 20 - PRE-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE ILLINOIS STATE UNIVERSITY - FELL HALL
PRE-CONFERENCE WORKSHOPS 4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. Optional – Separate Registration Required
PRE-CONFERENCE WORKSHOP 1 - FELL 275A - SMACC
Crisis Planning: When Social Media Goes Bad - Jay Verner, Country Financial
PRE-CONFERENCE WORKSHOP 2 - FELL 108
Low Cost Social Media Analytics Solutions - Nathan Carpenter, Illinois State University
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FRIDAY, APRIL 21 - FRIDAY SESSIONS
ILLINOIS STATE UNIVERSITY - BONE STUDENT CENTER
KEYNOTE ADDRESS 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. PRAIRIE ROOM
Future Trends in Social Media - Jeff Marcoux, Microsoft
BREAK 10:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. CONCURRENT SESSION 1 - 10:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. BEGINNER TRACK - PRAIRIE NORTH
Getting Started: Social Media Strategy for Beginners - Ben Miller, ISC Media Group
ANALYTICS TRACK - PRAIRIE CENTER
How to Make Sense of Social Media Data - Nick Lane, Jones & Thomas
BRANDING/MARKETING TRACK - PRAIRIE SOUTH
Harness Social Data and Social Identity to Drive Business Value and Keep your Brand Competitive - Brian Basilico, B2b Interactive Marketing, Inc
NETWORKING LUNCH 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. PRAIRIE ROOM
Lunch included with conference registration
CONCURRENT SESSION 2 - 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. BEGINNER TRACK -PRAIRIE NORTH
Strategies for Creating Interesting, Engaging, and Effective Social Media Content Brian Huonker, State Farm
ANALYTICS TRACK - PRAIRIE CENTER
Strategic Insights on Social Media Monitoring - Bud Bosley, Meltwater
BRANDING/MARKETING TRACK - PRAIRIE SOUTH
How to Market your Business or Organization Through Social Media Advertising Travis McGlasson, SIMANTEL
CONCURRENT SESSION 3 - 2:15 p.m. - 3:15 p.m. BEGINNER TRACK - PRAIRIE NORTH
30 Ways to Grow Your List - Stephanie Walters, Blue Top Marketing
ANALYTICS TRACK - PRAIRIE CENTER
Measuring the Return on your Social Media Investment - Tim Bill, Heartland Bank
BRANDING/MARKETING TRACK - PRAIRIE SOUTH
Special Session on Branding - Katie Eades, Country Financial
CLOSING SESSION 3:45 p.m. – 4:45 p.m. PRAIRIE ROOM
Millennial & Gen Z Panel - Led by Elizabeth Kerns, Olivet Nazarene University
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