One of the things I was asked to do for work was to find a social media conference to attend. I manage the company’s Facebook and Twitter presence, and work wanted to get me training to make sure I have cutting-edge social media skills. I was told I could search for events outside of Memphis if I wanted. So I got on Mashable and searched their list of upcoming social media events. For months I didn’t see anything suitable: Either the events were intro, “how to set up a Facebook fan page” type events, or they were geared so heavily toward for-profit corporations that I wouldn’t get anything out of it. Then Monday I looked at Mashable again and found this:
Geekend is a Thursday-Saturday weekend conference in Savannah, Georgia. I looked at the schedule and saw exactly the events I was looking for. Advanced social media and Web 2.0 topics – five 45-minute mini-seminars Friday and Saturday, and a keynote speaker all three days. Check out this awesome schedule of events! Speakers are from well-known companies including NBC Universal, Grooveshark, Yahoo, and Paula Deen. I’m going to learn from, and network with, the people who are leading the way in social media.
I also immediately fell in love with this event because it’s designed for people like me. Not only do they put the mini-seminars and the keynote speakers on the schedule, but also “and this is the bar where we’ll be going out drinking in the evening.” This conference is not only for people who want to learn a lot, but who want to have a lot of fun as well! On Friday and Saturday the first mini-seminar begins not at 8:30 or 9 as is common with these things, but 10. The organizers of this event understand people like me. This won’t be a weekend full of stuffy corporate-ass suits.
So anyway, I put in a request to go, and yesterday afternoon I was told it had been approved! I’m going to Savannah! I’ve never been but my friend Otto spends a lot of time there, and he has told me it’s a really fun city. I’ll admit, the Thursday night after-party has me a little confused though… it will be at a place called The Distillery with 100 craft beers. I hope I can figure out what to do in a place like that.
The next three weekends are going to be exciting… RiverArtsFest next weekend, then Halloween weekend, then GeekEnd! I’ll have my MacBook with me in Savannah, so hopefully I’ll be blogging, if I can find the time.
I still have more stuff to post… check back, I’ll try to do another one before I go out.