How do you appeal to social media enthusiasts? Give them tips on creating a viral video, of course. Tod Maffin, the keynote speaker at this year’s Social Media Camp received the highest delegate rating ever in the event’s five-year history for his presentation on Viral Marketing.
“Tod Maffin’s keynote talk was an awesome kick-off to the conference,” says Chris Burdge, co-organizer of SMC. “Anecdotal feedback from attendees of all five SMCs said he was the best.”
SMC has grown up quickly from its inception in 2010 where the one-day event attracted 450 people, to becoming Canada’s largest social media conference with more than 700 attendees and more than 50 world-class speakers and presenters over three full days.
The conference got underway at Club919 on Thursday night with over 250 people attending the Social Media Talk Show hosted by Steve Dotto with special guests, Tod Maffin, Viveka von Rosen, Sue Zimmerman and Scott McDonald.
The next two days included presentations ranging from introductory workshops on social media strategy and content planning, to advanced strategic sessions, covering topics that included social selling, Instagram marketing and expert lead generation using LinkedIn. Along with Maffin, keynote speakers included Gary Mason, national affairs columnist for The Globe & Mail; creative director and photographer Kris Krug; and Steve Dotto, long-time Canadian technology media personality.
It’s not only the speakers that made an impression on delegates. Burdges says UsedEverywhere’s Plug-and-Play charging station and the Hotel Zed #ZedBus were also huge hits at the Trade Show.
Of course, a special part of SMC is the Social Media Awards, which recognize social media innovation, creativity and excellence.
“The highlight of the night was Dylan Benson winning the award for Most Inspirational Social Media User presented by last year’s winner Darren Laur,” Burdge says.
Other winners included:
- Excellence in Engagement (Business): Inn at Laurel Point
- Excellence in Engagement (Non-Profit): Biliary Atresia Awareness and Research
- Excellence in Engagement (Individual): Juhli Selby
- Best Personal Blog: Vancouverscape.com
- Best Student Work: RU Student Life
- Best Social App: Instagram
Watch the wrap-up video for Social Media Camp.
