New! Social Media Roundtables

Led by an expert facilitator, roundtables offer an informal and intimate setting to share best practices around a focused and specific social media topic. Roundtables are discussion-based and will not feature a formal presentation. We encourage attendees to come with questions. Each roundtables will be offered a total of three times to allow attendees the opportunity to participate in multiple discussions on different topics. Roundtables will take place at the following times within the Pavilion area:

2:45 pm – 3:15 pm
3:30 pm – 4:00 pm
4:15 pm – 4:45 pm

Roundtable 1: Social Media for Business: Empowering Employees to Engage

Maribel Sierra, director, Social Media Services, Dell (@MaribelSatDell)

Social media can impact all aspects of business, including brand reputation, product development and customer experiences. It should be considered an overall strategy, not just a campaign. During this roundtable discussion, Dell’s Director of Social Media Services, Maribel Sierra will be on hand to answer questions about empowering employees to engage within social media channels for the benefit of a business.

Roundtable 2: AT&T (Note: this roundtable will run from 2:45-3:15 and 3:30-4:00 only)

Blair Klein, executive director of Emerging Communications, AT&T (@BKlein34)

Social media usage may be widespread, but it also can be overwhelming. What is the best way to get started with your own activity as a professional? How do you balance personal and work relationships across multiple platforms? Who do you friend or follow… or block? This session will get into the nitty gritty of the sweet spots of each platform and how to approach each one to determine what’s right for you. Don’t worry, you’re not alone and you can do this!

Roundtable 3: Using Social Media to Re-Boot Your Career

Alexis Sclamberg, author, blogger, The Huffington Post and former lawyer (@AlexisSclamberg)

Whether you are embarking on a new job or looking to take your current position to the next level, social media is a great tool to re-boot your career. We will explore how to identify and use job boards in your search process. We will also learn how to best utilize your online networks like Facebook and LinkedIn to make new connections and effectively engage with your existing connections to land an interview and promotion.

Roundtable 4: How to Lead an Effective Campaign with Social Media

Griffin Perry, president, Caddis Energy, L.L.C (@GriffPerry)

Upon completion of college graduation, Griffin Perry returned to Texas to work on his father’s 2006 gubernatorial campaign and lead a college outreach program. He most recently spearheaded social media outreach for Governor Perry’s presidential campaign. In this session, he will share practical tools and strategies to lead an effective campaign utilizing and leveraging social media to generate awareness and brand your candidate.

Roundtable 5: Who Gives a Tweet?

Lena L. West, founder and CEO, XynoMedia and top 30 entrepreneurs to follow on Twitter (@LenaWest)

Led by Twitter guru Lena West, this discussion will explore why and how Twitter is relevant for everyone and every business. She will also share cool Twitter “hacks” to make it easier and more rewarding to use Twitter.

Roundtable 6: Tech 101: Understanding the Basics

Carla Thompson, CEO and founder, Sharpskirts (@CarlaT)

The online world has gone way beyond the Internet and every day there is some new app or online tool connecting you to others. From Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and the world of blogging, it is hard to keep up. An expert on creating, launching and sustaining smart business, tech industry veteran Carla Thompson will teach you what is available and help you understand the basics – when, why and how to utilize these tools with minimal effort for maximum impact. We will help you identify your goals and match that with the best online vehicle to accomplish your goals.

Roundtable 7: How to Use Social Media to Help your Child get into College

Gina Carroll, blogger & author, 24 Things You Can Do with Social Media to Help Get into College (@MaDonnaNegra)

Colleges have now embraced social media as an important tool in the admissions process. This session will illustrate how you and your child can use social media to explore, attract and connect with colleges in a positive way. You will learn how to help your child create an online presence that allows schools to see their strengths and attributes.

Roundtable 8: Communicating Your Personal Brand through Social Media

Grace Rodriguez, co-founder, C2 Creative (@GraceRodriguez)

Have you defined your brand(s)? Is your personal brand the same as your career brand? Do you want them to converge or be separate entities? This roundtable will help you determine what your brand looks like, how to effectively communicate that to others and how to best present yourself online.

Roundtable 9: Moving from Idea Generation to Action

Sheila Scarborough, co-founder, Tourism Currents (@SheilaS)

Do you have a great idea but don’t know how to execute? Whether you are an entrepreneur trying to start a business or a corporate professional looking to sell a concept internally, this roundtable is for you. You will learn practical and easy ways that you can use Pinterest, blogs and social networks like Facebook and LinkedIn to move your idea from concept to reality.

Roundtable 10: How to Navigate Your Online Presence

Allison Knaupe, senior vice president, Digital+Creative, Hill+Knowlton Strategies (@AKnaupe)

If you are starting a small business or currently have a business, you know first-hand that an online presence is critical to your success. This discussion will teach you the basics of creating an online presence and identifying metrics to determine your success.

Roundtable 11: How to Make Money Doing What You Love

Tolly Mosely, founder, Austin Eavesdropper (@TollyM)

Do you have a passion and want to write about it? This discussion will help you channel your passion and teach you the basics of writing online. Using her first-hand experiences, Tolly Mosely will share practical strategies for taking your website to the next level so you can turn it into a career (maybe even make a paycheck doing it) and make a difference for others!