If you follow me on Twitter (@DaveTaylor), have attended any of the conferences at which I’ve spoken in the last few months (most notably Blogworld Expo), or generally keep track of my activities and exploits, you’ll know about the Aloha Social Media Summit. It’s a unique event with top-notch experts and a limit of 25 attendees. Why? Because the emphasis isn’t going to be on the experts — though I have an amazing lineup of speakers — but on the needs and interests of the participants.
I view it as an unconference, but it’s really sort of the anti-conference more than anything. No Powerpoint, no podium, no “audience” and “speaker” but instead a mastermind event where we’ll all be sharing as peers and talking about how to market and promote your business through modern social media.
To be fair, I am involved in planning many events, including having co-hosted Blogworld Expo and being on the program and planning committee for the upcoming Thin Air Summit, but the more I attend large events, the more I see the appeal and great value of smaller, intimate, private events like the Aloha Summit. It’s like my preference for parties: I’d rather hang out with a half dozen good friends than 250 of my peers or colleagues. Just don’t tell anyone I said that, okay? 🙂
How I Came Up With the Aloha Summit
At the beginning of 2008 I was planning a three week holiday in Hawaii with my children and thought “wouldn’t it be cool to have a small mastermind event on the Big Island of Hawaii while I’m there?” And so, the Aloha Summit was born.
I threw out a few queries and my friend, colleague and fellow industry and marketing expert Andy Beal popped up and said he’d like to get involved as he was already planning a trip to Hawaii. He did, we co-hosted the event and it was a small, but inspirational success. Our speakers were Roxanne Darling’s partner Shane Robinson, Andy Beal, Debra Micek, and, via video conference, Pete Cashmore of Mashable, Andy Sernovitz, founder of the Word of Mouth Marketing Association and Roxanne Darling, who was in Florida at the time on a family emergency.
This time Andy and I decided to try holding it in my backyard, Boulder, Colorado, and seeing if we could up the ante even higher, having the very top people in the industry all in the room at the same time, not for their benefit (though I know they’ll all have a great experience) but for the benefit of participants. As I said, it’s the anti-conference.
Who’ll be Joining Me in Colorado
Who did we get to join us in the room? Om Malik, one of my favorite experts in the entire blogosphere and social media spaces and founder of the powerhouse GigaOM, Biz Stone, super-smart serial entrepreneur and founder of a bunch of slick Web 2.0 startups notably including co-founding Twitter, Susan Bratton of Personal Life Media, where she’s focused on building a network to target the “cultural creatives market segment” (I’m sure Susan and I will have a chance to talk about Richard Florida’s Cultural Creatives book while she’s in town!), Peter Shankman, PR guru and outspoken founder of the invaluable Help a Reporter Online service, and — a special guest just added — Shama Hyder of After The Launch, someone who knows more about how to market your business and service on Facebook than anyone I know.
Not enough? We also have two special guest stars via video lined up: Charlene Li, industry expert, former star analyst for Forrester Research and author of the terrific book Groundswell, and Roxanne Darling, who has done a masterful job of turning a hobby video blog into a thriving video production business and, this time at least, is in Hawaii.
That’s who Andy and I have managed to line up to join us. Just as importantly, or perhaps even more so, are the participants, who will have a once-in-a-lifetime chance to spend two days comparing notes, sharing their frustrations and challenges, and getting expert advice and tips from the best and the brightest.
Here’s the best news of all: we still have a few seats available.
It’s not too late to join us and attend, no, help shape the very best social media event in 2008 and learn how to take your own business to the next level with online social media visibility and marketing expertise.
I know I’m excited to have us get started already!