Social Media Week Chicago was once again a success, with a reported 7,000 people in attendance for #SMWChicago2013. The September event as held at various locations throughout downtown Chicago and a few nearby such as Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism. Chicago Cultural Center and DePaul's Law School were locations, as well as Google's Chicago offices.
For those who don't know: Social Media Week is held twice a year, usually February and September. Several cities and their local businesses simultaneously host sessions on various topics on social media. Each city gets its own version of the Social Media Week hashtag on Twitter - thus #SMWChicago for Chicago. For the September week, Sao Paulo, London, Toronto, Bogota, and Los Angeles joined with Chicago for various local panels.
This year the emphasis was on data and development, with a broader eye for civic uses of social media. Chicago has been growing as a leader in establishing a developer's environments, but it also has pushed the boundaries for encouraging citizens to access city services. Topics I attended include
Social Media & Higher Education through the Lens of Ethics and the Law, hosted by DePaul Law. Daliah Saper of Saper Law was a speaker on this panel.
#SMWChicago Industry Night Mixer , a night featuring local breweries and wineries with their perspective on engaging fans through social media
Keynote: Test And Learn: Nissan’s approach to taking risks in social media featuring Nissan heralding its foray into wearable devices with its sportwatch for its Nismo sub-brand of vehicles.
Venues large and small participated around Chicago. Google with a collaborative version of Maps called Mapmaker, where businesses can update their Google Map business listing details.
Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism this year noted its collaboration with One.org, a non profit organization well known to raise congressional awareness of social issues.
Chicago Black Business Network hosted an social media panel at Operation Push in which several businesses spoke about how to boost social media, particularly among black businesses in Chicago.
Check out the images below for a recap of the week. To learn more about Social Media Week, check out socialmediaweek.org.
A panel at the Chicago Cultural Center explains how tweets are monitored to learn about customer health issues at restaurants around the city
Google held a workshop featuring its new Map Maker services
Nissan Social Media Erich Marx (@emarxe) explains how Nissan engaged fans of the Z for a Project Z car build. The event lead to Motor Trend supporting a track race with a Z fan
The City of Chicago was well represented to explain city services that are augmented with apps and social media data.
Chicago Black Business Network hosted a #SMWChicago panel at Operation PUSH.
Jeff Davidoff, Chief Marketing Officer for ONE.org, explains how social behaviors, particularly among millennials are being shaped and impacting how social issues are being shared today.
