After many months of planning for the first annual IN-NW Social Engagement Conference, we can proudly report that it was a huge success! Thanks in large part to the hard work of Nikki Balcerak, Mark Gunderberg and the rest of the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, the turnout of attendees and special guests exceeded first year expectations.

 The day-long event at Showbox Sodo featured a lineup of notable guests including Alexandra Wheeler, Director of Global Digital Marketing for Starbucks, Peter Wilson, Engineering Director at Facebook, and Robert Pietsch, Director of Sales for Twitter, and lunch provided by two of Seattle’s finest food trucks, Marination Mobile and Skillet! As one attendee reported, the “undeniable rock star of the morning” was Ben Huh, founder and CEO of Cheezburger Network, who gave an inspiring lecture on the power of the internet to bring about change and the importance of protecting it. In light of recent events surrounding the overturn of SOPA/PIPA, this topic was particularly relevant to the industry.  There was certainly no shortage of insightful blurbs in Huh’s presentation, many of which were Tweeted by audience members within seconds.

After lunch, crowds stuck around to learn about social media’s impact in the world of non-profit and the best practices for brands to utilize the internet during crisis management. Last but not least, the music panel brought Sir Mix-a-Lot and John Roderick of The Long Winters front and center to discuss the role of social media in the music industry. 

We’re still trying to catch our breath and absorb all the nuggets of knowledge IN-NW imparted, but we are already excited for next year! A big thanks to all who attended, presented, catered, sponsored and tweeted! It’s not every day we get to put on an event that becomes a nationally trending topic on Twitter, but we think we could get used to it.