The AU Social Media Club at the annual Social Learning Summit on March 31. (Photo by Cody Reinold)
The ultimate fusion of Twitter, business, fashion, activism and media, the Social Learning Summit completely opened up my mind to new industries. The AU Social Media Club’s conference on Friday, March 30th and Saturday, March 31st in the School of International Service was filled with a diverse group of professionals and American University professors to discuss the impact of social networking in their careers. Below are the top 5 highlights of the conference (and reasons to attend next year!).
1. Free food from the club and sponsors
At most, event attendees expect to be fed well for listening to all the panels. This weekend exceeded my expectations. Companies including Dunkin Donuts, Honest Tea, Smart Water, Vitamin Water and Pop Chips donated food for everyone to snack on. Who doesn’t enjoy tasty treats?
2. Networking
As a college student, I know the ever-growing importance of talking with professionals in the field you want to enter after graduating in hopes of scoring a job. Panelists from Ogilvy & Mather, Edelman, USA Today, US News and World Reports and many more were present to create an open dialogue not just with others in their field but more importantly, students at American. The casual atmosphere of both days made it easy for students to talk with professors and others about internship opportunities or just ask questions about how to farther their careers.
3. The Tweet Walls
We like to think that everyone see our tweets, and at SLS, our dream came true. Unique to the conference was the usage of Visible Tweets. Each room with panelists had a screen with a stream of live tweets about the respective panel for all to see. This made it easy for audience members to ask questions and tweet with the hash tag designated for that panel. Not only did it help keep everyone entertained, but also it created an open dialogue for discussion.
4. The Speakers
One of the reasons to attend a conference like SLS is to hear speakers from a certain area you are interested in. The event did just that featuring professionals on 12 different panels and 2 keynote speakers. Bloggers including Georgetown University senior Carly Heitlinger, The College Prepster, and Lisa Byrne, DC Event Junkie, alongside public relations professionals Nichole Brown and Andrew MacDowell made for great conversations.
5. DC Pride
Something unique to this conference was that all the panelists explained why Washington, DC is the place to be in all the fields represented at the event. They gave insight as to how to be successful in the nation’s capital and how to build a career while enjoying the benefits of a smaller city. Perfect for American University students, all the discussions revolved around how beneficial it is to study and live in Washington and the opportunities it presents.
If you were unable to attend this year’s, be sure to go to next year’s Social Learning Summit! For more information visit the AU SMCEDU’s Facebook page and @AU_SMCEDU on Twitter.