SoSlam 2013: My first time in Knoxville!
Thursday, April 4th
Incredibly excited to be among the speakers for Social Slam 2013. I've heard that the first two SoSlam events were fantastic, and was glad to hop on a plane when Mark Schaefer asked me to moderate a panel. Am determined not to let him down.
Despite traveling from Orlando, will arrive in plenty of time, bright eyed and bushy tailed...except that the second leg of my trip is delayed due to plane maintenance. Bummer. In a fun twist of fate, I end up seated next to Patty Swisher, who's also headed to SoSlam! Our ensuing conversation is so riveting that we put the guy behind us to sleep. Seriously. Check it out.
Miss pre-event Tweetup, but arrive in time for the VIP pre-party in the Sunsphere. P.S. It's FREEZING.
Almost don't get in because registration people don't see a name tag for me. Promise them I'm in the program and on the website. They write me a name tag. Silently thank parents for giving me a trustworthy face.
First order of business: hide behind Kevin Lyons in case registration lady changes her mind and looks for me to kick me out.
See Mark Schaefer to say thanks (and hug him till something cracks). Then experience full-on geek-out upon meeting John Jantsch of Duct Tape Marketing, one of the Keynote speakers.
Have entirely too much fun meeting Chris Reimer, Gary Schirr, John Morgan, Ian Cleary and Jeff Bullas.
Become enamored of Jeff Bullas's shirt. Learn that he's wearing Politix, an Australian brand. Also learn that they don't have a women's line. Express extreme disappointment. Vow to write strongly worded letter demanding equal access to fashionable clothing.
Take hilarious picture in which Jeremy Floyd and I smile at either end, while Jason Falls tries to assault Jeff Bullas. Or is it the other way around? Whichever. Laugh till it hurts.
9:45 p.m. Ask a local for advice on getting steak this late. He recommends Copper Cellar. Manage to stay awake through dinner, which is a feat in and of itself. The fact that Tom and Tamsen Webster are there makes it easier. Such great conversationalists!
11:30 p.m. Crash. SoSlam registration starts at 8:00 a.m. tomorrow. OUCH.
Friday, April 5th
7:00 a.m. Somehow drag myself out of bed and make it to the Knoxville Convention Center. Register and pick up swag bag, which includes awesome Bush's Best tumbler.
8:15 a.m. Spot Anne Deeter Gallaher, co-author of Women in High Gear. Her book with Amy Howell is one I've been looking forward to reading! Snap a pic with Anne and leave to find a caffeinated beverage before the main event starts at 9:00 a.m.
9:00 a.m. Amy Howell revs up the audience (no mean feat this early in the morning), and introduces a young man with a guitar, whose job it will ostensibly be to chase off speakers who overstay their welcome. Much friendlier than a gong. Must be because we're in the South.
9:10 a.m. Jason Falls takes the stage and discloses that he suffers from "Stage 3 Klout," symptoms for which include a swelled head. Feign surprise at this "news." Love his description of how Mark Schaefer created the {grow} community, and how SoSlam attendees are now part of that community.
9:20 a.m. Jeff Bullas discusses social content (while wearing another fantastic Politix shirt.) Make concerted effort to pay attention to what he's saying instead of lamenting the lack of a Politix women's line.
10:00 a.m. Thoroughly enjoy a "Fireside Chat" sans fire, featuring moderator John Morgan (not a fan of LinkedIn, btw), who interviews Xan Pearson and Rick Wion about branding and social media. Great insights, good laughs, memorable discussion.
Realize I'm tweeting so often people think I must have some kind of twitching disorder.
All #soslam social media output is emanating from @kerrygorgone's phone instagram.com/p/XugzPAAJoS/
— Chris Reimer (@RizzoTees)
April 5, 2013
Stop tweeting to photograph Chris Reimer, who snapped that surreptitious pic of me tweeting.
11:00 a.m. Sit in the front row for "Strategies to Attract and Energize an Online Audience." Moderator Dino Dogan of Triberr snaps a pic of attendees, and asks us all to tag ourselves in it on Facebook. Also invites us to friend him. He's a very approachable guy. Feel sure some non-attendee stalkers friended him on FB after that, but confident he can handle himself.
Snap pic of panelists Dawn DeVirgilio, Jennifer Kane and Ian Cleary. Curse lack of Samsung Galaxy camera, which would take way better photo than my iPhone. Squelch rising jealousy that Calvin Lee and Ann Tran have Samsung Galaxy. Realize I am in front row. Pic is passable. Move past feelings of camera inadequacy.
The panel includes a lot of fun moments, as well as great tips for building and engaging an online audience.
Your blog has to be different, and you need good quality content. Then go find the audience. @iancleary #SoSlam
— Kerry O'Shea Gorgone (@KerryGorgone)
April 5, 2013
Use "calculated authenticity." Don't tell all your secrets, but do get personal. Share with people. Show your personality. #SoSlam
— Kerry O'Shea Gorgone (@KerryGorgone)
April 5, 2013
Noon. Lunch from Bush Brothers, followed by keynote remarks from Gabrielle Laine-Peters, who enthralls the crowd, making me concerned that my 1:30 panel will seem lackluster by comparison.
1:20 p.m. Set up for panel with Laura Click, Valentina Escobar-Gonzalez and Christopher Craft, all of whom rock the session! (Takeaways here: http://flybluekite.com/2013/04/08/getting-started-with-social-media/
2:30 p.m. Head spinning as 10 Social Slam presenters each present ten new ideas in ten-minute blocks. Immediately decide to completely revamp my presentation for Bloggy Boot Camp Phoenix so it is as awesome as Jennifer Kane's talk about Facebook.
3:30 p.m. Take in fantastic presentation by Tom and Tamsen Webster on "Putting Data to Work." They seamlessly integrate audience input with their polished presentation to create a detailed, applied talk.
4:30 p.m. Convinced I cannot listen to another presentation. Then, John Jantsch starts talking, and I find a second (third?) wind! So much great info on customer engagement! Vow to ensure everyone I talk to about SoSlam fully appreciates the awesomeness of the speakers and their content.
5:30 p.m. After party at Latitude 35. Finally get a chance to talk with Shonali Burke and Jason Konopinski. Sample bruschetta and some good beer (Sam Adams), while chatting up Chris Reimer. Eventually, hunger increases to the point that bruschetta will no longer suffice.
6:15 p.m. Spot Sean McGinnis sporting a sweet 'stache...on the back of his head. Guffaw! Sean is awesome.
6:30 p.m. Dinner at Bella Luna with Jason Kopinski, Sean McGinnis, Amy Howell, Xan Pearson, Ian Cleary, Jeff Bullas, Elizabeth Reusswig, Eric Pratum and so many other fun people it's impossible to list them. Am extremely impressed to learn that Gabrielle Laine Peters is a consummate photobomber! She gives a demonstration.
@anntran_ I'm having dinner w/ @howellmarketing at #SoSlam! Next time we all should get together! cc: @2morrowknight twitter.com/KerryGorgone/s…
— Kerry O'Shea Gorgone (@KerryGorgone) April 6, 2013
Late night. Post-dinner, check out some Knoxville night life, before winding down over wine in the hotel lobby with a few die-hards. Realize I have an 8:00 a.m. breakfast to attend. Crash.
Saturday, April 6th.
8:00 a.m. Against all odds, make myself presentable and get to Tupelo Honey in time for breakfast. Sweet potato pancake is so good that eating it qualifies as a life experience.
Talk pancakes, social media, and life with people who are way too much fun to be up this early. Make mental note to study up on meditations that can replace sleep. Sincerely hope such a thing exists.
Photo by Eric Pratum. Special thanks to Jason Konopinski for loaning me his cute hat!
10:00 a.m. Pack up and do some work, before walking around Knoxville's Market Square to check out the "Chalk Walk." Floored by how talented artists are when the medium is chalk and the palette is concrete. Especially impressed to see area children creating artwork I couldn't replicate if I had two days, twice as much chalk, and half as much talent. These kids are phenoms!
After some shopping, head to Knoxville Airport, which is easily the friendliest airport I've seen to date. Fly to Charlotte without incident.
5:45 p.m. Board connecting flight home to Orlando. A couple is sitting next to me. The man is shorter than I am (and I'm no Amazon), and as he struggles to load his carryon into the overhead bin, bananas fall out of the open suitcase pocket. You read that right, folks. Bananas roll all over the seats and floor. I help him to properly secure his bananas.
6:15 p.m. Right after takeoff, I regret ever helping BananaMan, who may have eaten too much fruit prior to boarding. Disappear into my zipped sweater and wait for flight to be over.
7:40 p.m. Home in Orlando! Absolutely going to attend SoSlam next year. Might drive though. Flying has its drawbacks. Anyone want to carpool?
