The Rocks Digital Marketing Conference 2016 registration is officially underway. Over the next month I’ll be announcing the speakers and presentations that will be covered at the conference on June 29, June 30 and July 1.
Before things get into full swing for 2016, I wanted to share some highlights from the prior years and news about this year’s Dallas based digital marketing conference.
- John Nosal, who has helped me with planning beforehand and keeping my sanity during the conference each and every year
- Robin Moss, for finding the very first venue and for listening to my hours of rambling as I was thinking on who would be the best speakers and topics
- Patty Farmer, who not only speaks at the conference, but has been my sounding board on marketing strategies, tickets sales and much more
- Bernadette Coleman, who listens to each and every new idea I have about how to grow Rocks Digital and makes it even better
- The attendees, each and every one of you who encourage and support the conference by sharing about it, tweeting during the conference and applying what you’ve learned
This is the 5 Year Anniversary of the Rocks Digital Marketing Conference
This is the 5th year for the Rocks Digital Marketing Conference (formerly DFW Rocks Social Media Day) and I surely didn’t think when I planned the first one that I would be here today organizing the 5th annual conference. Every year my goal has been to increase the value for the attendees, while keeping the cost affordable for everyone. This holds true today.
Let’s review the prior years conferences. I’ll keep it as short as I can.
DFW Rocks Social Media Day 2012
This one-day sold out event consisted of 9 speakers and 100 attendees. We gathered in a local restaurant, the Social House, to learn from not only the experts, but each other. The keynote was Andrea Vahl, who was brought in via Skype, and the closing event was the Social Media Q & A Panel with special guests, Giovanni Gallucci, Neil Lemons and Mike Merrill.
I still remember what one of the speakers said to me that afternoon “Lissa you have created something great. I had no idea.” I think that statement has inspired me to keep going each year.
DFW Rocks Social Media Day Conference 2013
This year the conference was two days with 20+ speakers and 160+ attendees all gathered at a local hotel in Richardson, Texas to learn from industry experts such as Kate Buck, Jr., Cynthia Sanchez, J.R. Atkins, A.J. Wood and many others.
This year I added the speaker-author book signing to the conference and attendees loved it. They had the chance to get one-on-one time with the authors and speakers. Many of the authors told me it was the most books they had sold in a single day. I myself sold 75 copies of my Twitter book.
DFW Rocks Social Media Conference 2014
Again, the conference was two days with 35+ speakers and 200+ attendees gathered at the Addison Conference Center in Addison, Texas for 30 sessions on digital marketing. Keynote speakers included Neal Schaffer, Amy Howell and Shelly Kramer.
This year I announced the merging of the conference with Bernadette Coleman’s The Local Social. It was an emotional announcement (Bernadette had to finish for me) and an exciting time. The social media conference I had grown from a local event to one of the largest in Texas was going to get even bigger and better, with Bernadette on board.
Rocks Digital Marketing Conference 2015
This year the two-day conference featured 5 pre-conference workshops on the first day and 30+ presentations on the second day. We added the Rock Talks 5 Expert Series and Geek Chat Panel this year. Attendees love it. Special guests, Eric Tung and Loren Baker opened up the day and Martin Shervington closed it out with his keynote address.
For those of you that know me personally, you know that each year my goal is to provide the best experience for the attendees and the speakers; this conference is not about selling to attendees. It is about creating alliances, learning from one another, moving the digital marketing industry forward and providing the best possible service to our customers and our clients.
The Rocks Digital Marketing Conference 2016 Will Bring It
- Local Search and SEO
- Mobile & Web
- Social Media
- Branding & Marketing
2. The speakers will be the best of the best.
And the best of the best doesn’t always mean the name everyone recognizes, but someone that is actually the best at what they are doing. They bring innovation and passion to their work and are willing to share that knowledge with others openly and willingly.
3. The networking opportunities will be abundant.
With short breaks in between presentations, attendees can discuss what they learned amongst themselves and, during the onsite lunch, they can continue the conversation. During the afternoon networking break, there will be time for more networking with attendees and meeting the vendors, while having a few sweet treats.
4. The 2016 conference will once again include all the favorites things.
The Rock Talks High-Energy Big Impact Presentations, the Rocks Digital Marketing Q & A Panel, break-out sessions and keynote addresses will be back and other types of interactive learning opportunities will be added.
5. The after-event will ROCK Social Media Day.
Each year the conference has been host to Mashable’s Social Media Day Tweetup and this year will be no different. Attendees will have the chance to mingle onsite while soaking in everything they learned throughout the day with the speakers and special guests.
Are You Ready To ROCK Digital in 2016?
The Pre-Conference Workshops – June 29
For those that want a hands-on, more intimate approach, you must plan to attend the pre-conference workshops on June 29. The seating is limited to 100 attendees and the format is 5 one-hour workshops, with a new workshop starting on the top of each hour. Attendees can come for the whole day or just attend the workshops that interest them the most.
Social Media Day – June 30
In today’s busy world, the fact is we would all like to take two days off work to go to a conference, but the reality is we just don’t have the time to spare. I have studied the schedule and optimized the agenda so attendees can learn and have access to 30+ speakers and sessions all on this one day. This format still includes break-out sessions, keynote addresses, and much more.
Local Search Day – July 1
New to the conference this year, is Local Search Day. On this day, we are going to 100% focus on local search. All of the presenters, panels and activities will build around how as digital marketers we can better serve our clients and increase their (your if you are an SMB) local presence for the areas they want to be found in by consumers online through desktop and mobile search.
The first 100 who register during the EARLIER than EARLY registration timeframe will receive a complimentary ticket to the pre-conference workshops on June 29. After March 31st, any remaining pre-conference workshop tickets available can be purchased at $100 each.
Are you thinking…
Lissa hasn’t announced any speakers yet, but she wants me to register when I don’t know who I am going to get to learn from? Is she crazy?
YES is the answer to both of those questions. Kidding. Seriously, you can start registering now or wait. When I look back on the prior year’s registration history, I can confirm that the majority of the tickets sell prior to March 31st. The first year sold out in three weeks.
- Best price possible
- Complimentary ticket to the pre-conference workshops
- VIP recognition online
Then Register NOW!
I promise the 2016 Rocks Digital Marketing Conference will bring it and you will not be disappointed! Ready to learn more? Click here.
Have a question? Email me. Haven’t attended before? Access the archives.
I know this has been a long announcement. It was much longer than I ever intended. Thanks for reflecting with me. I look forward to seeing you at Rocks Digital 2016.
If you have any comments to add, do so below. I would love to hear back from you.
