ERA's Mid-Winter Leadership Conference & Expo: Where Education and Networking Meet
By Carrie Harper
One of the greatest strengths of ERA's membership is the ability to network. Just look around at any ERA conference, reception or event and you will see the masters at work. Networking is a life skill. For some, it comes naturally, and for others it's an awkward learning process akin to walking miles in a new pair of shoes. However, effective networking can be one of the strongest and most effective entrepreneurial tools. So, what do you need to be a good networker? To start, you need a great forum to connect with different cultures, ages, special interests groups and most of all industry knowledge.
We've all heard the phrase knowledge is power, and according to many experts, knowledge can be your best asset when making deals and influencing others. Staying on top of industry trends and new technologies is paramount in the ever-changing world of direct response and multi-channel marketing. ERA's 2007 Mid-Winter Leadership Conference in Miami, which takes place January 27-30, provides a unique blend of education and networking opportunities.
EMBRACING NEW TECHNOLOGY
ERA will open each day with a large interactive session on the exhibit floor. On Monday, January 29, bring your cell phone and learn how simple and effective text marketing can be to implement in your current marketing plan. Jon Starets, director of mobile development from SmartReply, will lead this interactive and intuitive session. We've all heard the buzz about social networking and online community building, but what does it mean to DR marketers? On Tuesday, January 30, Joe Lichtenberg, vice president of marketing and business development at Eluma, will present: "Marketer...Meet Social Networks: Building Communities That Increase Sales!"
Other education highlights include:
- GLOBAL MEDIA EXPLOSION! Can You Afford to Ignore these Growing Markets?
- Mobile Marketing Case Study
- Convergence Marketing: What you don't know, and why you need to know it
This year's Mid-Winter Education will truly reflect ERA membership's greatest strengths--networking and social marketing. This year's education committee chair and ERA board member, Adriana Eiriz of Vivar Advertising, says, "Marketing as we know it is changing so rapidly. There are more channels available to marketers than ever before. The real challenge is making sense of all the new technologies and trends, incorporating them into our marketing strategies, making our businesses evolve and become more successful. That is why I am so excited about the education offerings at this year's Mid-Winter Conference. I think many will be surprised to see fresh faces and new energy at this year's conference. We all have something new to learn, I invite and strongly urge everyone to attend."
With the explosion of MySpace, YouTube and other social community vehicles, networking has taken on a new meaning that provides marketers with new applications and channels. Today, marketers can't afford to be behind the curve on these new technologies. The 2007 Mid Winter Leadership Conference education agenda will challenge you to take a new look at your marketing strategy. Come hear how easy, cost-effective and revenue rewarding it is to add mobile, blogging, viral marketing and other social mediums into your marketing plan for 2007.
Carrie Harper is director of research and education for ERA. She can be reached at (703) 908-1035, or via e-mail at charper@retailing.org.
