Reasons to go to the Social Now conference #socialnow

Many organizations have a hard time with selecting the right technology for their business. There is a huge need for expert support here. The company I work for helps select Content Management Systems for instance. Decision makers wonder what to choose. "Should I focus on a platform that is good at content management? Or should I focus on social first? What is the right approach?" Not many people are experts in this field. Not many people have to select new technology very often. Organizations do this every 3-5 years. So when they do, they get nervous and find it hard to oversee the field they’re looking at and the decision they’re making. They don’t want to invest in technology that will become irrelevant in just one or two years. They want to make a sustainable choice.

Interestingly, there is now a conference that helps decision makers (and their helpers) do just that. There are basically two kinds of conferences: one focuses on business (users, adoption, business case, etc), the other on technology (design, functionality, development, etc). The Social Now conference aims to bridge this gap. It wants to help decision makers from all parts of the organization to find the right solution for their problem. This is done in a unique way. Social Now takes its starting point in practice. Real-life cases will be presented. The case describes situations and problems that could be improved with social technology. After the case has been presented several social technology suppliers are asked to pitch their solutions. Subsequently a panel of social business experts will help the decision makers ask the important questions to the suppliers. Of course, all conference attendees may join this discussion and ask questions. 

More good reasons to come? Well, Social Now also has a great list of interesting keynote speakers, like Oscar Berg and Lee Bryant. And the conference is in Porto, need I say more.

Why am I blogging about this conference? Because I think the organize are onto something here. This conference concept is truly unique. Many companies are struggling in this area. Furthermore, I’m honored to say I will be the master of ceremony of the conference. :-)

Will you be going the Social Now conference? I hope so! It will be great to meet you there. I’d love to hear why you are going and what you think of the conference concept. Please leave comment.
And if you’re not going, I’d love to hear why as well. And if you’re not sure yet, please let me know. I can offer you a special price. Hopefully that will motivate you to come! ;-)