Social Media Week London

Social Media Week LondonSocial Media Week returns to London 23-27 September 2013, joining a host of other cities across the world in a hectic week of panel discussions, presentations, meetups and loads more. 

Event submissions are now open, get involved as a speaker, smwatchinwag [dot] com (volunteer) or find out about smwatchinwag [dot] com (sponsorshop opportunities).

Check out last September's full schedule. Keep up-to-date with Social Media Week London on Twitter & Facebook and of course the blog. 

Social Media Week London Events

Using Social to go Global supported by Open to Export
Mon, 24 Sep
Want to take your business global? Find out how how to use social media, online communities and collaborative tools can help build your company’s international business. Hear from international experts, case studies & quiz UKTI, Nokia, Hailo, the FT and more. Plus a free networking lunch and time for one-to-one Q&A.
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Global Keynote: Alex Balfour, Head of Digital, LOCOG (London 2012 Olympics)
Mon, 24 Sep
Join us for the SMWLDN Global Keynote, a fireside chat with Alex Balfour, the at the centre of the digital delivery of the massively successful London Olympics and Paralympics Games. Opening this Sep’s Social Media Week and hear about the trials, tribulations and successes behind the digital success of the games.
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The £800m Elephant in the Room: Social Inside the Enterprise hosted McKinsey & Co
Mon, 24 Sep
McKinsey Global Institute principal Michael Chui discusses the potential value in using social tools to enhance communications, knowledge sharing, and collaboration within and across enterprises. He'll be joined by an expert panel who'll reflect and discuss the dramatic changes 'social' is making inside the enterprise.
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Heroes of Social Innovation, supported by Nokia
Mon, 24 Sep
The rise of social media and social technology has demonstrated its power to revolutionise industries. In a very literal sense, the power to connect and collaborate is quite literally changing the world. Mobile technology and social networks enable groups to self-organise campaigns to gain worldwide momentum.
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SMW '12: Behavioural Economics for the Web
Tue, 25 Sep
Join us for a very exclusive breakfast and brunch to discuss the latest experiments and techniques from the masters of behavrioural economics – and how as digital natives, we can leverage these to take over the world.
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Making Social Work for your Business, hosted by Oracle
Tue, 25 Sep
The explosion of social has been tremendous, as Facebook closes in on one billion consumers and Twitter approaches 200 million, not to mention emerging platforms like Google+, Instagram and Pinterest. Join experts from Oracle, Maersk, MediaCom, We Are Social, Starcom, IPC and Luxury Hotels of the World and find out more...
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The Decision Makers: The Truth Behind the Family Purchase Dynamic
Tue, 25 Sep
#SMWLDN Families in the UK spend around £187B a year yet not much is known about the complicated decision making dynamic that goes into how that money is spent. This session will look at who in the family makes what decisions, how the members of the family influence each other and what role social media plays in inter-family communications.
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Facebook 1 Billion: End of the Beginning or Beginning of the End? hosted by Betapond
Tue, 25 Sep
Facebook approaches its 1 Billionth user while under the spotlight as never before. A few years ago Facebook was one of many social networks. Now it’s the world’s most important social media platform. On Tuesday at 9am in Unruly, our panel will discuss Facebook’s future.
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Nosh: The Social Business of Food
Tue, 25 Sep
The food business is in a constant state of flux whether it’s the rush for Michelin stars or shiny food trucks or the latest pop up restaurant. Its marketing is no exception...
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How Small Businesses Win in the Socially Connected World
Tue, 25 Sep
Did you know that on average you need to connect with prospective customers seven times before they actually buy from you? That’s an expensive way for you to grow your business. What if we told you that there was another way?
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How Small Businesses Win in a Socially Connected World hosted by Constant Contact
Tue, 25 Sep
Did you know that on average you need to connect with prospective customers 7 times before they actually buy? That’s an expensive way to grow business. What if we told you that there was another way? Sound interesting? Then join us and we’ll take you through how to create your own Engagement Marketing plan and turn your customers into your fans.
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One-to-One Social Health Check Sessions hosted by Oracle
Tue, 25 Sep
The Oracle one-to-one Social Surgery sessions will run from 12pm-1pm. They will give organisations the opportunity for one-to-one social media health checks with leading Oracle's team of social strategy experts.
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Facebook Marketing ROI: A master class with Nokia, The Social Partners and The Humane Society
Wed, 26 Sep
After selling-out tickets for this event on Tuesday, we're happy to announce that we will hold it again at Facebook Headquarters on Wednesday 26th September. However, this time, we have some new speakers to give additional insights and strategies for proving the success of social marketing within your organisation.
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Through the Eyes of a Child: The Social Media World of 6-11 Year Olds
Wed, 26 Sep
#SMWLDN Kids are inherently social and are very active on many social media platforms; therefore they are a hugely important part of the social media landscape. This discussion will focus on what kids are doing on networking sites, how and why they are so engaged with each other and the platforms, and look at the psychology behind these behaviours.
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Developing a Digital Strategy in a Social World hosted by Chinwag
Wed, 26 Sep
Digital media has gone through more revolutions in the last decade than other forms of media have experienced across their lifetimes. From web 2.0 to commoditisation of display advertising to sweeping changes of social media. How do the world's leading digital strategists handle the brand challenges? Join our expert panel for this discussion.
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Sustainable Brands Doing Good by Doing Well in Social hosted by Betapond
Wed, 26 Sep
How has social media changed the way brands approach CSR and sustainability initiatives and what will the future hold? What challenges and opportunities to brands face as they use new methods? Our panel will include brand marketers and experts who have seen the potential, join the discussion...
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Content Creation Collective: Secets behind social media
Wed, 26 Sep
If you’re a writer, editor, blogger, videographer, designer, producer or otherwise involved in the creation of cool stuff online then you need to come along to Content Creation Collective: Secrets behind social content on 26th September aboard the HMS President (1918), in association with Social Media Week.
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Oversharing or misUnderstood: Automatic Sharing in Social hosted by Betapond
Thu, 27 Sep
When Facebook unveiled Open Graph and made it possible for apps to automatically share what you’re listening to, watching or reading, it divided opinion. “Frictionless sharing” is a great way to discover new stuff from friends but some think it’s Too Much Information. Come along and join the debate...
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Multi-Channel Social Media – Small Biz Friend or Foe?
Thu, 27 Sep
Are you unsure which combination of Pins, Tweets and Likes will give your small business a bang for its buck? It’s a conundrum that’s facing many owners as they fight to juggle the time spent between marketing their business and actually running it.
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Multi-Channel Social Media - Small Biz Friend or Foe? hosted by Constant Contact
Thu, 27 Sep
Are you unsure which combination of Pins, Tweets and Likes will give your small business a bang for its buck? Register today, come along and don’t forget to come along with your questions, thoughts and challenges. Our panel is waiting to help you navigate the right mix of social ingredients.
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Chinwag's Careers Day at Social Media Week London 2012
Fri, 28 Sep
Hundreds of graduates, jobs seekers and experienced workers looking for that next challenge will be flocking to the Careers Day to meet the likes of Nokia, Financial Times, Imagination, Tempero, News International and more, so don't miss out. REGISTER NOW - it's free!
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Latest Blog Posts

Questions with Joshua March, CEO and Co-Founder of Conversocial

Conversocial are generously sponsoring Social Media Week.

We spoke with Joshua March, CEO and Co-Founder of Social Media Management System, Conversocial, a Social Media Week Sponsor. Josh will be speaking on ‘Social Telly: from Campaigning to Commentary to Community Building’ next week, and gives us some thoughts on engagement in Social Media.

What is Conversocial?

Conversocial is a Social Media Management System, accessible from your web browser, which connects to your Facebook pages and Twitter accounts and pulls in all content. We provide in- depth engagement analytics and comprehensive comment management tools to enable marketing distribution, moderation and customer support from a single interface.

What is the significance of engagement in social media?

Almost all engagement with brands happens in the newsfeed – fans rarely go to a Facebook page directly. Facebook’s algorithm is based upon interactions such as comments and likes, and the more engagement updates receive, the longer they will be held in the news feed. In Twitter, @replies and re-tweets directly increase visibility in the feed. Measuring and analysing engagement is key of you want to increase it – failing to address engagement levels can mean brands risk losing out on the value of social channels. If they’ve spent a lot of money to build up their fan base, this value can be huge.

Secondly, communication in social channels is two way and marketing and customer support channels occupy the same space. The more successfully you push a Facebook page or a Twitter account for marketing, the more your customers will use it to ask questions or grieve their complaints. These comments are public, for all to see, and swift responses are expected. Failure to deliver can alienate existing and potential customers.

Why is social media important for broadcasters?

Engaging with viewers should be a high priority for broadcasters at a time where excitement about upcoming episodes is dwindling. There is now much more flexibility and choice for viewers, with TV on demand available both online and on television sets directly; the public are becoming less dependent upon what media companies decide to air, when. As programmes are watched on the web, conversations around them follows – broadcasters should be involved. Social media is a great channel to get people talking about your programmes and spreading the word to create the next hit show.

What are you hoping to get from Social Media Week?

I am really looking forward to the session on Social Telly. It will be great to speak to some broadcasters to find out what they’re doing with social media and get a better understanding of the obstacles they face. I’m also really looking forward to hearing what the other speakers have to say on the subject, as we have some expert insights on offer here. Not only will I be sharing my thoughts, based upon research we have carried out into television’s relationship with social media, but this event is an invaluable opportunity for me to learn a lot.

Conversocial are sponsoring Social Telly: From Campaigning to Commentary to Community Building on Tuesday 8th Feb, 12pm -2pm.

Social Media and TV have been working together for a while to increase and extend conversation and interaction around programming content, from campaign to commentary to community building.  We will look at the best practice in the world of TV and social media and lessons we can learn from this to take to the advent of social TV.

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Social Media Week London: A small business guide

We’re delighted to welcome leading small business community BusinessZone.co.uk as a media partner for Social Media Week London. Editor, Dan Martin, put together his picks of the week for small businesses. Don’t forget to check out the full list of events.

Between 7 and 11 February, nine cities around the world will be holding hundreds of events focusing on all things social media. BusinessZone.co.uk is a media partner of Social Media Week London and here is our guide to the events of most interest to small business owners.

Social Media for Small Businesses: A Few Important Dos & Don’ts
Tue, 8th Feb 7.30 – 8.15pm
More information

From Silicon Roundabouts to a Silicon World Over Breakfast
Wed, 9th Feb – 9am – 11am
Using social media to build your company’s brand and community globally with experts including UK Trade & Investment, Moonfruit. More information

The “Friend” Close: Social Sales
Wed, 9th Feb – 2.30pm – 4.30pm
From lead generation to closing sales, a look into the world of peer-to-peer selling with Groupon and YouTube includes lunch. More information

media140 Futures: How Social Technologies Can Maximise Your Workforce
Wed, 9th Feb 2 – 6pm.
More information (cost £15)

Inspiring Entrepreneurs: The Power of Social Media
Wed, 9th Feb, 6.15 – 9pm
how businesses can harness the power of social media to reach new markets, rejuvenate marketing and enable deeper engagement with customers. More information. (cost £10, concession £7.50)
BusinessZone.co.uk is running the official live blog from this event.

Measuring Social Media 2011
Fri, 11th Feb – 10.45am – 4pm
A session exploring measurement and monitoring social media including a drop-in clinic, panel discussion, demos and one-to-one sessions including lunch. More information.

WorkSnug@Hub Kings Cross
Daily (Mon-Fri) – 9am – 5pm
Free co-working space with tea and coffee available daily throughout the week. More information.

THUPR: Content Creation
Fri, 11th Feb – 10am – 1pm
For PR and social media professionals to learn about some new and interesting ways to create compelling content for social media. More information.

BusinessZone.co.ukBusinessZone.co.uk is a leading online community offering free, practical and no-nonsense advice on starting and growing a successful business. For more information, click here.

Questions with Nick Jones, Managing Director at I Spy Marketing

I Spy Marketing are kindly sponsoring Social Media Week London.

Nick Jones, Managing Director of I Spy Marking, spared us a few moments to chat about I Spy, Social Media Week and the future of Social Media.

Tell us about your background with I Spy Marketing and what the organisation’s major goals are for 2011.

I joined I Spy as MD is January 2007 and over the last few years we have transformed the agency from a small search specialist to a digital agency offering social media, social technology, search, display and conversion optimisation to over 50 clients including Vauxhall, Jobsite, Endsleigh Insurance and Teletext Holidays. Our focus for 2011 is to continue to drive great results and innovation for our clients and to provide a fantastic place to work for our staff.

When and why did I Spy Marketing first get involved with Social Media Week?

Looked like a great opportunity to spread the word about our fantastic social advertising technology “Upcast” and to network with other professionals in our space.

What is a major trend you see rising in the Social Media space?

Location based services due to the rise of smartphones – see today’s Facebook Deals announcement

What platforms are you really excited about?

Still Facebook due to the integration with Bing search results and the immergence of social commerce within Facebook – e.g. ASOS

What are you looking forward to the most during Social Media Week 2011?

Our event! [See Below]

Where do you see the future of Social Media?

Social media will continue to be integrated into more and more platforms – gaming, TV, shopping, communication (email), search, mobile phones. It’s difficult to see past Facebook as the driver of adoption of these extra services and channels due to the sheer volume of users and the utility of the site. It’s going to take something massively disruptive to do so (see Google in search!)

I Spy Marketing are hosting Social Media Showcase: The Future of Social Search on Thursday 10th Feb, 3.30pm – 6pm, which is being held at Microsoft.

The future of Social Search will be investigating how Search and Social Media fit together, influence one another and how Facebook Advertising will be the next big thing. Speakers will include I Spy’s CEO, Jim Brigden, Facebook and Microsoft.

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