This past weekend we headed out to iMEDIA 2015 to deliver a session on Social ROI and to catch up with some of Edmonton’s savviest social marketers.
Hello Media organized a great event and from beginning to end, the day was full of inspiring and informative talks, great networking opportunities, and, of course, lots of cute cat pictures. (Because, really, where would social media be without cat pictures?)
So, to thank everyone for the wonderful day, we’ve put together a tweet summary (in true Buzzfeed style) of our favourite moments from this year’s conference!
1. The time we were all wowed by the beautiful, paper wall art.
https://twitter.com/SCUMillennial/status/576823027481993216
Beautiful, simple and stunning #imedia15 installation at the main stage pic.twitter.com/elAuKuCsGw
— N. Kathleen van Dusen, APR (@nkatvandusen) March 14, 2015
Rainbow construction paper adds bright #DYI design element to #iMEDIA15 speaker stage. Cheap but effective. Love it. pic.twitter.com/vIFZbWPRBj
— Tarra Kongsrude (@tkongsrude) March 14, 2015
2. When MC Linda Hoang kicked off the day with a good old fashioned cat challenge.
#CatChallenge #iMEDIA15 pic.twitter.com/9yT3jeLnoL
— Katherine Thompson (@Irishkatherine) March 14, 2015
3. And when Erin Bury took to the stage to talk about real-time marketing and how to avoid social media failure.
Lots of #socialmedia marketing ideas this morning from @erinbury – @Kendra__Parker we need to brainstorm!! #iMEDIA15 pic.twitter.com/SR84REp4hZ
— Linda Hoang Cẩm Tú (She/Her) 💛 (@lindork) March 14, 2015
4. The moment we found these little babies in our grab bags again!
Pro #iMedia15 tip: put your swag choco in your coffee! pic.twitter.com/K65qXb8Qe7
— N. Kathleen van Dusen, APR (@nkatvandusen) March 14, 2015
5. When we realized that fashion was alive and well at the conference.
https://twitter.com/DressMeDearly/status/576873447659216896
https://twitter.com/OctopusAndSon/status/576865757465747456
Shoe twins for the #iMEDIA15 #win! @Sarahndipity8 pic.twitter.com/OIJLsEnmWv
— N. Kathleen van Dusen, APR (@nkatvandusen) March 14, 2015
6. And when Mikhaila Skehor perfectly summed up every social marketer’s feelings towards autoposting.
We all know how I feel about autoposting. Shows you’re not taking the time to manage each social presence. #iMEDIA15
— mikhaila (@miktacular) March 14, 2015
7. The moment when Caroline Gault dropped this elegant pearl of social media wisdom.
#iMEDIA15 #realtalk pic.twitter.com/r64gVQ9Isx
— Tina Marie (@tinawmarie) March 14, 2015
8. And when all these people gathered to hear Janelle Aker and Devin Komarniski talk about social media strategies for nonprofits.
. @janelleaker & @DevinKomarniski have a full house! I mean, people are basically sitting on each other! #iMEDIA15 pic.twitter.com/9rmUUXk6jj
— Takeaway (@itsyourtakeaway) March 14, 2015
9. When Ryan Frankson took us on a tour of the Edmonton Oilers’ crazy social media journey and helped us understand what it’s like to manage one of the most engaged (and sometimes enraged) audiences in the city.
"Social Media in the NHL" session w/ @ryanfrankson -Dir. Social Media for @EdmontonOilers Happy I "scored" a spot in this one #iMEDIA15 #yeg
— Adrienne South (@AdrienneKS) March 14, 2015
Good to hear @EdmontonOilers execs get trend & sentiment reports from social media conversation. Thanks @ryanfrankson for sharing! #iMedia15
— Paul Letourneau (@paulletourneau) March 14, 2015
10. And when Brian Siddle delivered a strong presentation on how to develop a social media strategy (and united iMEDIA in a mutual hate of Caillou.)
Excited to learn about how to make and manage a social media campaign from @strongcoffee #iMEDIA15 pic.twitter.com/748rHXMXJm
— Adster Creative (@AdsterCreative) March 14, 2015
Real strong feelings about Caillou happening here in the Building a Social Media Campaign session at #iMEDIA15. @bsiddle @strongcoffee
— Unbelts (@unbelts) March 14, 2015
https://twitter.com/BE3Designs/status/576829310687846400
11. The fact that we had endless options for plugging in all of the things…
The fact that we have accessible plugs during sessions make @macewanu a great venue for #iMEDIA15! pic.twitter.com/b63NnqZAdG
— Michelle. 9likes here. miche_mashe elsewhere. (@9_Likes) March 14, 2015
If you're at #imedia15 today and need a charge for your device, come see us at the #techbar #chargingstation #yeg pic.twitter.com/SvjeIZU2xn
— London Drugs Oliver (@LD_OliverSquare) March 14, 2015
12. And when lunch was this delicious!
Yaaaay! Lunch #iMEDIA15 #yegfood #gastropost pic.twitter.com/0lrm2dl4zq
— Linda Hoang Cẩm Tú (She/Her) 💛 (@lindork) March 14, 2015
13. When Kyle Giesbrecht gave us all a sneak peak of the Google cardboard virtual reality simulator.
Trying out @fotofotoYEG's #GoogleCardboard Virtual Reality simulator. He is doing the coolest stuff! #iMEDIA15 #yeg pic.twitter.com/fKOW1wt2h1
— Linda Hoang Cẩm Tú (She/Her) 💛 (@lindork) March 14, 2015
Checkin out Google Cardboard with @fotofotoYEG! Come check it out! #iMEDIA15 pic.twitter.com/Omc4NbIGZS
— Amplomedia (@Amplomedia) March 14, 2015
14. And Nikki Van Dusen offered this refreshing approach to social media policy.
Do we really need workplace #socialmedia policy in the workplace? Do you have a hipster skinny jeans policy? @nikkivandusen Cheeky #iMEDIA15
— Steve Kovacic (@SteveKovacic) March 14, 2015
15. When Idris Fashan kept it real about publishing and promoting content.
'Content is as much a space race for mindshare as it is for market share.' @DrkrGrnGables #iMEDIA15 pic.twitter.com/qltGELWVLS
— Amplomedia (@Amplomedia) March 14, 2015
16. When Justin Archer reminded us all of the importance of communications strategy.
Thank You @justin_archer from for the simple tips for creating a communications strategy. More knowledge at #iMEDIA15
— Park Power (@ParkPowerLtd) March 14, 2015
17. And, of course, when we had our own chance to share some information about social analytics!
Learning how to measure social ROI in session with @BluetrainInc. Amazing to see the power of Google analytics. #iMEDIA15
— Business Link (@BusinessLinkAB) March 14, 2015
https://twitter.com/Breanne_Fisher/status/576851945014497280
This data nerd loves me some social dashboards. #iMEDIA15 pic.twitter.com/tUVkHflpOR
— Morgan (@morgzlive) March 14, 2015
18. When we recognized the sponsors that made the event possible!
Big shout out to @fotofotoYEG @Amplomedia & @LondonDrugs for being our #iMEDIA15 Gold Sponsors!
— Takeaway (@itsyourtakeaway) March 14, 2015
Thanks to our Breakout Room Sponsors @AdsterCreative @PromoYEG & @BusinessLinkAB! #shoutout #iMEDIA15 #yeg
— Takeaway (@itsyourtakeaway) March 14, 2015
19. And when Chris LaBossiere moved us with his sincere closing keynote.
Very heartfelt closing keynote @ChrisLaBossiere #bereal @iMEDIA_yeg #iMEDIA15
— Kyla Steinke (@kylaonthego) March 14, 2015
"We are lucky we live in a community where people ask 'what are you making? How can I help?'" – @ChrisLaBossiere @makeitYEG #iMEDIA15!!
— Linda Hoang Cẩm Tú (She/Her) 💛 (@lindork) March 14, 2015
What were your favorite moments from iMEDIA 2015? Let us know in the comments!