As part of IKM’s mission “to provide innovative and informed services that positively impact the world,” the firm often sends staff to conferences to further their education – thus staying “informed.” Such was the case recently with IKM’s VP of Corporate Communication, Patty Swisher, attending the “RaganDisney” conference, “Social Media Conference for PR, Marketing and Corporate Communications” to learn from a national perspective how other organizations are leveraging social media to advance their businesses.
Held in early March at Disney’s Beach Club Resort the conference attracted hundreds of communicators seeking the latest tips and techniques in the ever-changing realm of social media. Ragan Communications, Inc. is a world-renowned producer of newsletters, conferences, research reports and guides that delivers practical advice, real-world solutions and field-tested strategies for today’s corporate communicator.
“I haven’t been to a continuing education conference in a few years, so I was super excited to attend this one. IKM has a strong social media presence but I always want to improve as a professional communicator, so that I can be most effective.” said Swisher. “I’ve followed the Ragan Communications organization for at least 10-years, and knowing the quality of content that they produce gave me a sense of confidence in the material that I would receive.”
The conference provided three tracks: internal communication, social media strategies for PR and marketing, and what’s next on social media platforms. Swisher attended a mix of “Strategies” and “What’s Next” sessions. Titles such as “The New Twitter Playbook,” “Leveraging LinkedIn’s New Power,” “Live Video 101,” and “Making Your Newsroom Newsworthy,” provided a plethora of ideas and tactics to implement immediately back at the office.
“Overall it was an outstanding conference, not only did it confirm that I was doing many things correctly when it comes to social media but also it provided new ideas to apply from the conference, at IKM,” said Swisher. “Squeezing in some evening-time in the Disney Parks away from the grey Pittsburgh winter provided an opportunity for a ‘mental-refresh’ as well.”