Tuesday 7th February 2012, Sandy Park Conference Centre, Exeter

Delegate Feedback from previous #Epic Social Media event:

“Really knowledgeable speakers and a relaxed atmosphere, took away lots of positive thinking” – Head of Organisational Development Partnerships, NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde
“Hearing first hand experiences of other public sector organisations was really useful” – PR Manager, Angus Council
“The event provided a greater understanding of the mechanics, benefits & pitfalls of adopting social media”- Head of Communications, NHS Ayrshire & Arran
“Really good speakers and the masterclass and group discussions were really useful” - Digital Editor, Scottish Government
“Inspiring and practical too. Exactly what I needed” – Health Promotion Specialist, NHS Highland
“The event exceeded my expectations, got loads of great ideas and contacts” – Web Developer, Transport Scotland
“Really enjoyed the balance of speakers, masterclasses and group discussions” - Senior Communications Manager, Healthcare Improvement Scotland
“I wanted to see examples of how SM could be used in my work, including challenges & advantages and the event met my expectations very well” – Project Support Officer, Consumer Focus Scotland
“I really enjoyed the workshops, the event was well run and relevant” – Sergeant, Strategic Development & Governance, Dumfries & Galloway Constabulary
“The event provided really good quality information and tips” – E-Communications Officer, NHS Ayrshire & Arran
“The event was really useful, thank you” – Communications Advisor, East Dunbartonshire Council

Further to the “Introduction to Public Sector Social Media” and “Developing Social Media Policies & Strategies for the Public Sector” workshops that we have run nationally over the last 3 years, we are going to be running a 1 day social media conference on 7th February in Exeter where delegates will hear from and pick up skills and tips from 6 Local Government Social Media All Stars, each responsible for running exceptional social media campaigns that in some instances have been recognised nationally and globally.

If you are looking at using social media within your organisation, this event is a must attend for you.

AGENDA

09.30am – 10.00am Delegate Registration, Coffee & Networking

10.00am – 10.15am Chairs Opening Remarks
Ben Proctor, Founder, The Likeaword Consultancy @likeaword

10.15am to 10.40am Getting the strategy right
Alastair Smith, Interim Communications Officer, Cannock Chase Council

10.40am to 11.05am Using Twitter better in the Public Sector: Tips for Starters and Old Hands
Dan Slee, Senior Press & PR Officer, Walsall Council

11.05am to 11.20am Roundtable Discussion and Q&A

11.20am to 11.45am Morning Coffee, Networking & Exhibition

11.45am to 12.10pm Magic Numbers: Measuring the Quality & Quantity of Social Media Activity
Sarah Lay, e-Content Officer, Derbyshire County Council

12.10pm to 12.35pm Don’t Sit on the Sidelines: Exploiting Social Media to Deliver Services today
Guy Giles, Operations Manager, Looking Local

12.35pm to 12.50pm Roundtable Discussion and Q&A

12.50pm to 13.50pm Lunch, networking & exhibition

13.50pm to 14.15pm Roundtable Session 1

14.15pm to 14.40pm Roundtable Session 2

14.40pm to 15.05pm Roundtable Session 3

15.05pm to 15.25pm Afternoon Tea, networking & exhibition

15.25pm to 15.50pm Internal Social Networking – Easy and Complex in Equal Parts
Carl Haggerty, Digital Communications Manager (Strategic Lead), Devon County Council

15.50pm to 16.05pm Getting the buy-in for social media activity
Panel Discussion where all speakers from the day will share their tips and experiences of getting buy-in from management

16.05pm to 16.30pm Roundtable Discussion and Q&A & event close

EVENT SUPPORTERS

Goss will be running some workshops in the “Open Space” sessions in the afternoon:

Social Media – building a business case

The adoption and usage of digital communication on numerous channels is widespread amongst citizens. However, some councils are struggling to identify technology and implement a successful strategy to utilise innovations that enable quicker and more engaging interactions between citizens and the council.

GOSS recently published a Public Sector Digital Communications and Social Media Survey that benchmarks public sector organisations’ understanding and current trends in digital communication and social media. The insight can be used for a variety of purposes including creating a business case and to align to best practice.

The findings have been invaluable for organisations who wish to compare their digital communications and social media activity with others in the industry.

This session will explore how to use such information to build a business case and social media strategy.

www.gossinteractive.com
www.twitter.com/gossinteractive

AGENDA  Items

Getting the strategy right
Alastair Smith, Interim Communications Officer, Cannock Chase Council

Twitter: @alncl
http://al-smith.co.uk/

Despite what some may suggest, social media is not an isolated activity. The blend between social media tools and the other channels in your mix should be seemless and activities should be matched to the audience. Whilst is may be seen as necessary to be ‘on’ Facebook, Twitter, Google+, the next big thing, it’s more important to get the strategy right and work out what you want to achieve first. Unlocking new ways of working will also create opportunities to maximise the talents within your staff and can transform public facing services.

• Trailblazing to transformation – embedding practices
• Vanity or value – why are we doing this?
• Playing to your strengths – nurturing talent
• Corporate governance – getting your ducks in a row

Using Twitter better in the Public Sector: Tips for Starters and Old Hands
Dan Slee, Senior Press & PR Officer, Walsall Council

@danslee

http://danslee.wordpress.com/

Local government has embraced Twitter and now only a handful of authorities don’t have a presence. But are we using it well? How should the public sector be using it? How can it be used in a crisis? What happens when we open it up to others across the organisation. And series of tips and case studies for novices and the more experienced.

• Twitter is a powerful tool.
• It’s not just for comms people if you set the guidance right.
• Good things happen when you open it up.
• Case studies demonstrate its effective use across the public sector.

Internal Social Networking – Easy and Complex in Equal Parts
Carl Haggerty, Digital Communications Manager (Strategic Lead), Devon County Council

Twitter: @carlhaggerty
http://carlhaggerty.wordpress.com/

Digging deep into the reality of how social networking can cross the corporate divide and empower people in organisations. The challenge is easy and complex in equal measure and we’ll explore how organisations can take steps forward.

• Unpick the myths around internal social networking
• Understand the barriers and risks to adoption
• Explore the cultural and leadership challenges

This presentation will contain audio & video content.

Magic Numbers: Measuring the Quality & Quantity of Social Media Activity
Sarah Lay, e-Content Officer, Derbyshire County Council

Twitter: @sarahlay
www.sarahlay.com

At the start of any social media project, you should think about your goals, and it is these objectives rather than how popular your organisation appears to be that matter most when measuring your online success.

While social media can seem like a low cost resource, it can take a lot of time to manage these platforms and you may need to justify your activities, especially if you have a management team who are sceptical about its usefulness.

Measuring the response to your social media activity it is also important to record progress, record success and to learn from – you will never really know if what you’re doing is having any impact if you don’t record.

This presentation will focus on:

• What to measure
• Quantitative data & what to do with it
• Qualitative data & what to do with it
• Performance indicators / telling stories

Engagement, Engagement, Engagement – How to make the most of your social media presence
Corrinne Douglas, Senior Communications Adviser, Stirling Council

Twitter: @corrinnedouglas

Corrinne has been behind the Stirling Council Facebook and Twitter accounts since last year. During this time followers
have went from under 100 to over 6000 across both channels and numbers continue to grow.  She’ll advise on extending
your offline campaigns to online and how to use them to increase interaction and engagement with a range of audiences.

* Integrating your campaign on social media
* WasteWed – an online campaign to promote recycling
* Bag it and Bin it – a viral campaign with offline activity
* Social Care  – how to use a closed facebook group to reduce isolation
* Reaching targeted audiences – Countryside lovers, Skatepark consultation
* Evolving your presence – YouTube, Linked In, Four Square

Don’t Sit on the Sidelines: Exploiting Social Media to Deliver Services today
Guy Giles, Operations Manager, Looking Local

www.lookinglocal.gov.uk

Looking Local is already helping over 120 Local Authorities, Housing Associations, Police and Health Trusts deliver front line services on Facebook. They are enabling them to extend their use of Twitter to every home in the UK that has SKY TV or Virgin Media TV. This presentation will focus on:

• Providing real life case studies showing how the service works
• Highlighting the associated savings from engaging via this new channel
• Demonstrating how the use of social media is a long way from vanity – it’s a very real and important channel
• Explaining how you can get involved without needing to reinvent the wheel

Tickets and bookings

Delegate Rate (colleague/s attending Channel Shift Forum) inc VAT     £84.00
Multiple Delegate Rate (more than 1) inc VAT     £90.00
Public Sector Delegate   £120.00
Private Sector Delegate     £360.00