Social Media Week, a worldwide event that explores the impact of social media on our personal and professional lives, will once again host an event in Chicago between September 24th and 28th. Chicago will be one of 14 cities across the world taking part in Social Media Week, hosting more than 80 events entirely free to the public.
The bi-annual event aims to bring together some of the most prominent speakers in the social media field to get attendees thinking about the immense impact of technology and social networks across the globe. This year’s keynote speakers include Groupon co-founder Brad Keywell, GrubHub co-founder and CEO Matt Maloney, and Pitchfork president Chris Kaskie, among others. Chicago Social Media Week, which is hosted by Zócalo Group and the Chicago Tribune, saw more than 200 speakers and nearly 7,000 attendees at last year’s event.
“We are living in extraordinary times and witnessing the emergence of a networked and communication-abundant society,” reads the event website. “It is our belief that a society which is more connected will lead to a more enlightened, prosperous, and sustainable world. Social Media Week will be the platform and global network that will help us collectively realize this potential.”
Social Media Week is hosted in a different set of cities during each of its two annual events. Hosting the event in multiple locations across the globe allows attendees to see the kind of global reach they’re learning about in action, and become an active participant of the wide-reaching social network created by the event as it’s happening. In February more than 100,000 users participated in the global event by tuning in online to watch live speakers and discussions.
Topics featured during the Chicago event include marketing, culture, education, publishing, politics, science, and more. While around half of the events have filled up over the past few weeks, there are still more than 40 speaker and networking events still open for registration.
Visit the Chicago section of the Social Media Week website to secure your spot, and be sure to check out the infographic below to explore the impact of the last global event in February.
