SMW Sydney unveils event and speaker line up; keynotes, panels and master classes revealed

Social Media Week Sydney organisers Rinsed and Evolve Social have announced the official line up for SMW’s inaugural year in Australia. The week long event will take place from September 22 – 26 and new details announced today include the session topics, confirmed speakers and ticketing details.

The central theme for SMW 2014 is “The Future of Now” and the sessions at SMW Sydney will cover this from perspectives designed to engage Australian marketers, consumers, businesses, government, students and educators. The event program brings the theme to life through three core streams of conversation – innovation, culture and advertising and marketing, with keynote and panel events taking place at The Beresford Hotel and exclusive master classes taking place at The University of Sydney.

To see the full schedule of SMW Sydney events, click here.

The Innovation stream of SMW Sydney events will feature keynote and panel sessions presented by brands, agencies and experts and that discuss important developments in the local industry. This includes sessions on consumer wearables, mobile marketing, the future of publishing, the consumer journey and “The Connected Brand”.

The Society & Culture stream of SMW Sydney keynote and panel events will feature sessions presented by publishers, personalities, brands, and agencies that discuss popular trends in the local industry. This includes sessions on social tourism, YouTube and the rise of the micro-celebrity, the politics of social, creating a movement for social good, “Socially Evolving the Music Industry”, and “The Lightside & the Darkside to Online Trolls”.

The Marketing & Advertising stream of SMW Sydney keynote and panel events will feature sessions presented by brands, agencies and marketing leaders that discuss key issues in the local industry. This includes sessions on social ROI and measurement, crisis management, “Has Social changed TV forever”, dissecting great content, real-time engagement, the future of publishing, and “The Power of Visual Storytelling”.

SMW Sydney’s exclusive master class program at The University of Sydney will take place in parallel to the sessions at the Beresford and offer attendees unique insights as well as practical tips and tricks that will enable them to conquer many different aspects of social media. The full master class program will be released later this week, and will feature sessions from Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn as well as social media personalities Margaret Zhang, Jeff Bullas and more.

Says David Wesson, SMW Sydney organizer and managing director at Evolve Social: “The SMW Sydney event program announced today brings many new and evolving questions about social media into focus, and opens them up for important, critical debate. The quality of speakers, panellists and presenters at the event is truly world class, and also demonstrates the amount of great talent that exists in Australia.

“We’re very appreciative to all the speakers for dedicating their time for this event, and also to our Advisory Board and event partners for working with us to make SMW Sydney possible. With tickets now on sale, and final preparations now well-underway, we look forward to seeing the event kick off with a bang on September 22nd.”

SMW Sydney will feature a range of ticketed and free events. Keynote and panel sessions held at The Beresford will have an allocation of seating specifically for SMW Sydney Insider Pass holders, as well as an allocation of free seating that will be open to the public. All seating is strictly limited. The exclusive SMW Sydney Master Class program at The University of Sydney will feature primarily ticketed sessions, with a limited number of free classes to be sponsored by Microsoft.

Tickets for SMW Sydney can be purchased now via the event website, and session registration will open in several weeks prior to the event. SMW Insider Passes are available for AU$299 until sold out, which include: priority seating for keynote and panel sessions, admission to two (2) master classes, exclusive sponsor benefits and an invitation to the SMW Sydney opening and closing parties. SMW master class tickets can be purchased individually for $99 per class until sold out.