Social media strategists from several major restaurants chains -- including McDonald's, Red Mango, Moe's Southwest Grill and Firehouse Subs -- will share their secrets with attendees at the 2nd annual Foodservice Social Media Universe (#FSMU) conference Sept. 16-18 at Swissotel in downtown Chicago.
In all, the FSMU agenda features four keynote presentations, 11 breakout sessions and more than 30 presenters and panelists exchanging ideas and discussing real world social media best practices for restaurant operators. Keynote presentations will be made by:
- Jason Falls, co-author of No Bulls*** Social Media and No. 9 on the Forbes.com list of Top 50 Social Media Power Influencers.
- Jay Baer, president of Convince & Convert and named by Fast Company magazine as one of America's top social media consultants.
- Dan Kim, founder and chief concept officer at Red Mango, Zagats No. 1 rated chain in the U.S. for yogurt and smoothies.
- Nate DaPore, CEO of PeopleMatter and the 2011 "Top Up-and-Coming Entrepreneur" by TiE Atlanta — the southeast chapter of the world's largest non-profit organization for entrepreneurs.
Breakout session topics include interpreting social media conversations, the science of social media analytics, the practice of online customer/community and brand management, measuring guest satisfaction and social + mobile marketing campaigns that win.
Mobile marketing will be a significant topic of discussion throughout the conference as restaurant operators seek to capitalize on the opportunities inherent in the rapidly evolving mobile communication channel.
"There is a massive technology-driven transformation occurring in the restaurant industry, led by social media. With hundreds of venture-backed software companies now targeting the $1.7 trillion foodservice industry, the stakes are high for both restaurants and vendors," said Michael L. Atkinson, president of FohBoh Inc. and founder of FSMU. "We're continuing to build on the success of FSMU 2011 and expect more participation and enlightenment from not only restaurants, but technology vendors as well."
Attending event this year's event will be social media managers from major restaurant brands such as Applebee's, A&W Restaurants, Gatti's Pizza, Jason's Deli, Panda Express, P.F. Chang's China Bistro, Schlotzky's and Taco Bell, as well as representatives from Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Unilever and Oracle.
Foodservice Social Media Universe is presented jointly by FohBoh Inc., the owner of FohBoh.com, the Restaurant Network, and Networld Media Group, publisher of restaurant media sites and events including FastCasual.com, QSRweb.com, PizzaMarketplace.com; and the Fast Casual Executive Summit.
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