Elevate, a social media conference, will be from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 16, in Cornwall in the Larita Boren Campus Center. This event, planned by students in PBR 455, Event and Venue Planning, aims to benefit all who attend through acquired knowledge of social media usage. All are welcome and encouraged to come.
They plan to have five speakers at the conference, including Taylor faculty. The conversations will cover a range of topics such as using LinkedIn, understanding visual marketing and creating a social media strategy.
Elevate co-directors Grace Toth and Addie Judson said that social media is quickly gaining traction and significance when it comes to businesses, careers or résumé builders. However, there are many students whose degrees do not have social media electives or have little emphasis on it. The event’s purpose is to provide students with a basic social media tool kit that will benefit them in the future.
Another goal of this conference is for public relations majors to gain recognition and present what the major has to offer, Toth and Judson said. While many public relations majors are involved in Shop the Loop, this conference will help the major gain more traction than annual events and gain the attention of those who are unaware of the major.
Toth and Judson are excited to see how this will build relationships with the public relations major and change how professors view social media and its presence in their department’s curricula.
“This is a good way to not only relate to people just a little piece of what public relations is, but just how valuable it is to have to accompany you with whatever you are studying because we're all publicly relating somehow, right?” Toth said.
This event teaches students the responsibilities such as event planning, how to follow through with commitments and the overall processes involved in public relations work. When the class meets, students coordinate and discuss with their peers what needs to be done to ensure the conference runs smoothly for Nov. 16.
Because of Toth and Judson’s love for organizing, facilitating and leading, they have thoroughly enjoyed the process of planning this event and are thankful for Adjunct Instructor Mark Vermillion’s hand in all of it.
Typically, PBR 455 students organize dances or formals. This year, however, Vermillion wanted to try something different. His idea to do a social media conference was met with enthusiasm from both Toth and Judson.
“Giving people the opportunity to be aware of the importance (of social media) and just learn how to use that in a three-hour period, I think, that will be very valuable to students,” Judson said.
There are some difficulties associated with planning an event of this magnitude. Toth pointed out that a conference would typically require many months of preparation, whereas she and her peers only have a number of weeks. Another obstacle is ensuring that students understand that regardless of their major or future career plans, this conference is for them.
Everyone can benefit from gaining knowledge of social media which has become so central in students’ lives today, Judson said.
Toth and Judson both strongly encourage students to attend this conference; not only will they develop a deeper understanding of how to utilize social media, but they will also be met with smiling faces who offer refreshments as an incentive for attending.
