The economy hasn’t been ideal for any industry this past year, and marketing in particular has taken a huge hit that has put many strategists into crunch mode to perfect their approaches and surpass their increasingly competitive peers.
Fortunately, there are a growing number of conferences in the U.S. to help professionals increase their knowledge and sharpen their skills to keep up with technological growth and new marketing opportunities. Chicago is a popular choice for many upcoming events, which means that professionals wondering what to do in Chicago can begin enhancing their careers in just a few short days. Professionals looking to attend some of the most rewarding conferences planned this year should consider the following.
1. Cloud Connect Chicago Conference
Cloud Connect has experienced tremendous growth in the Silicon Valley, but this year they’re heading east to offer inspiration to professionals beyond the coast. When you take advantage of this year’s Cloud Connect Chicago Conference on September 10th through the 13th, you get the opportunity to network with more than 1,200 IT professionals, cloud influencers, key executives and developers for four straight days of inspirational dialogue about the state of cloud computing.
2. SMB Digital Marketing 2012
Extend your Chicago vacation by heading straight from the Cloud Connect Chicago Conference to the SMB Digital Marketing 2012 conference, which takes place the following week from September 17th through the 19th. This year’s conference will be focused on how digital touch points affect small businesses, which are predicted to enjoy the biggest opportunities for digital marketing solutions of the next generation. According to BIA/Kelsey, there are approximately 20 million small businesses in the United States alone. The conference will focus on these small businesses and how they can capitalize on small business marketing innovation.
3. SES Chicago
The annual SES Chicago event takes place between November 12th and the 16th this year, with an exciting program featuring topics such as SEO, social media, PPC management, link building, mobile, duplicate content, video optimization, keyword research, site optimization, local, usability and more. The event features more than 70 sessions and hands-on training workshops, along with an entire expo floor filled with companies there to help you network and develop profitable partnerships for your business. Be sure to use this incredible opportunity to network with peers and industry vendors as well, so you’re guaranteed to come back home with new solutions and potential partnerships.
The Windy City has more to offer than just the best pizza in the Midwest and world-famous attractions. When you visit Chicago this year, you can gain a better understanding of the current trends in your industry, which are changing on a minute-by-minute basis. Keeping up with these trends and developing stronger and more fruitful connections with other experts in your professional sphere can help ensure your own business won’t get left behind in an increasingly unpredictable economy.