Social Media Day PHL Announces 2022 Conference, Awards Program, and Board of Directors
PHILADELPHIA, PA. (Jan. 6, 2022) – Social Media Day PHL, a nonprofit membership organization dedicated to supporting the professional development of digital communications professionals in the Philadelphia area, today announced that its signature conference, #SMDayPHL, will be returning for its 8th year on June 30, 2022. This year’s event will be a parallel conference, with both live and virtual experiences for all participants. In partnership with the Philadelphia Business Journal and PHLInno, #SMDayPHL will include the Social Media Stars Awards and reception.
“The #SMDayPHL conference has grown and changed a lot since we first started hosting it in Philadelphia in 2014,” said Cassandra Bailey, Founder and Chairman of Social Media Day PHL. “Our Board of Directors has been working diligently to ensure we have the best speakers, most options to engage, and new ways for people to access professional development throughout the year. And this year is all about celebration – with the reintroduction of awards for the best in social media. ”
With a collaboration with The Philadelphia Business Journal, Social Media Day PHL will be hosting the “Social Media Stars” Awards in 17 categories. The Awards will be judged by an independent group of social media professionals from outside the Philadelphia region, and will recognize the best people, projects, and campaigns in digital and social media marketing in 2021. Nominations will be open in January, finalists will be named in May, and the Awards will be presented on June 30th following the #SMDayPHL conference.
The awards categories include: Best Healthcare Campaign; Best College / University Campaign; Best Fundraising Campaign; Best Hospitality / Restaurant / Retail Campaign; Best Event-Based Social Media Management; Best Issue / Crisis / Reputation Management; Best Overall Social Media Content; Best Social Media Advertising Campaign; Best Facebook Presence for a Brand; Best LinkedIn Presence for a Brand; Best Twitter Presence for a Brand; Best Instagram Presence for a Brand; Best TikTok Presence for a Brand; Best B2B or Business Campaign; Best Social Media Enabled PR Campaign; Social Media Professional of the Year (30 and over); and Social Media Rising Star of the Year (29 and under).
As the organization continues to grow and expand its programs, new Directors have been named to the Social Media Day PHL Board. Existing Board Directors Cass Bailey, Jason Bannon, Deirdre Childress Hopkins, Danny Gardner, Liz Lenahan, Rayce Rollins, Dana Schmidt, and Tiffany Wilson will be joined by the following new Directors on January 1, 2022: Andrew Athias, Social Media & Digital Marketing Coordinator, Silvi Group Companies; Brandi Boatner, Manager, Digital & Advocacy Communications, IBM; Ryan Burchinow, Vice President, Paid Social, CMI Media Group; Tom Carusona, Chief Marketing Officer, Insomnia Cookies; Nicole Heverly, Vice President, Director of Corporate Communications, Univest; Melisa Martinez, Senior Manager, Social Media Strategy, Cognizant; Daniel Moise, Director of Communications & Engagement, Virtua Health; Lisa Rose, Social Media Marketing Manager, Unisys; Dea Maddox Tuwalski, EA and Special Projects Manager, Slice Communications; and William Warren Jr., President, The House of Comma.
In order to meet the needs of every member of the social media and digital marketing community in Philadelphia and beyond, #SMDayPHL will offer two distinct conference experiences. There will be an in-person event with three rooms of speakers and a simultaneous virtual conference with separate speakers and experiences. This parallel conference experience is designed to give all attendees a great experience, whether they are participating in-person or via their computer from home. Both options will provide access to world-class speakers and networking opportunities. Included in the in-person ticket is access to the Social Media Stars awards reception. Those who choose to participate in the conference virtually can also purchase tickets to attend the awards reception in-person.
Tickets for the #SMDayPHL Conference will be available starting in March 2022. Members will receive early access and ticket discounts. Those interested in becoming members can learn more at smdayphl.com/membership. Sponsors interested in supporting the conference or awards should contact cass@smdayphl.com.
About Social Media Day PHL
Social Media Day PHL is an independent, 501(c)3 nonprofit organization providing professional development and networking experiences to members of the digital communications community in the Philadelphia area and beyond. It hosts an annual conference, which is the most prominent gathering of communications professionals in the Philadelphia area, workshops throughout the year, the Social Media Stars Awards in conjunction with the Philadelphia Business Journal, and the Co-Mentor Connect, a year-long program where digital marketing strategists and practitioners support and learn from each other. More information is at www.SMDayPHL.com and http://smdayphl.com/board/.
