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The 2019 List of Best Conferences for Library Marketers

I’m a conference junkie. I find conferences to be inspiring and engaging. I love the networking. I love the expo halls. I love the swag. I love the keynotes. I love meeting new people and finding out that you face the same challenges in the workplace. I love learning.

If you have money in your budget to attend a conference, I recommend you take advantage of it. But there are so many conferences for marketers that it’s sometimes hard to choose which one will be best. I’ve been searching for conferences for myself and my staff, so I thought I’d also compile a list for you. I’ve picked these conferences based on the value for the cost, relevance to our work in the library world, and the reputation of the organizers.

An apology for my international audience: this year’s list includes only American-based conferences. That’s because I can’t vet the international offerings. But… please let me know about great conferences in  your area or country in the comments so I can add them to the list. Include the conference URL and your recommendation if you’ve attended. I’ll cite you as my source.

In addition, there are some great library marketing conferences in the works for November and December but details are not yet available yet. I’ll add them to the list later in the year, so you may want to bookmark this post.

Social Media Marketing World
March 20-22, 2019
San Diego, CA
If you have the budget and social media is a huge part of your library’s work, this is THE conference to attend in 2019. Every one of the experts in the field of social media will be there, including Jay Baer, Mari Smith, and Ann Handley. You will learn everything you ever need to know about social media and all the platforms. It’s an expensive ticket ($1537 for the All Access pass) but the Marketer pass gets you into everything you’ll need at a $997 price point. In past years, I’ve purchased the Virtual pass. It’s $697 and gets you recordings of all sessions and workshop. That’s still a great deal.

Government Social Media Conference
April 2-4, 2019
Nashville, Tennessee
#GSMCON2019 is for people who manage social media accounts for government agencies, like the library. You’ll learn strategy, video production, and the latest trends in social media. The full ticket registration is $795 and the deadline to register is Feb. 28. It includes breakfast and lunch and a virtual pass. The virtual pass by itself costs just $225, and gives you access to video or audio recordings of most sessions along with speaker slides–a great deal for budget-strapped libraries. I’m sending one of my staff members to this conference.

Vidcon
July 10-13
Anaheim, CA
My husband attends this conference every year and he works in the health care industry at a non-profit children’s hospital. Last year, when he got home, he put together a lunch and learn to share his experience with his co-workers. He raves about it. There are tons of sessions that focus on video, from production to promotion. It’s packed with YouTube stars and they’re not all teenagers (but we can learn a lot from young folks!). Tickets are cheap–the creator pass is $175 through April 1. Your major expense will be the flight. My husband stays in an AirBnB near the convention center to save on hotel costs.

IDEAL ’19: Advancing Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility in Libraries & Archives
August 6-7, 2019
Columbus, Ohio

There is a movement in the library world to add more diversity and inclusion to libraries, and this conference is the perfect place to be educated on library diversity issues. Key speakers include Kimberle Crenshaw, professor of Law at UCLA and Columbia Law School and an authority in Civil Rights, and journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones who covers racial injustice for The New York Times Magazine. Register by April 30 for $200. After that, the rate is $250 and registration closes on July 1.

Content Marketing World
Sept. 4-5, 2019
Cleveland, Ohio

You’ve heard me rave about this one before. Last year, a group of seven library marketers joined me and it was SO MUCH FUN. CMWorld has tons of sessions for marketers of all levels and interests. There are sessions on SEO, internal communications, video, social media, strategy, and artificial intelligence. The networking potential is amazing. Super early bird rates for the main conference are $1099 and end Feb. 28, then the price goes up to $1299 until May 31. I know that’s steep for most libraries. However, if you email the organizers and ask for the nonprofit discount, you can get a percentage off the Main Conference ticket. That brings the price into the affordable range, about $800. There are also all-access and special industry forums that cost extra if you have the budget.

Library Marketing and Communications Conference
Nov. 13-14, 2019
St. Louis, Missouri

Confession: I’ve never been to this one, and I’ve always wanted to go. Our library’s conference budget is tight and I’ve always had to choose between CMWorld and this one. But I might not have to this year (fingers crossed!). I’ve heard great things about this conference. There are tracks on social media, graphic design, strategy, and more. Plus, the networking capabilities are phenomenal.  The conference sold out in 2018. Registration for this year has not yet begun but make sure you sign up for the email list so you can get notifications when it opens.

Subscribe to this blog and you’ll receive an email every time I post. To do that, click on “Follow” button in the bottom left-hand corner of the page. Connect with me on Twitter, Snapchat, and LinkedIn. I talk about library marketing on all those platforms!

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Best Conferences For Library Marketers in 2018

(Read time: 3 minutes, 50 seconds)

School is almost out and summer reading is underway. I hope your workload is lighter during this time of year! It’s now time to start thinking about your personal and professional growth. And it’s time for my annual list of the best conferences for library marketers!

A good conference experience can be a life changer. It can energize you, give you new ideas, and make you fall in love with your chosen career again. If you have money in your budget to attend a conference, I recommend you chose one of the following selections. I’ve picked them based value for the cost, relevance of the topic, and reputation of the lead organizers.

 

VidCon

June 20-23 in Anaheim, CA

My husband works for a non-profit hospital as a videographer and he attends this conference. He learns about social media, video, and other marketing tactics from some of the top content creators in the marketing industry. If you are want to bring young people into your library or connect with them (I’m talking to you, university and school librarians!) then this conference is for you. And tickets are pretty cheap–the creator pass is $200 through June 8.

American Library Association

June 21-26 in New Orleans, LA

ALA continues to improve the marketing track at their premier conference. Topics this year include branding, marketing to teenagers, serving the immigrant population, creating a marketing plan and strategy, best practices for video marketing, and much more. This year’s keynote speakers include Viola Davis and Doris Kearns Goodwin. I also have it on high authority that Emilio Estevez will appear at the conference to hold screenings of his new movie, the public, shot in my very own library–which means that attendees will get to see it before I do! ALA members pay $350 and non-members pay $460 through June 15.

Nonprofit Marketing Conference

July 16-18 in Washington, DC

With sessions from the leaders of Google Ad Grants and Caring Bridge, this conference is informative and inspiring. It’s run the American Marketing Association. It will teach you how to use your small budget and limited resources to create a brand strategy. You’ll also learn how to improve your social media game and show the true value of your library in your marketing. After the conference, you’ll get an eBook with key takeaways to refer to the rest of the year. Registration is $949 but if you register before June 18, you save $100.

Social Media All Day Conference

July 19-20 in Charleston, South Carolina

Forbes calls this “the most collaborative social media conference.” The speaker list includes experts from food, fashion, journalism, and tech. Sessions promise to teach you how to engage audiences and create lasting connections with people. You’ll also learn how to build your brand on social, both for your library and for yourself! I recommend getting the Industry Badge, which is still a steal at $300. That gets you access to all the conference areas as well workshops and networking sessions.

Content Marketing World and Expo

September 4-7 in Cleveland, Ohio

Regular readers know how much I love this conference. I’ll be attending for the fifth time this year. CMWorld is a jam-packed series of events for marketers of all levels and interests. I come home with pages of notes and new ideas. This conference focuses on the art of storytelling and how to use content to build trust with your customers. But they also have sessions on video marketing, social media, strategy, and public speaking. You’ll learn a full range of new skills. Tina Fey is the keynote speaker this year, as are Andrew and Pete, my favorite marketing video creators from the UK. Early bird registration ends May 31 but if you email the conference, they can give you a 40 percent non-profit discount, which makes the ticket around $800. I know that’s a lot of money for libraries but it is so worth it.

Nonprofit Storytelling Conference

Oct. 16-17 in Orlando, FL

This conference is jam-packed with sessions that will help you turn your library’s story into a marketing strategy. You’ll learn how to write a compelling headline for your email newsletter and how to use Facebook live to raising the profile of your library. All the sessions are recorded, so if you can’t actually travel to Florida you can still “attend” the conference via video. Registration ranges in price from $995 to $1595 depending on which option you choose (video or no video) but if you register before July 13, you save $400, which puts it into the affordable range for many libraries.

Library Marketing and Communications Conference

November 14-15 in St. Louis, Missouri

The premier conference for library marketing moves to a new location this year and the organizers are energized! This is the fourth year for this conference specifically created to talk about marketing in the library space and the range of topics now includes all areas of the field, including fundraising, governmental advocacy, graphic design, workflow, and so much more. Plus networking with other library marketing professionals is invaluable! Registration begins this month (May). If you register before Friday, July 13, you’ll only pay $375. The full conference rate will be $450. They’re also taking calls for proposals through May 25. Sign up for the newsletter on the conference website to stay up to date with all the details.

Subscribe to this blog and you’ll receive an email every time I post. To do that, click on “Follow” button on the bottom left-hand corner of the page. Connect with me on Twitter and Snapchat–it’s where I talk about library marketing! I’m @Webmastergirl. I’m also on LinkedIn, Instagram and Pinterest. Views in this post are my own and do not represent those of my employer.

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The Four Best Conferences For Library Marketers in 2016

Note: this post is aimed at library marketers in the United States because my knowledge about conferences is limited to those boundaries. If you are a reader from outside the U.S., please let us know about great marketing conferences around the world in the comments. Thank you!

Four of the best Marketing Conferences

The American Library Association conference is just wrapping up and I’m super jealous of anyone who got to go. It looks like a great time! I know many of my library marketing friends were in attendance and I hope you brought back all kinds of feasible information that you’re willing to share with me!

But I think library marketers can find value by immersing themselves in the world of marketing in a conference setting–not in the world on libraries. I’m speaking from experience. For two years I’ve chosen to spend my conference budget allotment in Cleveland, Ohio, surrounded by some of the best minds in the business. (Here’s what I learned in 2014  and the biggest takeaway from the 2015 conference.)

At Content Marketing World, I talked to marketers working with budgets, talent, and executive-level commitment that I can only dream of. I admit that, at first, I was a little intimidated and jealous. But the conference gave me a whole new perspective on marketing and some great, creative ideas for fixing problems in my department. I went back to my library with a new zeal and enthusiasm, a desire to push the boundaries a little. I think that’s a good thing. I want you to have that experience too!

You need to go to a marketing conference.  There are lots of great offerings and they are all within a reasonable budget. Here are four of the best to choose from for 2016!

Content Marketing World in Cleveland, Ohio: With a Main Conference Pass, you’ll have access to two days of non-stop learning with 4000 of the best marketing minds in the business. There are more than 20 tracks to choose from with lots of relevance to libraries, including a back-to-basics track, social media, email, and content strategy. The speakers are engaging and inspiring. You set your own pace, so attend as many or as few sessions as you please. Plus they have an ever-flowing river of coffee, lots of great swag, networking opportunities, a concert by Cheap Trick, and all the orange food you can possibly eat. And, maybe most exciting of all, this year’s keynote is none other than Mark Hamill–Luke Skywalker himself. I expect the place will go bonkers when he walks out on stage!  The conference price is about $1300 for the main pass, but it’s worth every penny and if you listen to the This Old Marketing or Content Inc. podcasts, or if you follow CMWorld on Twitter, you can get discount codes or ask for one of the limited non-profit passes, which cost about $800.  I’ll be there again this year–join me! The Main Conference runs Sept. 7 and 8, 2016.

Social Media Interactive in Dayton, OH: This is a relatively inexpensive conference focused on social media, with speakers and panels for library marketers of all expertise levels. There are breakout sessions and keynote speakers. Tickets cost just $190 and include breakfast, lunch, and parking.  The conference happens Oct. 4, 2016.

Swivel Marketing Conference in Bend, OR:  A smaller, more intimate crowd packs this two-day event but Swivel’s organizers promise to inspire and connect you with the latest in cutting-edge marketing. It’s a great place to see what’s coming down the pike for marketers and to begin to think about how you can use the tools at your disposal in a more innovative way. Sessions are focused on Facebook, storytelling, and SEO… all things library marketers can use in their institutions.  Use the code SWIVEL before Aug. 31 and get an all-access pass for just $325 (regularly $499). The conference runs Oct. 10 and 11, 2016.

Library Marketing and Communications Conference in Dallas, TX: This is the second year for this conference, aimed exclusively at library marketers and I’m kind of sad that I can’t attend but my boss will be there, presenting with OrangeBoy about targeted email messaging for libraries. There are sessions on communications, social media, public relations, and outreach in academic, public, and special libraries. The sessions will explore issues that are important for this niche of library work, and the conference will include time for attendees to network and to discuss mutual challenges. All sessions are applicable to academic, special and public libraries and the cost can’t be beat-$299 if you register by July 13 and $369 after that. This conference happens Nov. 16 and 17, 2016.

I’ll update this post with great new conferences coming up so be sure to bookmark and check it often!

Have you attended a great marketing conference or ALA? Please share your experiences in the comments section! And if you plan to attend CM World, contact me.  I’d love to meet you.

 

Subscribe to this blog and you’ll receive an email every time I post. To do that, click on “Follow” button on the bottom left-hand corner of the page. Connect with me on Twitter and Snapchat–it’s where I talk about library marketing! I’m @Webmastergirl. I’m also on LinkedIn, Slideshare,  Instagram and Pinterest. Views in this post are my own and do not represent those of my employer.

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