As I make my final prep for the half-day social media workshop I’m running at Melcrum’s Strategic Communication Management Summit 2006 conference in London next week, I see that the workshop is completely sold out.

Encouraging!

One fellow conference presenter I’m really looking forward to seeing again is Debbie Weil. Debbie – author of the recently-published The Corporate Blogging Book – is presenting on making blogs part of your strategy.

Debbie and I are planning a blogger get-together in the evening of Wednesday October 18. Not sure where yet but probably somewhere not too far from the conference hotel (the Millennium Gloucester in Kensington).

Anyone care to join us? If so, leave a comment here or on Debbie’s blog, or drop either of us an email.

32 responses to “Blogger get-together in London next week”

  1. Tom Shelley avatar

    Hi Neville,

    I’d love to come along to that. Do you know what time it’ll be as there’s the Paid Content Mixer over in Brick Lane that evening?

    Look forward to meeting you.

    Tom

  2. Emmanuel avatar

    Would be happy to join in.

    emmanuel

  3. Keith Collins avatar

    I’d be interested to meet with yourself and Debbie, please let me know more details when you finalise things. Sorry its too late to squeeze you in this Saturday when I have organised a get together with Shel Israel – as per his comment.

  4. Hugh Fraser avatar

    Am I really the first to accept? Would love to meet you both.

  5. Ian Fenn avatar

    Would love to attend. All the best, Ian.

  6. Justin Hayward avatar

    I’d like to be there if I can. Let me know where it is.

  7. Victoria Mellor avatar
    Victoria Mellor

    Welcome back to the UK Neville. We’re all looking forward to your workshop at the SCM Summit next week – well done on selling out.

    One question that I’d like to throw out there for discussion at your post conference pow wow is this:

    Steve King – tech guru from the Institute for the Future spoke at a Melcrum conference in Scottsdale last week and commented on the slow uptake of social media by internal comms practitioners. While marketers recognise the potential in engaging potential customers through social media, internal comms practitioners seem to be flummoxed by the prospect of integrating new media in to the IC mix.

    This is backed up by Melcrum’s recent survey where we asked about plans to adopt new technologies (I’m presenting the main findings at the conference) Top line summary?

    Blogs: 12% currently use, 23% plan to use
    Podcasting: 8% use, 16% plan to use
    Wikis: 4% use, 9% plan to use

    This was a global survey of communicators with 1,100 responses, so not an insignificant sample. Neville – it would be great if you use the interactive voting system we’ll have at the conference to ask the audience about intentions and plan to adopt social media.

    See you all next week

    Victoria Mellor
    CEO, Melcrum

    PS Interesting to see that bloggers like to interact face to face as well as from behind a screen (preferably with a glass in their hand).

  8. Tony Quinlan avatar

    Neville, Great idea and I’ll be there

  9. Sherrilynne Starkie avatar

    Sorry, I’m in Canada for the next two weeks. Next time!

  10. neville avatar

    Wow! Fantastic response!

    Thanks, everyone. Very much looking forward to this get-together. Let me coordinate with Debbie and I’ll email you all re time and venue for Wed. Unless any of you with The Knowledge would like to suggest a nice place to meet? Pub or cosy inexpensive restaurant?

    Victoria, thanks for that detailed info. Interesting. Reference for the workshop.

  11. Hugh Fraser avatar

    Bother! I’m going to be abroad now next week. Hope to see you another time though, and have great get-together!

  12. neville avatar

    That’s a pity, Hugh, as I was looking forward to meeting you. But if Exbiblio calls… ;)

    There will be other opportunities.

  13. Alex M avatar

    Hi Neville,

    I’d love to come along to your get together on Wednesday. It will be great to meet you and Debbie who we’ve interviewed for a podcast not too long ago. I’ll also be at both days of the conference, holding “post match” interviews for podcasts and video clips for the website, so would anyone mind if I brought the camera/microphone?!

    Alex Manchester (Melcrum)

  14. Victoria Mellor avatar
    Victoria Mellor

    If you want a venue suggestion for your blogger-get-together, The Hereford Arms is just round the corner on Gloucester Road – apparently they have good beer and fish and chips!

    Victoria

  15. anu avatar

    Ahh – the Hereford Arms – takes me back to my student days at IC.

    I’ll certainly try and get out West if I can – I recently ran a Social Media workshop for internal communicators (in Barcelona), so would be interesting to compare experiences !

    anu

  16. neville avatar

    Terrific, Anu. Be good to se you. You, too, Alex. And please do bring your gear.

    Nice recommendation, Victoria. I see they have wi-fi. I hope you’ll be there, too, to stand by that recommendation :)

  17. Matt O'Neill avatar

    hi neville,

    wouldn’t mind chatting with you about some form of involvement in this:

    http://activate.typepad.com/my_weblog/2006/07/nmk_internal_co.html

    have got plenty of interest from http://www.mcmillan-scott.plc.uk in terms of their finding sponsorship / ad involvement.

    chat next week if interested.

    m

  18. neville avatar

    Matt, happy to listen and learn over a pint!

  19. Debbie Weil avatar

    Neville,

    You’re clearly way more the rock star as I’ve got only a couple of RSVP’s over on my blog. Fantastic to see all the people who’ve responded. Can’t wait to meet everyone!

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  21. neville avatar

    It’s great, Debbie, isn’t it? What a tremendous crowd we’ll have.

    As for location, Victoria’s suggestion looks good, don’t you think? Shall we go for that?

  22. Debbie Weil avatar

    The Hereford Arms sounds perfect. What time shall we say?

  23. Claire Raikes avatar

    Hi Neville

    I’m one of the people who responded over onBlogWriteforCEOs.com… just RSVPing here at Debbie’s request. Looking forward to meeting you all at the Hereford Arms.

    Claire

  24. neville avatar

    Thanks, Claire, looking forward to meeting you too.

    Debbie, let’s go for it. The Hereford Arms. As for time, how about 7.15pm? The closing remarks following the last conference session on Wed (your session!) start at 5.20 and likely finishes well before 6. Then there’s the networking drinks reception. So we should be ok to participate in that and then head for the pub!

    I’ll see if I can get an email out tomorrow to everyone who’s commented here.

  25. […] Blogger get-together in London next week […]

  26. neville avatar

    Couldn’t get that email out yesterday but meet-up confirmed – Hereford Arms, 7.15pm on Wednesday.

    Here’s a map.

    Looking forward to seeing everyone!

  27. Gerald (Jed) Baxter avatar
    Gerald (Jed) Baxter

    Drat…. I am in town tomorrow night, and would love to have been there, but my other social commitments preclude attendance. Hope you have a good day and a great meet-up! Maybe next time.
    Jed.

  28. […] More about the conference tomorrow. Next on the diary agenda – tonight’s blogger get-together with Debbie Weil. […]

  29. Ellee avatar

    I’m kicking myself for missing out on this! Have a great time.

  30. […] Everyone, it really was great and we must do it again soon. And those of you who would have liked to join in but couldn’t make it, maybe next time. […]