It's only the second time India is hosting the event. The theme is 'social media for social change'.
Come February, and social media enthusiasts in the city will have something to look forward to. Bangalore is all set to host Social Media Week (SMW) between February 17 and February 21 simultaneously with seven other cities—Barcelona, Copenhagen, Hamburg, Lagod, Milan, New York and Tokyo.
Started five year ago in New York, this is the second time India is hosting the event. It was held in Mumbai last year. Today, the community has grown to more than a lakh members in 26 cities around the world.
“SMW is a worldwide festival exploring the social, cultural and economic impact of social media.
The basic idea is to get all communities together in one platform. The event is nothing technical, but will explore how different communities get affected by social media,” says Rohit Varma, co-founder and managing partner, R SQUARE Consulting.
The theme for this year is ‘Future is always on and always connected’. For Bangalore, there is an additional sub theme—social media for social change.
“Today, India is on a cusp of change. Brands can no longer dominate the consumers who are able to influence brands as they are constantly conversing with brands, thanks to internet and social media,” says Varma.
SMW will see more than 100 speakers from different communities like photography, food, art, biking etc. “We have shortlisted a few venues. The rest will be done by next week,” says Varma. As of now the venues are Hard Rock Cafe, Barleyz and Group M. “After the phenomenal success of Social Media Week in Mumbai, we believe that SMW Bangalore will set a new benchmark.
Bangalore’s reputation as a cultural melting pot and as the IT capital of the country makes for an optimal combination. Also, one of the main reasons to chose Bangalore is the fact that it is a start-up capital. Also, there are many social media app developers present in the city,” he remarks.
The festival is expected to attract over 5000 professionals, including people from advertising & marketing, brand management, entrepreneurs, start-ups, management students and other communities of relevance and interest.
Some of the prominent speakers who are expected to be part of the event are Neville Taraporewalla, general manager India, Microsoft Advertising & Online; Rishi Dogra, general manager, marketing, PepsiCo India; Kiruba Shankar, blogger; Varun Agarwal, author and founder, Alma Mater.
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