April 2011

We kick off the Spring Season with a bang. Senior marketing professionals from Linked In, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter will take the stage on Wednesday April 6^th, to give us their perspective on the state of Social Media. The panel discussion will be moderated by Michael Krauss, CEO of Market Strategy Group. 

 

We hosted a similar event last year to great acclaim. Since social media is evolving so rapidly, and it is top of mind for all of us marketing professionals, we thought it would be a great opportunity to revisit this topic and make it an annual event for BMA. So, join us on April 6^th for the BMA Social Media Forum: One Year Later.

 

In May, we will be focusing on mobile marketing with a keynote address from Alicia Dietsch, VP of Marketing Communications for AT&T. During that same luncheon, BMA Chicago will be launching its first mobile application.  

 

May is also the month we recognize outstanding achievements among our members. For the second year, we will recognize a Rising Star. We encourage all of you to submit award nominations for young talent, age 30 and under, who represent the Best Contribution in B2B Marketing. Click here for more details.

 

June will be a blockbuster month. We are honored to be the host city for the BMA National Conference, which will be held the week immediately following Memorial Day, June 1st through 3rd at the Sheraton in Downtown Chicago. We are enormously fortunate to have the caliber of this conference in our backyard.   Senior marketers from many of the world’s most recognized brands are among the keynote speakers: GE, Aon, Dow Corning, Google, Accenture, Emerson, OfficeMax, USG, Diversey, just to name a few. 

 

And, as if that wasn’t enough, we are proud to sponsor the luncheon keynote: Seth Godin. Go to the website TODAY, and take advantage of the early bird registration. Or, join, renew or refer someone to BMA Chicago by May 4^th, and you will be entered into a drawing to win a complimentary registration to the National Conference. Click here for more details.

 

During the National Conference, on June 2^nd, BMA Chicago will also host the 10^th annual Biz Bash celebration, our annual fundraiser and auction. While the 10^th anniversary presents a natural opportunity for a retrospective, more importantly, it offers an opportunity to look ahead to what will drive innovation in B2B marketing in the next 10 years. The 100-plus team of Biz Bash volunteers is hard at work making this the most spectacular event of BMA history. The venue will be the stunning River East Art Center, and will feature live artist production and 3D augmented reality. It is not to be missed, and also presents unique opportunities for sponsorships and donations, especially the 10^th anniversary multi-media ad package. There are many more details on the website. 

 

So, if you have a case of professional Spring Fever, and are ready to refresh, re-engage and renew your thinking, BMA has all you need. Celebrate the innovation and creativity in the B2B marketing community – and bring new vitality and new thinking back to your own office. 

 

I look forward to seeing you at BMA this Spring.

 

All the best,

Linda Meenan

BMA Chicago President