is the Internet Marketing Manager for the Reno Sparks Convention and Visitor Authority in Reno, Nevada. Rick and the RSCVA are responsible for promoting and marketing tourism in Reno and Lake Tahoe. Rick has been a Snowcial Confernece attendee singe the beginning, and most of the awesome photos you see from the event come from him. Here is his Snowcial Experience.
For me, the Snowcial conference started at the end of one of my monthly meetings with then Twelve Horses (now One to One Interactive). As we finished a few minutes early, Dave LaPlante said he wanted to share an idea with us. That perked my interest as Dave seems to always have good ideas. Then he said we couldn’t share it yet with anyone because the deal was not finalized. Ok, now I was really interested. Dave shared on a white-board his venn diagram and discussed how merging social media experts and snow enthusiasts into a single event would be just as good as peanut butter and chocolate. Now stop for a second and equate Snowcial, as he called it, to a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup. Now that I have your attention I want to share with you a few pictures of what that simple venn diagram has become.
Starting in January 2009 and then again in 2010, the event has continued to grow and get better every year.
Year 1 was a little learning, a little self promotion, lots of networking and lots of skiing. Events were created to break people out of their shells and get into the free flowing of ideas. So what better than poker for a group of highly competitive people who love to push boundaries? If you want to really get to know someone, sit across from them at a poker table; the focus will never be on yourself, but on everyone else. Then during the ski days, a scavenger hunt ensued with teams battling it out to find the largest quantity of highly hidden sites at the Heavenly Mountain Resort. The first year we had great attendees who continue to give us insight as to how to take Social Media in our businesses to the next level.
Year 2 had people join the event from around the world and focused on the future of how snow sports media would use technology in a way that is applied by real people during their real life experiences. Speakers lit a multitude of fires under the attendees and encouraged them to share their ideas and thoughts with each other, rather than just sit around and listen to them speak. MC Hammer blew everyone away and shared his social soul with the group and spurred conversation about how to incorporate our work and play lives into one cohesive instrument (trust me this guy knows his stuff). Pete Blackshaw spoke on relevance and keeping the “trust” when dealing with the consumer. When you go this year, make it a point to have Pete at your table. Christine Loredo shared her smart phone app that allows people to adjust the conversation they are receiving depending on the situation, location or time of day for a user. I hear she may have some other news to share with everyone this year…
More fun was had at the tables and on the slopes, and of course fun was had by many, dancing with MC Hammer on the Stage at Harrah’s.
This year sounds like it will put all previous years to shame. Make sure to get your tickets now, or they may be sold out. And guys (and gals), don’t forget to bring your silk PJ’s to wear to this year’s Poker tournament, a little bird tells me that Sonny really wants others to join him this year.
