Social Media Week New York Launches Feb 1st

NEW YORK, Jan. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Social Media Week's second annual conference launches on February 1st, 2010 and will take place simultaneously in New York City, Berlin, London, San Francisco, Toronto and Sao Paulo.

The scope of Social Media Week New York has doubled in size from its inception in 2009, with more than 70 events currently scheduled over the course of the five-day series. Headline events in New York include "Branding the Future with Social Engagement," sponsored by Pepsi Refresh; "Social Media & the Haiti Disaster," hosted by The New York Times; "Understanding Social Graph Optimization," sponsored by Meebo and hosted by JWT; "The Future of Space & Time and the Proliferation of Location-based Media," hosted by Wired & McGraw-Hill's Digital Innovation Showcase: The Impact of Social Media in Higher Education.

Other seminars throughout the course of the week will cover the impact of social media on topics including arts & culture, sports, healthcare, education, entertainment, music, fashion & beauty, news, politics and brand communications. The events will take place in some of New York's most prestigious venues, including the Museum of Modern Art, the Conde Nast building, The New York Times headquarters, IDEO, JWT, The Paley Center for Media and the Time & Life Building.

"The breadth and diversity of Social Media Week events across all the participating cities is a reflection of social media's role in modern society," said Toby Daniels, founder and executive director, Social Media Week. "The growth of social media has become so profound that it now has an impact on nearly everything around us, from reforming the way doctors communicate with patients to the way teachers interact with their students. Our hope is that Social Media Week will promote the effective uses of social media and also help advance our understanding of how to leverage it for future benefit."

Activities in New York kick off on Monday morning with the opening press conference. Presenting speakers include the Paley Center for Media's Chief Operating Officer Christy Carpenter; Pip Marquez de la Plata, chief marketing officer of Meebo; Frank Cooper, PepsiCo's chief engagement officer; and the CEO of New York-based digital agency Deep Focus, Ian Schafer.

"Social Media Week is one of the premier events in the space and provides a comprehensive analysis of the impact of social media on business and culture today," said Stephanie Agresta, executive vice president, global director, digital strategy & social media at Porter Novelli. "As global media partner for Social Media Week, we are delighted to help draw people to the events worldwide and, ultimately, facilitate ongoing conversations about this incredibly valuable and constantly evolving communications vehicle."

Pip Marquez de la Plata, chief marketing officer of Meebo added, "As social media continues to evolve, we believe it's critical to bring people together to discuss its potential for publishers, brands and consumers. Social Media Week is an outstanding outlet to do just that."

For more information on Social Media Week and to find out how to register for events in each city visit http://socialmediaweek.org.

About Social Media Week

Social Media Week launched in 2009 in New York City with the aim of identifying and advancing social media practices and policy in the corporate, public and non-profit sectors.

Organized over five days the conference consisted of 35 events hosted in multiple locations around the city, including the offices The New York Times, Nielsen, Razorfish and Wired.

In total, more than 2,000 people attended the inaugural event and an additional 5,000 people experienced Social Media Week live online with many more participating through the backchannel via Twitter and Facebook.

SOURCE Social Media Week