This conference is a must-attend event for all those who are serious about using social media to engage employees and citizens by using blogging, podcasting and the latest Web 2.0 technologies to drive communication results. You will benefit from:

• 20 innovative speakers at your disposal to share their strategies and experiences in government blogging, podcasting and other Web 2.0 technologies
• Over 25 hours of intense, interactive learning - we guarantee you will recoup your money spent by implementing just a few of the strategies shared during the conference
• Optional networking lunches that give you the opportunity to brainstorm and benchmark solutions with your fellow attendees
• Unique and interactive workshop sessions that will enable you to practice and apply your skills in peer groups -- you will walk away with strategies and tactics that you can begin to implement in your own organisation
• An abundance of networking opportunities - you will make many new contacts so be sure to bring plenty of business cards
• A comprehensive overview of social media innovations from leading practitioners like Public Health Agency of Canada, Royal Ontario Museum, Canada School of Public Service and many more
• Acquiring new knowledge to lead your organization through the imperative, yet sometimes extremely difficult, responsibility of ensuring that the right information gets to the right people, efficiently and effectively
• Participating in instructional sessions that will share real-world examples, tactics and lessons learned from leading social media initiatives that will ground you in advancing your own strategy
• The opportunity to learn how to use new social media tools to foster your organisation's values and mission in a hands-on environment
• A complimentary packet of research materials that will serve as a helpful resource long after you have attended this conference
• A formal Certificate of Completion, which documents your training achievement and commitment to continuing professional development

Dear Government Communicator:

The world in which we work has begun to change at a shocking rate. When I began working in public relations in 1994, there were government offices with "word processing operators", e-mail was beginning to have a presence, the fax machine was still king, and the Internet was just beginning to be known as a business tool.

Since then, technology has advanced at an increasing pace, and our struggle to understand it and use it to our organisations' advantage has accelerated with each new technology.

And the advent of social media has only made the challenges of applying this rich-media, conversational model of communications to a government environment more present. It’s no longer an option to issue a news release and assume it will reach its audience; committed communicators know they have to monitor the conversations that a news release will start and contribute to, and to advise their organisations on how to participate in those conversations.

If you are working as a government communicator, wouldn't you want to be atop the wave of new media and content, rather than having that wave crash down upon you?

WHY YOU SHOULD ATTEND THIS CRITICAL CONFERENCE:

You have a responsibility to yourself and to your organisation to lead and advise on the new tools and trends that fall under the umbrella of Social Media.

This conference is designed to help you learn from success stories at all levels of government and to return to your organisation with knowledge, ideas, and expertise that will make you a more valuable employee and a leader in social media implementation.

• Public Health Agency of Canada has introduced and integrated social media into its organisation, while increasing their ability to engage in health-related conversations
• Royal Ontario Museum has shifted into using Web 2.0 to engage the public, and ultimately build new audiences
• Canada School of Public Service is building virtual Communities of Practice (CoPs) for Public Servants across Canada

Register today online or by calling our conference hotline at 773-695-9400. Attend A.L.I.'s "SOCIAL MEDIA FOR GOVERNMENT: How To Engage Your Employees And Citizens By Using BLOGGING, PODCASTING And The Latest WEB 2.0 Technologies To Drive Communication Results," this September in Ottawa, to hear from communicators who are currently social media tools, with results & benefits.

I look forward to meeting you F2F (that's face-to-face!) at this thought-provoking forum to benchmark best practices in the latest social media tools and applications.