Social Media Club Chicago and the UnMarketing Book Tour
Wednesday night, I had the pleasure of attending my first ever Social Media Club –Chicago event, at Rockit Bar. It was impressive to say the least! I couldn’t give you an exact number, but for those of you who’ve been to Rockit (River North), the whole upstairs was full, and the event was sold out. Everything (to me) went incredibly smoothly and the crowd was in great form. The event, I’ll get to in a bit, but kudos to Amy Ravit Korin and the lot of Social Media Club-Chicago!!! I will definitely be volunteering and attending more of your events. Thank you! (and sponsor, Radian6)
Given the buzz in the air, I was excited to meet some new people. I had the pleasure of attending the event with Adam Babcock (who actually volunteered at the event) and John Burks. We were planted house left, front and center for the presentation. Although we were confined to that area, I was able to meet a few people. They all had different things going on, professional, but a common theme was the sense of optimism and confidence…..and that all three were heading their own startup! It’s inspiring and you can’t help but catch some of it. Be sure to check out Jenn Korducki and Jill Felska of POP Social Media (providing social media branding and management services), and you can follow them on Twitter. Also, Marianne Llewellyn (also on Twitter) who is going to be doing great things in the realm of analytics. Although I only had a few moments with these impressive women, they had lasting effect on me and I look forward to good things from them. You should too!
I am staring to feel much more comfortable networking and establishing a community here in Chicago. I’m gonna be honest, for a long time I feared I’d be abandoning my “Detroitness” and the network I have built there. The thought of trying to stay connected to Detroit, while juggling connections in Chicago, really overwhelmed me….it still does. Funny, as I live in Chicago. I battle with this daily but really, there is no limit to the connections we make and “networks” we call home. This was never more apparent to me than it was after last night’s UnMarketing Book Tour event.
Although insightful and incredibly refreshing, I won’t regurgitate Scott Stratten quotes and anecdotes that you’ll find a lot of places online However, YOU MUST read blogs and reviews, watch him on YouTube and read his blog, follow him on Twitter! He is an amazing guy with a lot of great things to say. With that said, I was lucky to get a few moments with him before the crowd swarmed, after his speech. I didn’t want to take his time, but just thanked him immensely for not only making Detroit a stop in his tour, but for all the nice things he continues to say about the city and its people. Being the Canadian gentleman he is, he actually talked to me, Adam, and John for a minute about our fair city. What struck him the most about Detroit is that “people there actually give a damn”. I was so proud to hear how much he had taken to the conviction and passion Detroiters share. With that, true to my word, I shook his hand again and went on my way. It was a great moment for me and if you happen to catch this Scott, thanks again, and keep on doing what you’re doing! Keep coming to the Midwest! (and thanks for the book!)
This is just the tip of the iceberg, but a little intro to Mr. UnMarketing: Scott Stratten, to those of you who are unfamiliar:
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[@bryanFenster] 
Detroit 4 Life 🙂
Great chatting with you man, great night all around.
Hey Scott! I’ll say it yet again….THANK YOU. I hope to hip others to the UnMarketing movement and may we meet again….IN DETROIT. Safe travels, ignore the trolls, and enjoy the rest of the tour!
Thank you so much for the great post Bryan, and for the mention. This was one of our best SMC Chicago events and we were honored to have Scott Stratten’s UnMarketing Book Tour in Chicago!
We love seeing new faces at Social Media Club events, and volunteering is a great way to meet new people. If you, or anyone else is interested in volunteering with Social Media Club Chicago events, let me (@interactiveAmy) know!
See you at the holiday party on December 16th, 2010!
The pleasure is all mine, Amy! It was such a great night and I also appreciate you taking the time talk. I know you had the whole room to work! You were so great. I will definitely spread the word and if I don’t see you beforehand, December 16th it is! 🙂
Thank you for the kind words, Bryan! It was such a pleasure to meet you, John and Adam! Jenn and I look forward to getting to know all three of you better – and expect big things from you as well!
I completely understand trying to balance networks, having just moved here about about a year and a half ago. The Chicago community is amazing though, and I have no doubt you’ll feel part of it in no time!
Thanks, Jill! I love your site and everything you two are doing. I’m hoping to cruise around it a bit more.
I appreciate your encouragement. I have been here over four years but hey, better late than never, right?? You could be occupied every day with meetups, conferences, and other events here. It really is a special place and an incredible city to establish a network in. Detroit and Chicago have amazing histories and are both on the move now. I’m hoping to bridge the gap even more!
I’ll be in touch soon, we should all definitely keep in touch. All the best!
Welcome to Chicago Bryan! The SMCchicago is one of my favarite groups here in the city and I love their events. Always different, good energy, interesting ideas and inspiring people. I hope to meet you at a future event.
One of the things that also struck me about your post — the Detroit connection. I also grew up in the Detroit area. Have you heard of the film, “Lemonade: Detroit”? I’m excited about this forthcoming film and it’s premise. Here’s the trailer: http://lemonadedetroit.com/lemonade-detroit-trailer?c=1
And you can also “buy a frame” and donate to be an IMDb listed producer. Kind of cool!
Thanks for the warm welcome, Leslie! I must say, I couldn’t have asked for a better first SMCChicago event to attend than this. I will definitely be at future events, and we should definitely connect.
I’m not sure if you had a look around at my previous post: http://wp.me/p16oxb-4G But there is a group of us expat Detroiters hoping to have an influence in Detroit, from Chicago. The focus is on economic, cultural, and small business entrepreneurial initiatives (among other things as we evolve). We’d LOVE to have you on board if you’d be interested in attending any events or at least being on the (e)mailing list. Let me know! 🙂
Not only have I heard of Lemonade: Detroit;My wife and I are also “producers” on it! Ha. Such a great marketing campaign and great way to include the community. We all have a stake. thanks so much again for your feedback.