Social Economics at the Sebo Series in Entrepreneurship

There’s something so invigorating about being on a university campus, especially when you’re participating in an event to inspire current and future business leaders. That’s what happened last Friday when the Hanson team and over 650 registered guests descended on the campus of Bowling Green State University for the 2013 Sebo Series in Entrepreneurship.

Hanson was privileged not only to be a platinum sponsor of the event, but also to work in conjunction with the Dallas-Hamilton Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership and the College of Business to lead the event strategy, staging and logistics. The theme was “Social Economics: Adding Value to Business with Social Media,” and it turned out to be social in every way.

Erik Qualman, social media expert and author of Socialnomics: How Social Media Transforms the Way We Live and Do Business, gave a powerful keynote address. Then he moderated a best practices discussion by a panel of digital strategists that included Hanson’s own Mike Osswald, VP for Experience Innovation.

Breakout sessions led by panel members gave attendees the opportunity to delve deeper into topics of their choice. Mike Osswald, with Kim Garretson of Ovative Group, led a panel on social and digital strategy and innovation. Meredith Soleau of Ed Schmidt Auto spoke about using social media for HR recruiting. And Shannon Paul of Fifth Third Bank discussed how even the most regulated businesses can develop an effective social strategy.

During lunch, Karen Strauss of ProMedica spoke about how her organization uses social media to share success stories.

And over in the social lounge, participants just getting started using social media for business got hands-on help setting up Twitter accounts, making and uploading YouTube videos, and posting to Instagram.

But what really gave the event its social vibe was the social network created for and during the day’s activities. Hanson designed and built Dallas-Hamilton Connect, a platform that encouraged attendees to check in, connect to others and participate in various digital activities throughout the day. At the end of the event, a live demonstration revealed all the connections that had been made that day, showing in real time how social media works.

It was an invigorating day of entrepreneurial development, and we were excited to be a part of it. Keep an eye on the Sebo Series website for details about next year’s event!

Photo courtesy of Elaine DiCesare for the Dallas-Hamilton Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership.