Fine dining in abundance, a rich history in a capital city, and an awesome host utility, AGL Resources, created an amazing setting for attendees to LEARN|SHARE|GROW at the 10th Social Media for Utilities conference in Atlanta, Georgia.
The two-day conference began with Ike Pigott of Alabama Power sharing his experience of setting up a Social Media Governance Across the Utility Enterprise. Then Ashley Baptiste lead a round robin on key issues and conference expectations for social media. Next, Terry Redman, Vice President of Corporate Communications for AGL Resources, welcomed attendees, shared digital experiences over her 25 year career, and the history of AGL Resources in their current building. Scott Thomsen of Seattle City Light presented How to Win When the Rules Keep Changing. Key takeaways from Scott’s presentation were that Periscope and Meerkat are hot, and he presented a glimpse into the future of social media. Leila Qualheim of Vladimir Jones addressed a much-debated topic: do you give your employees the keys to social media? The solution was an Xcel Energy case study on how to Engage Employees in Social Media with a “University” Approach. The day ended with a networking reception at the contemporary Hyatt Midtown.
Day two began with Getting the C-Suite to Recognize Social Media’s Value presented by Mike Jennings of PSEG. Good news! The C-Suite is now on board! Host utility AGL Resources‘ Melissa Clontz & Jon Luehrs shared how to Manage Multiple Brands for a Parent Company on Social Media. Nancy Rodriguez Casanova of Southern California Edison shared How to Turn Social Media Insights into Actionable Business Decisions. Then, Andy Le of DC Water explained “waste water is not sexy.” He was tasked with developing a new strategy to make DC Water a social media star. His presentation Improve Everything with an Effective Digital Strategy gave key elements of the program. Ike Pigott of Alabama Power posed the question: Would you let teenagers talk to your customers? Everyone in the room knew the answer as Ike presented The Case of the Missing Human. The final presentation by Todd Masinelli, a former marketer with Anheuser Busch, now with Ameren, Realizing the Business Value of Social Listening. In the wake of the crisis in Ferguson, Ameren was able to effectively head off vandalism, and possible mass outages by using social media listening tools.
The 10th Social Media for Utilities conference in Atlanta was a huge success. Attendees came to the event with only a shared need to learn more about social media and what other utilities are doing. They left with a network of like-minded professionals to help them navigate their own social media challenges.
