Today we are thrilled to announce the (nearly) final locations for the next edition of Social Media Week (SMW) this September 19-23, 2011 and, most importantly, details on how you or your company can Get Involved in the global event.The initial lineup of seven confirmed locations announced in April included returning cities Milan, Berlin, Buenos Aires, Bogotá, and São Paulo, plus new entrants from Rio de Janeiro and Moscow.  Today we are adding four additional cities, beginning with returning city Los Angeles, and new cities Vancouver, Beirut, and Glasgow.

With these additions, SMW September 2011 will take part in eleven cities across four continents, offering a great diversity in both geographic and cultural locations.  There is still a possibility that one or two more cities may be confirmed, but as of today we are not accepting any new city applications for September.  If you wish to apply to host in February 2012, you can do so here.

Social Media Week Timetable
Following on from today’s announcement, here’s an overview of some important dates and milestones between now and the September conference:

• May 11: Get Involved Announcement - “Get Involved” in SMW September 2011 (sponsors, media partners, speakers, event hosts, venue providers, etc.)
• June 14: Event Submission – Local Event Proposal Submission Opens (submit an event idea, or theme or topic that you would like to see covered)
• July 6: City Agendas Announced – Initial Programs in Each City To Be Shared (early look at the agenda’s and program outline in each city)

Note: These dates and milestones are subject to change.  We will provide more detail in the coming weeks/months.

Over the next two and a half months each of our Social Media Week cities will begin activating their communities and kicking off the ideation process around the events, themes and topics that they want to cover during the week.

In the past, our partners around the world have brought incredible creativity to their events and helped to shape programs that are both diverse from a content standpoint and also exciting from an experiential perspective.  Some of the most exciting and fulfilling of these collaborations include: SMW Rome kicking off with a commandeered train ride and event from Milan to Rome train sponsored by Ferrovie della Stato (the Italian Railways); the Ogilvy-hosted Ideas Pop-up Shop at SMW London; the virtual/global Nokia Connects web application; the SMW New York Business, Media & Communications Hub at JWT; Bonin Bough of PepsiCo’s three city SMW tour of London, Sao Paulo, and New York; and SMW Bogota’s Open Day at the Casa de Editorial at El Tiempo.

PepsiCo’s Bonin Bough speaks to Shelly Palmer about Social Media Week

As an open and collaborative platform, Social Media Week provides many additional ways to participate, including curating and hosting events, speaking and presenting, designing workshops, sponsoring campaigns, parties and mixers, facilitating interviews, providing editorial coverage, providing custom design and web development, volunteering staff and participating on the local committees and city advisory boards.

Wrap-up overview of Social Media Week Rome

Here’s a more detailed breakdown of some of the ways you and your organization can participate:

• Host an event: Join the ranks of Google, the BBC, New York Times, MTV, JWT, MoMA, Edelman, and others who have all hosted events at their space during previous conferences.
• Volunteer: Join the host committee in your city, work at the events, support the communications team, help with outreach.  There are many ways to get involved individually.
• Provide in-kind products/services to attendees: Much like Foursquare, Livestream and Mobile Roadie, your company could provide services to SMW attendees that enhance and improve their experience.
• Speaking opportunities: Do you have domain specialism?  Do you want to share your ideas with a broader audience?
• Sponsor an event: While many events will place throughout each city during the week, sponsored events receive additional promotion and curatorial assistance from the local and global SMW teams, giving your brand or organization even more opportunities to connect and engage with an audience of hyper-social influencers.
• Sponsor SMW Globally or Regionally: Want to reach an even broader or global audience? Unveil a campaign or series of events across multiple destinations? Get the highest level of visibility and dedicated support from SMW with a global sponsorship.

Of Social Media Week, Bonin Bough, Global Director of Social and Digital Media for PepsiCo, has said, “Social Media Week is a truly global phenomenon—showcasing borderless brands and communications, via the power of social media. We are proud to have been an integral partner—with PepsiCo employees contributing to discussions and idea exchanges on three continents and there, demonstrating the depth and breadth to which digital media is permeating our company.”

With nine cities and 30,000 worldwide attendees participating in February 2011’s Social Media Week, it seems almost hard to believe that Social Media Week can continue to grow with each successive outing; but with eleven cities on-board for September 2011 and a global community that grows larger by the day, all signs indicate the next edition will be the biggest Social Media Week yet.

Social Media Week Global Wrap Up Video (February 2011)

If you have any questions about Social Media Week or getting involved, please contact Ben Scheim at ben@crowdcentric.net for more information.