The Social Media Club of DC holds monthly panels on the latest topics in digital, mobile and PR. As the local chapter for SMC National, we are excited to participate in Social Media Week in DC!

Social media is a powerful tool to leverage fans and friends online, but not everyone will say positive things about your brand. Cases like the BP oil spill, the Red Cross’s getting slizzard tweet and NBC Olympic Games scheduling are a warning to companies about the power of negative social media attention. This panel will feature experts in crisis communications who will answer audience questions and offer professional advice on quickly and effectively handling social media crises and spinning negative attention.

This is a dynamic event which will pull audience members into the discussion. Before attending, ask yourself, what is your worst social media nightmare for your company? Business owners and marketing managers, what wakes you up at 4:01 am in a cold sweat? Is it a twitter mafia, a Deep Throat interview gone viral or a Youtube video that far too visual? Share you stories a panel of social media crisis experts.

APCO will be providing free food and drinks during the event. Our featured panelists are as follows:

Moderator: John Cangany (@jcangany) – Director, Digital Strategy – APCO Worldwide

Richard S. Levick, Esq. (@richardlevick) -  President & CEO, Levick Strategic Communications

Richard Levick, Esq. is President & CEO of LEVICK, which represents countries and companies in the highest-stakes global communications matters — from the Wall Street crisis and the Gulf oil spill to Guantanamo Bay and the Catholic Church.

Mr. Levick was honored for the past four years on the prestigious list of “The 100 Most Influential People in the Boardroom” and has been named to multiple professional Halls of Fame for lifetime achievement.

He is the co-author of three books including The Communicators: Leadership in the Age of Crisis and is a regular commentator on television and print, including Forbes.com and Fast Company

Daniel E. Webber (@danwebber) – VP – Digital Public Affairs, Edelman

As a vice president on the Digital Public Affairs team, Daniel leads the digital crisis group and is part of the digital corporate reputation management group providing global companies and organizations strategic counsel specific to online reputation matters and crisis-related issues.

Dan specializes in helping clients prepare for, navigate and overcome digital issues that start or spread online. This includes developing online corporate reputation management programs; social media-focused crisis communications plans; in-depth training and simulations; and helping clients identify, build and leverage strategic relationships with online influencers.

Since joining the Digital Public Affairs group, Dan has helped execute online communications programs for a variety of legal, regulatory and public policy issues, including: class action lawsuits, government investigations, product recalls and other sensitive matters.

Joe Gizzi (@districtjoe) – Senior Strategy Manager, New Media Strategies

Joe Gizzi directs marketing strategy for top tier entertainment, travel and apparel clients at New Media Strategies, the industry pioneer and agency leader in social media marketing. He has developed campaigns for a wide array of brands including NBC, NIVEA, BP, Syfy, Disney, Lifetime, Diageo, ABC Family, Ray-Ban, and Sony Pictures. Gizzi builds upon a communications career highlighted by work with the Special Olympics, International CES and Grammy Awards. He is an adjunct professor of Entertainment Communications at American University.