Walking into BIO 2011 International Conference held in Washington, DC (June 20th-23rd) I, Rachel Szala, quickly realized that social media was going to play a bigger role in this year's conference than I could ever have anticipated. I consider myself a "social media guru," so it usually takes a phenomenon to impress me. But impressed can only begin to describe my BIO social media experience.
While registration materials included the typical conference swag I was pleased to uncover a copy of the "2011 BIO International Conference GetSocial Notebook," (my COMPLETE guide to all things social media at the conference.) I leafed through the roughly 30-page guide, and was immediately captivated by the many different ways I could become involved and interact with other conference participants, simply by using the small piece of plastic I hold so closely to my hip: my smartphone.
Not only could I use my smartphone to scan over a dozen QR Codes that would direct me to the BIO Facebook page, YouTube channel, Twitter account, and a myBIO app, but I could also find the list of hashtags to use while I tweeted about the conference, a "Scvngr" hunt of all the interactive booths to visit, a list of the booths where I could earn "badges" on foursquare, and the LinkedIn QR code so that I could "bump" my phone with others throughout the conference in order to obtain their contact info. (Good-bye business cards, hello new world.)
I headed down the escalator, social media guide in hand, ready to experience BIO 2011 to its fullest. At the top of the escalator, before I even set foot on the BIO exhibit hall floors, I immediately discovered who the big players were in the biotechnology industry. The countries of Spain, Germany and Brazil had oversized rotating signs hung from the ceiling, directing attendees to their booths. U.S. states such as Massachusetts, Maryland and Indiana (home to Eli Lilly, our client and BIO Conference Sponsor) all had spacious, interactive booths clearly demonstrating how important a role they play in biotechnology. Equally impressive was the exhibit that showcased the myriad ways that southern states were pioneering the development of agricultural biotechnology. Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina (also home to our client ArborGen) were all commanding dominant floor space. Their exhibits provided a true bird's eye view of biotechnology− where it is and where it's going− in our nation and in our world.
In the exhibit hall, I was able to participate in Twitter contests awarding various prizes (BIO hats and sweatshirts), have my photo taken and posted to the BIO Flickr page, have my conference nametag scanned in order to win one of what seemed like a million iPads, and was encouraged to blog about my experience for a chance to become the official blogger for BIO 2012.
While the countries, states and companies featured at BIO 2011 are recognized as leaders in the field of biotechnology, it is intriguing to see that they are paving new paths in the technology of social media as well. Similarly, at Rasky Baerlein we consider our self a leader in the field of communications and government relations while continuing to be an innovator of social media for our clients. As seen at BIO 2011, social media is a rapidly changing space, and our clients rely on us to constantly evolve their strategy in order to stay ahead of the curve.
