Crowdsourcing is proving to be an engine of growth for the Chicago-area economy. Groupon, GrubHub, CrowdSPRING, and Threadless are all thriving Chicago-based enterprises that have embraced the crowdsourcing paradigm. Our panel presentation will show you how to integrate this powerful new marketing approach into your own business or career. You’ll learn how today’s new businesses ventures are harnessing and monetizing the creative energy of the crowd.

Where

Gleacher Center
Room 100
450 Cityfront Plaza
Chicago, Illinois

Event Details

Crowdsourcing is the new face of outsourcing. For the last decade or so, companies have been looking overseas, to India or China, for cheap labor. But now it doesn’t matter where the workers are – they might be down the block, they might be in Indonesia – as long as they are connected to the network. Wikipedia showed that the model could be used to create a sprawling and surprisingly comprehensive online encyclopedia. And companies like eBay and Yelp have built profitable businesses that couldn’t exist without the contributions of users. We’ll explore some pertinent questions: ·What types of business and marketing processes can be tasked to a broad public? ·What are the most meaningful metrics for success? ·How can a sponsoring company/organization maintain control of a crowdsourced process? ·What incentives or motivations are most effective in recruiting and retaining participants? ·How can crowdsourcing be integrated into a broader marketing program that also includes more traditional channels and media? ·Who is likely to feel threatened and/or skeptical about the prospects of crowdsourcing and how can marketers avoid letting this backfire?

Cost

No Charge

Registration

Register Online

Deadline: 9/28/2010

Program

5:45 PM-6:30 PM: Reception & Networking (cash bar)

6:30 PM-8:00 PM: Panel Discussion

8:00 PM-9:00 PM: Cash bar & networking

Speaker Profiles

Julie Mossler (Panelist)
Director of PR, Groupon

Julie Mossler oversees PR, consumer marketing and social media at Groupon, the daily deal site offering the best things to do in more than 230 cities across the world. Prior to joining Groupon, Mossler managed PR efforts on behalf of some of America's best-loved brands, including Jim Beam and The Hershey Company. A native Chicagoan, Mossler is a graduate of the University of Missouri Journalism School and considers herself a rabid Tiger fan.

Amy Le (Panelist)
Social Media Manager/Community Manager, GrubHub

Amy Le is the Social Media Manager at GrubHub, an industry leader in the online restaurant delivery space. GrubHub shows menus for more than 13,000 delivery restaurants and provides online ordering for more than 4,000 restaurants in the top 13 metropolitan markets across the United States. As Social Media Manager, Amy develops and executes on all the social media communication and manages the company’s media relations. Before venturing into the dot-com world, Amy worked as a reporter for various Chicago media outlets, including the Pioneer Press, Lerner Newspapers and Today’s Chicago Woman magazine. Amy has been a guest speaker on social media strategies at Loyola University’s Graduate School of Business, DePaul University’s Kellstadt Graduate School of Business, Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship, Northwestern University Kellogg Marketing Club, Tribeca Flashpoint Media Arts Academy and First Nonprofit Insurance Co.

ONE MORE PANELIST TO BE ANNOUNCED. (Panelist)

Lynn Hazan (Moderator)
President, Lynn Hazan & Associates

Questions

Scott McGarvey 

Other Information

We'll have a cash bar before and after the presentation in order to maximize your networking opportunity. If you need to leave at 8, we encourage you to come early and enjoy the pre-meeting networking. We'll set up a Literature Table in the front registration area before the meeting. You may use the table to distribute copies of anything (within reason) that communicates your business, your capabilities, and/or career interests. This would include a brochure, a fact sheet, a resume, or other items of interest. This will give us all an opportunity to share our interests and find ways to help each other achieve goals.