Use of Social media for conference destination

An international online competition to host Australia’s first Social Media Tourism Symposium (SoMeT13AU) is currently underway.

The event, to be held from July 17-18, is aimed at digital destination marketing professionals across the Asia Pacific region and will mark the first time the event has been held outside the US.

To determine the location of the conference, Australian destinations were invited to submit a proposal outlining their hosting credentials. From there, seven finalists, including Melbourne, Brisbane, Margaret River, Wollongong (pictured) and the Great Barrier Reef were chosen to go head to head in a Facebook vote-off over three rounds.

“It’s fantastic to see Wollongong positioned alongside the likes of Melbourne and the Great Barrier Reef as not only a top tourist destination but also as a leader in the social media space,” said Destination Wollongong managing director Mark Sleigh, commenting on the bidding process.

“Our We Love the Gong social media campaign has been hugely successful in attracting tourists to our city, but winning the opportunity to host a prestigious international symposium will really put us on the map and strengthen our position as a progressive force in online destination marketing.

“It also has the added benefit of providing local businesses with access to an international conference where they can also learn best social media practice.”

People can vote for the destination they’d like to see win the conference by visiting the Social Media Tourism Symposium Facebook page before February 22. The four destinations with the most votes will progress to round two.

The destination is not the only aspect of the event that will be chosen by online voters. Symposium topics and guest speakers are also chosen following input from the organisation’s global online community.

Source: http://www.cimmagazine.com/_blog/CIM_Magazine_Latest_News/post/Social_media_to_determine_conference_destination/?goback=%2Egde_2346267_member_215221341#.USNuvFrwIcs