The 2009 eduWeb Conference will take place from July 20 to July 22 in Chicago, IL. Shelley Wetzel, the eduWeb conference founder and director, accepted to answer a few questions about this year’s conference (as she did in 2008, 2007, 2006 and 2005 – it’s a tradition.
1) Last year was the third edition of EduWeb, so how did it go?
Atlantic City provided a new venue for our largest conference yet. Attendees from around the US and the world brought a unique prospective to the growing conference. We have worked really hard this year to incorporate feedback from our attendees to make the 2009 conference even better in Chicago!
2) What would you tell people who haven’t registered yet to convince them to come?
Every day the web landscape changes for colleges and universities. In 2009, education was drastically impacted by the recession, a shift in demographics and the changing nature of constituents with regards to the web. As institutions look to trim budgets while still implementing new and dynamic web presences, they will turn to the web/marketing teams for solutions. The 09 conference is focused on these topics and will provide attendees a chance to “compare notes†among their peers and colleagues in the industry about their struggles, strategies and successes to solve this complex problem. The combined knowledge of schools and vendors from around the world will culminate in a unique and productive discussion this year!
3) Once again, the conference program is packed with lots of presentations. If somebody can only attend 3 of these events, what should they be and why? In other words, what are your favorites?
Of course our keynote speakers are tops on our list but beyond that we would recommend:
- Matt Herzberger of Florida International University session titled “Social media – your asset management toolbox.†We feel social media is dominant conversation on college campuses today. How institutions manage and utilize these will be critical in their success.
- Dana Edwards of Simpson Scarborough session titled “Measuring the ROI of Integrated Marketing and Branding Initiatives.†As institutions are faced with dwindling budgets, EVERY department will be faced with growing accountability. Examining ROI is a challenge for most institutions and this session will provide helpful information.
- Katherine Lynch of Drexel University session titled “For All: Accessibility Standards for the New Web.†Schools often adopt and update their web pages with little regard to accessibility. While the legal challenges have been small, web 2.0 is pushing the envelope with regards to this topic.
If you plan to go, don’t forget to register by June 1st June 8 to get the early bird rate of $550.
You can register online.
