Evolution of an Event: Social Media Breakfast

Yesterday I attended Social Media Breakfast 8 in Boston, and was amazed at how far the event has come since Social Media Breakfast 1.

The first Social Media Breakfast, a series of events conceived and organized by Bryan Person, was actually sponsored by CustomScoop, and was definitely a terrific event. Geeks came out, ate bacon and eggs, drank a Bloody Mary or two (I think this was the only one until yesterday's that featured booze) (and for the record, I did not imbibe at either, as I had to drive back to NH after--safety first, kids!), and made some excellent connections amidst the all the social media chatter.

Since that event, attended by about 20-25, the Breakfasts have really come into their own. They feature not only good food and smart attendees, but generous and interested sponsors (one of the better breakfasts was held at Digital Influence Group, with a presentation from Larry Weber, author of "Marketing to the Social Web") and presentations about topics of interest to social media and tech enthusiasts alike.

I frequently ramble about the need for "high level" events so the early adopters can learn something new, and I definitely think yesterday's event qualified.

The topic was video, something I am not extremely familiar with. Jeff Glasson, Larry Lawfer, Rob Lane, Ben Grossman and Emily Belyea all gave excellent presentations and participated in an extensive Q&A session.

I am delighted to see how far the breakfasts have come, and look forward to attending many more. I suppose if I had a critique, it would be that not everyone who's interested can get the time off work to attend--perhaps we ought to start a series of Social Media Happy Hours after work hours as well!