Be a Sponsor at the Midwest's Largest Digital Marketing Conference

Get your brand in front of 2,000 marketing professionals at the largest digital marketing conference in the region!

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At #MDMC16 we set many records. Highlights of this one day event included:

  • Trended on twitter both nationally and internationally for over 8 hours on day of conference.
  • Over 50 speakers including BuzzFeed Pandora, Refinery29, Pinterest, Under Armour, Johnson & Johnson, Eloqua, Ogilvy One, Google, Yahoo,Nielsen, eHarmony, LinkedIn and more.
  • Over 50 sponsors including Purina, Momentum WorldWide, Charter Cable/Spectrum Reach, Ricoh, Selligent, Redfin and more.  View more past exhibitors and sponsors!
  • Set attendance records with a remarkable 1,367 marketers and friends, not to mention 300 wait listed persons.

The Midwest Digital Marketing Conference offers proven ROI for top brands wanting to connect with the best of regional digital communities. To learn more about available exhibitor and sponsorship opportunities please download the official sponsorship packet!
Interested in becoming a sponsor or exhibitor? Sign up now!
unnamed“MDMC16 was one of the best events we attended this year. We made excellent contacts and long term business relationships along with learning a ton!”
– Elizabeth Ledbetter, The Creative Group
 

Calling MDMC17 Speakers

Don’t miss the opportunity to speak at the Midwest’s largest digital marketing conference in 2017!  MDMC 17.png

Take your place in front of the most engaged digital audience you will ever have the pleasure of instructing. We’re on the search for a variety of amazing speakers for MDMC17! If you have a great story or topic dealing with digital marketing, social media or business, we want to hear about it! Last year, we had over 50 speakers, including speakers from:

  • Pinterest
  • Under Armor
  • Johnson & Johnson
  • Buzzfeed
  • Google
  • Pandora
  • Refinery 29

Last year MDMC set attendance records with a remarkable 1,367 marketers and friends, not to mention 300 wait listed persons. We trended on twitter both nationally, and internationally for 8 hours. If you’re interested in speaking, fill out the speaker application. All applications must be received by October 26, 2016.

Apply now

WHAT LAST YEAR’S SPEAKERS HAD TO SAY: 

mcnabb.pngBeing a part of, and presenting at MDMC16 was outstanding. Being surrounded by such a world-class audience of professional marketers was truly energizing for me. I found the quality of insight regarding the marketplace to be top-shelf.”
– W. Scott McNabb, Oracle
“This conference brings together top-notch people to whom I kaiserhave later reached out for advice and consulting. Truly a must for any forward-thinking digital marketer.” 
– Kaiser Fung, Speaker, Author, Advisor, Educator in Data Analytics & Visualization
finola“I really enjoyed speaking at MDMC16. The conference brought together marketing professionals from the Midwest and beyond — it was great to be part of that community while sharing Refinery29’s approach to speaking to the millennial mindset.”
– Finola Austin, Refinery29
 

Apply now

Podcasting Panel Recap – Tips for Starting Your Podcast

By: Chelsea Cepicky
UMSL Business recently held a podcasting panel at the Charter Communications building in St. Louis. Panelists included a variety of St. Louis area podcasters with different backgrounds and areas of expertise. This provided guests with a variety of insight and points-of-view. The panel included the following;
Podcasting Panel 1

  • Vernon Ross (moderator) – Founder and CEO of Ross Public Relations and host of the Social Strategy Podcast
  • Jeff Julian – Chief Marketing Offier at AJi Software and host of The Midwest Marketing Show
  • Jade Harrell – Creator and executive producer of RareGem Productions
  • Caryn Tomer – member of the corporate marketing and communication team at Daugherty Business Solutions and co-host of Technically Speakingpodcast
  • Mich Hancock – Owner of 100th Monkey Media, host of MichMashpodcast and Executive Director of TEDxGatewayArch
  • Michael Green – Founder of People Behind the Science podcast

We spoke with the panelists after the event to find out some of their top podcasting advice. Here is what they recommended:
What are your top tips for a beginning podcaster?

  • Vernon – It’s key to know your topic well enough to be able to talk about it with a guest or on your own.  If you’re interviewing, you get an immediate bump in credibility with your audience and respect from your guest when you can have a conversation with them as a peer and not a fan. Knowing your topic well elevates the brand of your show.
  • Mich – Decide how to create your own unique presence in an area for which you have a ton of passion, otherwise it will feel like a chore.
  • Michael – Work on your listener persona or avatar – Who is the one “perfect” audience member you want to speak to? What’s the objective of your podcast and what metrics will you use to measure your progress/success?
  • Jade – Understand that this is a long-term commitment and that makes it a promise to your audience and community – be consistent and deliver.
  • Caryn – Make sure you are starting a podcast because you have something to say and want to serve an audience. If you’re just podcasting for the sake of podcasting, you probably won’t sustain it.

What are your favorite tools/equipment used for podcasting?
podcsting 2

  • Vernon – For podcaster getting started I recommend a Xoom H4N or a Xoom H5. More affordable models include the ATR2100 from Audio Technica. Lots of podcasters use this microphone because they’re cheap with a good sound.
  • Mich – Shock City, I prefer to just show up, interview and allow the experts to make it sound awesome, edit it and send along the final product.
  • Michael – I like learning about and trying the latest tech. My favorite piece of equipment for podcasting is the Heil PR-40 microphone.  It’s a bit pricey, but due to the way it’s engineered it can make an echoey, small room sound nearly as good as a professional recording studio when it comes to podcasting. Tweet me if you would like additional recommendations.
  • Jade – I recommend Adobe Audition.
  • Caryn – While you don’t have to spend a lot, a good mic can go a long way. We bought $100 Shure that work perfectly.

For those unable to make it live to the sold out event, a three part video series will be produced (thanks to Jeff Julian) and released shortly featuring the panelists.  Look for this coming soon. In the mean time you can follow each of these dynamic and engaging panelists on their Twitter as follows:
Vernon Ross – @RossPR
Mich Hancock – @mich_hancock
Jeff Julian – @jjulien 
Jade Harrell – @raregemonline 
Caryn Tomer – @CarynTomer 
Michael Green – @aMikeGreen 
If you’re interested in learning more about podcasting and starting your own podcast, check out our class, Podcasting: Why, How and When with Vernon Ross on November 12 from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
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UMSL PMBA Students Head to Cuba as a part of the Curriculum!

By: Kat Ridler
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Hakuna Matata is said by people in Kenya to mean “no worries.” Pura Vida is a common phrase said by the people of Costa Rica and means “pure life” or “this is life.” It is things like these that PMBA students are able to learn first hand while visiting another country.
The PMBA program is a 21-month program where students with a professional background can get their degree in a time schedule that works for the student. Students are in the same class or cohort through the program. All students go on an international trip together in their second year to learn about international business and culture.
Jan Carrell, PMBA coordinator, described the difference between the UMSL Masters of Business program versus the PMBA program, “The Professional MBA program requires three years of professional work experience, so the students generally are more mature and focused. The PMBA is a lock-step, cohort program, so the same group of students are enrolled in the same classes throughout the 21-month experience. This structure fosters a sense of camaraderie that is difficult to replicate in the FlexMBA program.”
IMG_0414The PMBA trips out of the country have only been around for three years. The first trip was to Germany and was organized by a University of Missouri- St. Louis professor Peter Falk. The second trip was to China, and the third to Costa Rica and Cuba. The next trip will be to Italy and take place in 2017. Students do not know where they will be going their second year when they first apply to the program.
For many students it was their first time out of the country. Traveling to Cuba was exceptionally unique since Cuba was not open to all travelers until March of this year, under President Barack Obama’s administration’s negotiations which started in December 2014. Previously there was a travel ban from the United States to Cuba unless for educational purposes. Jackie Schlarman, PMBA student, said, “Cuba is our neighbor and it had been closed off for so long. To have this opportunity to see this place before it opened to the rest of the United States was really special.”
Darryl Curry, PMBA student, said, “Not only was it fascinating to learn about Cuba from a cultural perspective, but I was also learning about Cuba from a business perspective. The whole point of this journey was to help us learn more about business and international business in particular.”
IMG_0509There were several places that the group visited while in Cuba and Costa Rica. From cemeteries to fortresses, to coffee plantations, the group was amazed at all they got to learn about. Timothy Burgess, PMBA student, said, “In Cuba we actually visited Ernest Hemingway’s mansion. It was originally preserved with everything that he left it in the 50s. It was really cool.”
If you are interested in learning more about the PMBA program at UMSL, check out mba.umsl.edu or email Jan Carrell at carrellj@umsl.edu for more information.