About Social Now
I am Ana Neves. I’m an experienced knowledge management consultant and owner of Knowman. Year after year, I have been carefully crafting and perfecting Social Now to keep it as valuable, relevant and surprising as when it was launched in 2012.
In this page I will share why I ventured into doing something like this, the principles which guide the event’s unique format and the wise people who have been advising and encouraging me along the way.
I will also unveil the design details which successfully help to meet your goals of getting familiar with enterprise social tools and processes, choosing the right ones and getting the most out of what you currently have. At the end of the day although most organisations share similar business challenges, each one is singular and is at its own stage of development.
Is this event for you? I am pretty sure it is.
Come join me in May. Sunny Lisbon should be at its Summer best!
MOTIVATION . PRINCIPLES . ADVISERS . FORMAT
Why We Created Social Now
Previously as a knowledge manager and more recently as a consultant I realised there are two types of events on enterprise social tools:
- those committed to having fantastic inspirational speakers to set the vision, and
- those featuring successful experiences of implementation.
However, after hearing from attendees and clients of mine, I came to understand that:
- Inspirational speakers are great but provide few “hands on” tips for participants to try out
- Cases are most often biased and hard to dig into because there isn’t much time for debate and no one wants to probe into the work of those who have been brave enough to motor ahead
- It is unlikely that you see much from collaboration spaces and enterprise social platforms (because of privacy and access) so you don’t get a proper feel for what these “social enterprise tools” are all about
- Very often the sponsors influence the content and claim time for their marketing spiel.
All combined, it is hard for a participant to get a true sense of what social enterprise tools are about, how they support work, what are the pitfalls and clever tricks, or what sets tools apart from each other.
Six Guiding Principles
1. We understand what we see
At Social Now all tools are demonstrated live in the context of Cablinc, a fictitious company very similar to your own.
No boring slides, no screenshots: it’s the real deal!
2. Features, no doubt. What's it all about?
Comparison matrixes of enterprise (social) tools do not qualify how good a feature is and cannot convey the “tone” of a tool.
And sometimes, a tool just feels “right” for the context of an organisation.
3. Network it, baby
Social Now is designed with plenty of networking time in mind for participants to share common issues, hear about how others addressed their problems, etc..
Even room layout promotes conversation.
4. Once upon a tool...
Tools are presented as narratives of work at Cablinc.
Each story will feature one enterprise social tool showing how its functionality supports business requirements and specific ways of working.
5. Time is precious
In two days, you get to know many different tools, demonstrated live, in front of an audience ready to point the finger at any exaggerated statement.
No sales pitches allowed!
6. Work + Fun = Great event
When we smile we relax. And when we are relaxed our brain is more capable of learning.
At Social Now we give you plenty of reasons to smile: great venue, nice food and a very relaxed atmosphere
ADVISORY BOARD
The Details
Tools
in Action
You have to see it to believe it! That is why you will get to see exactly what enterprise social tools look like and how people use them at work.
Engaging Storytelling
Tools are demonstrated live as narratives of work at Cablinc, a fictitious company very similar to your own. You will collect many ideas you can borrow and adapt.
Real Narratives of Business Life
Six organisations recount a typical day at work with better processes to improve communication, collaboration, innovation and knowledge sharing.
Inspiring Keynotes
Benchmark and stay ahead. Feel the pulse of the present and get a good sense of the future: it will guide your strategy and keep you ahead of the competition.
Sales pitch
free
Speakers are not allowed to get into sales pitch mode. Participants can flag any vendors who start losing the plot. They’re here to inspire, not to sell.
Experienced Panel
The panel will consider the business, the IT and the user angles to ask questions and highlight key aspects to consider when choosing a tool.
Debate & Networking
There is plenty of time to debate and network with all the clever people attending. Be careful: sun, wine and great food may be in close proximity.
Practical Masterclasses
The pre-event masterclasses will provide practical tips and further insight into those topics which have been worrying you for a while.
WHAT YOU GET OUT OF SOCIAL NOW
Your Business Requirements
WHO SHOULD ATTEND
Organisations without an intranet
- How can social tools improve business results?
- What sets tools apart and which one is a better fit for my organisation?
- What are the most important criteria to consider when selecting a tool?
- How to successfully launch an intranet or an internal social platform?
Organisations with an intranet
- How to use the intranet to improve efficiency, productivity and satisfaction?
- What process (re)designs will maximize return from the intranet?
- What techniques can we use to get more staff to use the intranet?
- What can we do to get staff to embrace a more collaborative way of working?
Chief Knowledge Officer
If you are a CKO as Paul McBright at Cablinc you need to…
- get more people sharing knowledge in order to improve efficiency, comply with norms and regulations and reduce the risk of knowledge loss;
- show tangible results to prove the value of knowledge management and secure your budget (and your role).
We promise…
- a non-technical event;
- talks by experienced consultants, known and respected worldwide as knowledge management champions;
- 9 enterprise social tools demonstrated live through the use of narratives.
So that you come away…
- with very practical tips for improving knowledge flow and retention;
- clear view of the impact of enterprise social tools as enablers to those processes;
- with narratives of corporate life which you can use to get more buy-in and put up a stronger case for enterprise social tools in your organisation.
Chief Information Officer
If you are a CIO as Louise McGeek of Cablinc, you need to…
- constantly monitor the market, identifying and evaluating tools which can give you an advantage;
- choose the best tools to meet your requirements and demonstrate maximum return on investment.
We promise…
- 9 different tools demonstrated live in the context of the same company;
- 5 talks by experienced and well-known consultants;
- a great masterclass by Tony Byrne on how to choose an enterprise social tool for your organisation.
So that you come away…
- with a clear picture of what enterprise social tools look like
- certain of how they can become part of how people work
- with practical ideas of how to improve corporate processes using social tools
- examples of how to improve adoption and get maximum return
- with a clear sense of what to consider in your strategy to keep your company ahead of the competition.
HR Directors
If you are an HR Director as James McMann of Cablinc, you need to…
- ensure that the strategic skills and knowledge required by the organisation are always available;
- speed up the onboarding process;
- promote the right values across the organisation.
We promise…
- a non-technical event;
- many networking opportunities with other HR professionals like yourself;
- a great masterclass by Paul Corney and Chris Collison on managing virtual teams and communities.
So that you come away…
- with many practical ideas of how to improve onboarding, exiting and learning
- with a clear picture of how enterprise social tools become part of the corporate routine.
Head of Internal Communications
If you are Head of Internal Comms as Anne McLear of Cablinc, you need to…
- enable and promote effective two-way communication inside the organisation;
- ensure staff have access to all the relevant information in a timely manner and in a suitable format.
We promise…
- a non-technical event;
- many talks focusing explicitly on improving internal communications;
- a chance of a close and insightful look into 9 enterprise social tools capable of improving communication in your organisation.
So that you come away with clear references of tools and processes to:
- speed up and decentralize content creation thus freeing up your team;
- improve targeting of information thus helping you meet your goals.