Franchise Social Media Summit 2011 Features Lineup of Top Industry Pros.

CHICAGO, IL, August 19, 2011 (Press-News.org) Franchise executives, marketers and development agents are gearing up for the Franchise Social Media Summit 2011, the industry's first-ever, one-day virtual seminar offering advanced social media knowledge and information geared specifically for the franchising environment.

The one-day, nine-hour event will take place entirely online from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. CDT on Sept. 21, 2011. Hosted and organized by Paul Segreto, President and CEO of franchisEssentials, and Jeremy LaDuque, President and CEO of Elements Local, the event will offer advanced social media skills from a comprehensive panel of social media experts throughout the franchising world. Attendance is predicted to be high due to topic relevance and the convenience and cost-efficiency of being a virtual event.

"At this point, most franchising professionals already know the basics of social media, now they are looking to take things to the next level," Segreto said. "The program focuses on a broad spectrum of topics specifically suited for the franchise model. Already, we've gotten registrants from franchisors all over the world."

The full-day agenda is divided into a consumer marketing and franchise sales track, each consisting of four, one-hour long webinars with a keynote speech during the lunch hour. Topics include: how to develop a social media program specific to the franchise organization; reputation management; integrating new technology with traditional marketing; powerful brand awareness methods for franchise organizations; integrating virtual and in-person techniques to close franchise deals, and more.

Participants can register for either the morning or afternoon track, or both. As an approved course by the IFA's Institute for Certified Franchise Executives program, participants will receive 75 CFE credit hours for attending one track and 150 hours for the full day. To receive credit, participants can either attend the live Summit, or view the recorded sessions within 60 days after.

Presenters for the Franchise Social Media Summit 2011 include BJ Emerson of Tasti D-Lite, David Murray of re:group, Debra Vilchis of Fishman Public Relations, Lee Plave of @Plave-Koch, Nick Powills of No Limit Media Consulting, and Jack Monson of Engage121.

Registration for Franchise Social Media Summit 2011 is available online. If you register before August 31, the price is $299 for one of either tracks and will increase $50 for registration thereafter. The full day of lectures is priced at $599 for registrations prior to August 31 and will increase to $699. All participants will be able to listen to a special keynote speaker from noon until 1:00 p.m. and will be provided with a recording of their purchased track. Everyone will also receive a free ebook written by Paul Segreto titled "Franchise Social Media: Basics and Beyond."

For more information about Franchise Social Media Summit 2011, visit http://www.franchisesocialmediasummit.com.

Contact: Debra Vilchis, Fishman Public Relations, (847) 945-1300 ext. 227 or dvilchis@fishmanpr.com