SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A team of Seattle-based entrepreneurs and technology veterans today introduced the Seattle Interactive Conference (www.seattleinteractive.com), a major two-day event expected to bring up to 3,500 attendees from throughout the US and beyond to Seattle, celebrating the convergence of online technology, creativity, and emerging trends in one of the world's most innovative cities.
Set for November 2-3 at The Conference Center at the Washington State Convention Center in downtown Seattle, Seattle Interactive Conference (SIC) will feature visionary speakers in areas ranging from online commerce and social media to gaming, interactive advertising, entertainment, and more. SIC will also include a packed schedule of business networking opportunities and distinctly Seattle-flavored social events.
Anticipated speaking highlights include pioneering chief technology officer of the Huffington Post, Paul Berry; Jamie Monberg, chief experience officer for Hornall Anderson and a veteran of interactive product development and research; internationally renowned search marketing expert Rand Fishkin; and GeekWire’s co-founders, John Cook and Todd Bishop – all among more than 50 thought leaders to be featured during SIC. In a special salute to the 20th Anniversary of iconic Seattle rock band Pearl Jam, SIC will also feature Tim Bierman, manager of Pearl Jam’s immensely popular online fan club, Ten Club.
“For years, so many of us based in Seattle were seeing each other on the same planes heading from Seattle to attend major events in places like New York, Austin, and San Francisco, so we figured, why not stage a great conference right here in Seattle?,” said Brian Rauschenbach, SIC curator. “The time for an event like SIC is right, as it’s no secret that the Seattle area is home to many of the world’s most respected technology companies, along with a bevy of online startups and entrepreneurs who are having a profound impact on the national and global technology scene.”
BATTLE OF THE GEEK BANDS AND A PAPERLESS EVENT OPTION
All SIC attendees will be eligible for:
- SIC Opening Party on Tuesday evening, November 1, featuring the ‘Battle of the Geek Bands’ – a judged contest in downtown Seattle’s Showbox at the Market showcasing many great musicians who happen to work throughout the vibrant online technology sector;
- A mid-event party featuring an exclusive, only-for-SIC concert in Showbox at the Market on Wednesday evening, November 2;
- Closing Party on the evening of Thursday, November 3 at Capitol Hill’s HG Lodge;
- Meet-ups and other targeted business networking opportunities.
According to Rauschenbach, SIC was developed not only to cater to the Seattle-area technology community, but to draw attendees, speakers, and participating companies from throughout the US and beyond. With an early-bird price point of only $199 to attend, the event is deliberately priced to be as accessible as possible, at a time when many other conferences charge $1000 or more to attend. SIC has already secured partnerships with such online leaders as MSNBC, Filter, The Washington Post, Advertising.com, Collective, Interpolls, and Specific Media, among others.
In a first for a major Seattle-based conference, SIC has partnered with groundbreaking mobile app company Unsocial to provide all attendees with a mobile event app that will include all the information they will need to make the most out of their conference experience, including the conference agenda, speaker bios, session schedules, Facebook and Twitter streams, and real-time event notifications.
SIC and Unsocial will also provide a new social networking tool that will enable conference attendees to find key business professionals within their proximity and generate targeted conversations and meetings in real-time. Features include the ability to connect with people via integrated messaging, exchange information, and to even call each other directly if they choose to make their contact information available. Unsocial app downloads will be available for iPhone, Droid, and Blackberry via most online app stores, the QR code on the official Seattle Interactive website, and at The Conference Center at the Washington State Convention Center November 2-3.
About Seattle Interactive Conference
The first-annual Seattle Interactive Conference is a two-day event celebrating the convergence of online technology, creativity, and emerging trends in one of the world's most innovative cities. SIC brings together entrepreneurs, developers and online business professionals from throughout the US and beyond for a powerful combination of in-depth presentations, networking opportunities, and uniquely Seattle social events. Attendees have the rare opportunity to explore transformative technologies and business models with visionary thinkers and peers in areas ranging from online commerce and social media to gaming, interactive advertising, entertainment, and much more.