A few weeks ago, Jay Baer wrote a post recommending some of the social media conferences he’s speaking at during the fall – and it’s a great list (including the PRSA conference Inside PR is attending).

Mark Skeffington, a former social media student of mine, asked if there was a similar list for Canada.

There isn’t to my knowlege, so I thought I’d put together a subjective overview of the social media conferences and events I’m looking forward to in Toronto over the next several months.

Here goes:

Third Tuesday Toronto – a monthly meetup organized by Joe Thornley. With guests like C.C. Chapman, Shel Holtz and Mitch Joel (to name a few), the discussions are lively and informative and there’s a good cross-section of PR, marketing and social media folks who turn out. It’s where the city comes to social-ize.

TEDx Toronto (September 23) – Toronto’s one-day version of the TED ideas conference presents local thinkers sharing their perspectives on a wide range of topics. It’s organized by a group of dedicated volunteers (I work with one of them: Lynnette Visaya).  You need to fill in a detailed questionaire in order to go – I spent a fair bit of time on mine. And it’s sold out but you can follow the content stream by visiting the site on September 23.

Social Media Masters (October 7) – A new conference for Toronto, it’s focused on advanced social media insights and techniques for marketers and PR folks. Among the presenters are Deborah Weinstein, Sean Moffitt, Sam Fiorella and Mark W. Schaefer.

Blissdom Toronto (October 13 – 15) – This is the second year Blissdom has brought their event, ‘a social media conference for women by women’, to Toronto.  It features a good cross-section of keynotes and speakers… and I’m pleased to say I’m a panelist. Right now, there’s a waiting list to attend.

Meshmarketing (November 15) – Meshmarketing is the fall’s answer to the Mesh conference, a one-day event devoted to social media marketing. I try not to miss Mesh, the calibre of speakers is always high. This year’s highlights include Joe Fernadez, founder and CEO of Klout and blog-exploder Steve Rubel from Edelman PR.

HoHoTO – A social media holiday party that raises funds for a worthwhile cause, The Daily Bread Food Bank.  I have to admit I’ve never made it to this event though I’ve registered a number of times. That’s because I’ve been always away.  This year, I hope to break my record and attend.

And there’s also a Wiki, Toronto Social Media PR events where people can post  that’s worth checking out.

And of course after the new year, watch for PodCamp Toronto 2012…

This is by no means a complete list, more like a work in progress. I hope you’ll add your suggestions. Look forward to seeing you IRL.

About Martin Waxman

Martin Waxman, MCM, is a digital communications strategist. He conducts AI research, leads digital and social media training workshops and speaks at events across North America. He's co-founder of two PR agencies, president of a consultancy and has worked in the industry for nearly 30 years. Martin is a LinkedIn Learning instructor, teaches digital strategy and social media at McMaster University, the Schulich School of Business, University of Toronto SCS and Seneca College. He's a member of the Institute for Public Relations Digital Media Research Center and a past-chair of PRSA Counselors Academy. He has a Master of Communications Management (MCM) from McMaster-Syracuse Universities.

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