September 7, 2012 - CHICAGO, IL – Franchise executives, marketers and development agents are gearing up for FranSummit’s Franchise Social Media Summit 2012, a virtual webinar series which is scheduled to start on Monday, Sept. 24, with presentations occurring daily until Friday, Sept. 28. Experts throughout various fields of franchising will give presentations on their areas of expertise, with an overriding theme of SOLOMO, an acronym for social, local and mobile marketing.

FranSummit founders, Paul Segreto, President and CEO of franchisEssentials, and Jeremy LaDuque, President and CEO of Elements Local, planned the 2012 Summit utilizing the feedback they received from attendees of last year’s event, which was the first ever virtual social media webinar series for franchising.

“Last year, we planned Franchise Social Media Summit based on our experiences, conversations and the expressed needs of our peers and professionals within franchising,” said Paul Segreto. “This enabled us to form a comprehensive lesson plan that attendees would appreciate. What we didn’t have last year though, and do have this year, are the numerous suggestions, opinions and comments from the people who attended; details about what they liked and what they didn’t. Armed with this information, this year we are able to change things around, deliver information more efficiently and effectively, and further enhance the overall experience and benefit for the attendees.”

In response to last year’s feedback, Franchise Social Media Summit 2012 will span the course of five business days, with sessions occurring each day that focus on specific subjects relevant to SOMOLO and franchising. Attendance fees for the Summit are $99 (early bird rate until Sept. 9) and regular priced registrations are set at $149.

Participants in the International Franchise Association’s (IFA) Institute for Certified Franchise Executives (CFE) program can earn 150 credit hours toward their certification. To receive credit, participants can either attend the live Summit, or view the recorded sessions within 60 days after. The additional fee for CFE credits is $100.

“We want as many people as possible to take advantage and be able to attend this Summit,” said Jeremy Laduque. “We know that we have a great program with excellent presenters who all possess decades of top-notch expertise. With the new schedule, lowered attendance fees, and a chance to earn (CFE) credit, we’re certain that Summit 2012 will be able to bring more benefit to a much larger audience.”

Presenters for the Franchise Social Media Summit 2012 include (in order of presentation): Debra Vilchis of Fishman Public Relations, Steve Baxter of Satmetrix, Lee Plave of @Plave-Koch, Jack Monson and Jennifer MacDonald of Engage 121, Joel Libava from “The Franchise King” blog, Jeremy LaDuque and Michael Boyer of Elements Local, Ashley Graham of Plum11, and Paul Segreto of FranchisEssentials, as well as Lonnie Helgerson of Helgerson Franchise Group.

On Wednesday, Sept. 26, Danny Brown, the VP of Partner Strategy at Jungoo Inc., and a marketing and social media blogger, will deliver the keynote address. He will be followed by a special feature seminar hosted by John Carlston of Process Peak.

Registration for Franchise Social Media Summit 2012 is available online. For more information about Franchise Social Media Summit 2012, visit www.franchisesocialmediasummit.com.

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