Hailey Cobb, of Charlotte-based PR firm Luguire George Andrews, brought the world of sport promotion into the social media conversation with her case study of the Quail Hollow Golf Tournament at Social Media Breakfast in Charlotte. Her experiment with Twitter for sporting events resulted in unique expertise which she shared with a captive audience.

Event-planners and marketers alike could benefit from her experience and insights as an early adopter of social media for event promotion:

• The Social Shift: Traditional media are shifting in a more social way, creating opportunities for participation, public relations, and strategic communication.
• Audience Connection: Twitter encourages 2-way communication between reporters and audience, as well as 2-way communication between PR professionals and publics.
• Conversation is Ongoing: People tweet about events. If the event’s planners are not on Twitter, they can’t participate in the conversation.
• Connection trumps Distribution: The tendency of PR professionals is to push information out; but the goal of PR professionals should be to create a conversation.