This week was all about community. 💙 We just wrapped up SocialEast and the highlight? Meeting HeyOrca customers and newsletter community in person, not just through a screen! It was extra special to share the stage with Christina Garnett, EMBA and to fly in our Stan Jenn Dixon from Pennsylvania to join us. Both have been such a big part of our journey, and it was amazing to spend time with them in real life. Huge thanks to Mike Morrison and his team for an incredible event, and shoutout to our Director of Marketing, Jesse Luimes and writer in residence Lysle Hood for bringing that big Orca energy behind the scenes. 🙌 Can’t wait to keep growing together in 2025!

SocialEast Conference 2024 ✔️ It was an incredible experience connecting with fellow marketers from across Atlantic Canada and gaining valuable insights from top social media platforms and creatives. One of the standout moments was Terry O’Reilly’s keynote on Day 2. Having grown up listening to his radio show- Under The Influence, seeing him live on stage was a full-circle moment! 👏 …more

Last week was an eventful one! Atlantic Lottery was a proud sponsor of SocialEast and I had the opportunity to attend. Hearing sessions from partners at Reddit, Inc., Meta and LinkedIn were highlights. The presentation by Terry O'Reilly was the cherry on top. Thank you Mike Morrison and his team for organizing this great event. I also had the opportunity to attend the Ice Awards on Thursday night. Huge congrats to my former colleagues at Discover Halifax, and their agency, Trampoline for taking home some hardware. The lineup of creative was stacked. (I need to work on my event photography) Ryan Gulliver Aidan Roy Luke Robison Krista Harrison Abbey MacDonald Emma Laffin …more

Just wrapped up an awesome couple of days at SocialEast at Pier 21! It was great to dive into the latest trends in digital marketing and soak up some valuable insights. Excited to put what I've learned into action! Big thanks to everyone who made it such a great experience. #marketing #digitalmarketing #socialmedia IGNITE Atlantic …more

Just wrapped up an incredible two days at SocialEast in Halifax, Nova Scotia ⚓️! Great speakers, awesome connections, and so many inspiring takeaways.

Last week I had the opportunity to attend to the largest marketing conference in the East Coast SocialEast. What a wonderful experience to learn from so many talented and professional leaders, entrepreneurs and marketers. Thank you Wilsons Security for investing in me and my professional career😊 …more

I had the chance to attend SocialEast last week and it was such an amazing event! It provided an excellent opportunity to listen to several engaging presentations from industry professionals representing companies such as TikTok, Google, and Meta. Thanks to the SocialNext team for putting on such a great time 🎉🎉 …more

Congratulations to @mikemorrison and his team on another hugely successful , highly informative and entertaining Social East conference. Canadas leading series of digital and social marketing conferences . Reaching a growth rate of 80% over 2 years. Zoom Zoom ! #socialeast2024. SocialEast …more

"You can't open new locks with old keys." That's what Terry O'Reilly said (among several other nuggets of wisdom) in this morning's keynote presentation at the #SocialEast conference. And that's why I love events like these. A lot of what happens in marketing and communications is finding new solutions to never ending challenges. I had a fab time at SocialEast and am so grateful for the opportunity to continue learning. I also got to connect and reconnect with some pretty awesome folks! Special shout out to the team at HeyOrca for making me feel like a part of the pod. Y'all are some pretty great humans and you truly walk the talk when it comes to community connections. 👏🏼 …more

I got a photo with the legendary Terry O'Reilly at SocialEast last week! What an incredible conference with a talented lineup of presenters, including Saint John's own Nicole Vair from Envision Saint John: The Regional Growth Agency . It was so nice to catch up with some familiar faces and chat & meet a bunch of cool new people. I'm still processing & going over notes on everything I learned. This 2 day conference was the perfect mix of tons of fun & fantastic digital marketing information. Shoutout to Mike Morrison & his team for organizing this epic event! Photos feature; 1. Terry O'Reilly (Radio host of Under The Influence) & me. 2. Terry was the Keynote speaker. 3. Enjoyed the Harbour Queen networking cruise and chatting with Gillian Palmer & Amanda Morrell from Port Saint John 4 Nicole Vair on stage representing Saint John. 5 Mike Morrison, who brought us all together to learn, share, & connect. 6 Mathieu Savidant (He/Him) getting all the good shots at the Driving Innovation in Atlantic Canada panel. 7 HeyOrca brought the fun on day one! 8 This 🙌 in Susan Charles from Google Canada's presentation on AI 9 A scenic road trip with the highway decked out in fall colours. …more

I blinked, and suddenly it’s mid-October! Earlier this month, I had the chance to attend the SocialEast Conference, and I’m still reflecting on the incredible insights and connections I made. From engaging keynotes to creative workshops, every session offered fresh ideas and inspiration. Whether it was AI strategies, influencer marketing, storytelling, or branding, #SocialEast delivered on every front. If you’re in marketing or communications and haven’t explored the social conferences yet, don’t miss out—check them out here: lnkd.in/dRA2FMsh #DigitalMarketing #ForeverLearning #MarketingCommunity …more

Earlier this year, Joe Teo shared a list of conferences that Marketers needed to know about. SocialEast was the one I set my eye on, and last week I got to experience Mike Morrison's genius in pulling off this event. Over 500 exceptional digital marketers and communications professionals got together in Halifax to learn and connect. Even as a newbie, I found so many practical applications that I could take back home and implement. Speakers like Sabaa Quao, MBA and Umair Tazeem continued to answer questions, give advice and encourage me even after they had left the stage. I was impressed, inspired and motivated. Special shoutouts to: - Pat Atkins and her amazing team who represented well for Newfoundland and Labrador; - the HeyOrca Community for hosting a heartwarming meetup with some brilliant minds. - the vibrant Otni Chinenere whose poise and energy on stage, was outdone by her compassion and wisdom behind the scenes. Great energy all around. Looking forward to doing it again. …more

Over the last few days, I have been graciously able to volunteer at the annual SocialEast conference in Halifax again this year! Working alongside Lindsay Faithfull and Hanna Ginther has shown me a great perspective of event planning and all the hard work behind the scenes. Listening in on a few speakers has been such a great experience to furthering my knowledge about digital marketing! Thank you Mike Morrison for this opportunity and best of luck for the upcoming Social events. …more

Had an wonderful experience at SocialEast in Halifax, Atlantic Canada’s largest digital marketing conference!

Anyone else hanging at SocialEast for the next two days?

I had the pleasure of speaking at SocialEast by SocialNext this week in beautiful Halifax Nova Scotia. The eastern Canada marketing community is vibrant and continues to innovate in new ways. Reddit is on an incredible growth trajectory as our ecosystem continues to evolve. No matter what someone is looking for, or how they are looking for it, they often end up on Reddit. If they start with a simple Google search, they find the best answer on Reddit. This translates to incredible opportunities for brands to engage using our powerful advertising solutions. Huge thank you to Mike Morrison for inviting Reddit to the stage! It was also nice to spend some quality time with friendly competition - Meredith McKeough and Lindsey Tracey …more

Just wrapped up an incredible two days at the SocialEast Digital Marketing Conference with the fantastic team at Collab. 🚀 From inspiring speakers to insightful workshops, we gained valuable knowledge and fresh perspectives on the ever-evolving digital landscape. It was great to connect with industry leaders who are as passionate about innovation as we are. #SocialEast2024 #DigitalMarketing #Collab …more

Hey! I’m back with my one yearly LinkedIn update. Last week, I had the amazing chance to attend SocialEast, where I immersed myself in the most insightful sessions on digital marketing, the inevitable rise of AI, digital brand strategy, and my personal favourite... unlocking the secret to marketing to Gen Z. This conference was the perfect opportunity to stay on top of emerging trends, sharpen my skills, and connect with fellow marketing professionals. All while visiting one of my favourite spots in all of Canada ;). A big highlight to this conference was meeting Terry O'Reilly. His experience in the Marketing and Advertising business opened my eyes to a bigger picture - the art of creative and counterintuitive thinking. Highly recommend his new book The Age of Persuasion. Couldn’t get a picture with everyone but shoutout to the amazing connections I made during those two amazing days and to Mike Morrison at SocialNext for bringing this conference to life. #SocialEast #DigitalMarketing #Networking #ContinuousLearning #GrowthMindset #Halifax #VujaDe …more

Still all smiles after speaking at SocialEast in Halifax last week. Grateful for the opportunity to meet many smart, kind, and innovative marketers from Canada’s east coast (and beyond!) and share how businesses of any size can use creative diversification & experimentation to improve the performance of their ads on Meta’s platforms. Kudos to Mike Morrison and team for the impeccably organized event - thank you for having me 😊 …more

On Friday, I attended the SocialEast Conference. This was my second year attending, and it just keeps getting better! The speaker lineup was unreal, and it was hard to choose just one track for the day! How could it not be an amazing day with so many awesome marketers in one place? Plus Terry O'Reilly was in the building! True fan girl moment. The highlight for me was definitely meeting the HeyOrca pod in person! Joe Teo, Christina Garnett, EMBA, Jesse Luimes, and Lysle Hood you are all such gracious hosts and made us HeyOrca Stans feel so valued and welcome. 📸 credit to Kerra Aucoin Mansfield for capturing HeyOrca's community dinner on Thursday night! …more

Today I had the incredible opportunity to speak on my first ever panel at SocialEast, Atlantic Canada’s largest social media conference. 💬🤳 The panel, ‘How Purpose-Driven Brands Foster Authentic Connections,’ was such a meaningful conversation, and I’m grateful to have shared the stage with Taylor Stokal, MSc and Hannah Graham Rose! It was incredibly rewarding to step out from behind the scenes and share my perspective on a topic I’ve been passionate about for so long! …more

This week was all about community. 💙 We just wrapped up SocialEast and the highlight? Meeting HeyOrca customers and newsletter community in person, not just through a screen! It was extra special to share the stage with Christina Garnett, EMBA and to fly in our Stan Jenn Dixon from Pennsylvania to join us. Both have been such a big part of our journey, and it was amazing to spend time with them in real life. Huge thanks to Mike Morrison and his team for an incredible event, and shoutout to our Director of Marketing, Jesse Luimes and writer in residence Lysle Hood for bringing that big Orca energy behind the scenes. 🙌 Can’t wait to keep growing together in 2025! …more

Last week, I had the incredible opportunity to be a guest speaker at #SocialEast. A first experience I won’t forget. ✨ It was a pleasure to share insights on ways to better Connect with GenZ with nearly 500 digital marketers and learn from incredible thought leaders from Amazon, Google, LinkedIn and so many more. I’m excited to keep the conversations going to unlock Direct Mail best kept secrets and explore how it can help you fuel your in-store and online strategy. Until then, let’s keep in mind GenZers : 💡Have a purpose. 💡Are social and constantly connected. 💡Crave for physical connections. 💡Are not so different from previous generations…yet not the same. 💡Trust and see whats inside the mailbox as special. #Digital #GenZ #DirectMail #First …more

Last week, I was so fortunate to have the opportunity to attend #SocialEast, which brought together incredible thought leaders from Meta , LinkedIn, Reddit, Tiktok, Amazon, Google and so many more including the fascinating Terry O'Reilly. Social Media is a rapidly changing environment and this conference helps ensure I stay up to date on the most effective ways to reach and engage with our audience. I have a notebook full of takeaways for my entire team and am already strategizing and working these ideas into our social media strategy! …more

At the #SocialEast conference today representing Stingray Media, including our Radio Stations and Digital Media.

We sponsored a break at #socialeast (great conference), and I have to admit I lingered for a bit to watch people’s reactions to the product. Was really interesting… A lot of intrigue. A lot of curiosity. A lot of picking the product up and examining the label. Once people tried it the reaction was always overwhelmingly positive. Moral of the story, great insight that I need to market in general and on can better to clarify the product. …more

🚀 Our team at VIVIFY Creative Group had a fantastic experience at SocialEast We walked away with powerful insights to keep our clients ahead of the curve. Here are our 5 key takeaways: 1️⃣ AI is Taking Over Marketing: AI is making marketing faster and smarter, from generating briefs to providing strategic insights. However, it also brings challenges. Marketers need to be cautious of losing control over messaging and missing out on local nuances. AI relies heavily on large datasets, which can flatten regional differences. Key takeaway? Train marketers to think critically about AI results and ensure your business is prepared with the right systems before adopting AI tools. 2️⃣ Search is Evolving: The way consumers search for information has changed dramatically. While Google still dominates, AI chatbots and social media platforms are rising fast as alternative search tools. To win in 2024, it’s essential to be visible on all platforms, adapt content for different channels, and leverage the synergy across them. 3️⃣ Data is Key: Collecting and using first-party data is more important than ever as privacy regulations tighten. Businesses that gather their own data will have a competitive edge in reaching the right audience. But compliance is crucial—make sure your data policies align with federal laws like PIPEDA and follow best practices (think DMARC, DKIM, and SPF for domain authentication). 4️⃣ Creativity + Best Practices in Digital Ads: Creativity is king! But it needs to be combined with data-driven best practices for digital advertising. Standing out requires daring ideas, but remember, there’s no magic formula—every campaign needs testing and fine-tuning. The focus is on getting attention, being bold, and testing creative strategies outside your industry’s box. 5️⃣ Marketing to Gen Z: Gen Z now represents 20% of the market and plays by a unique set of rules. They’re socially conscious, digitally native, but also crave real-world interactions. Plus, with rising costs of living, Gen Z is value-driven, often seeking deals. To win them over, brands need to focus on authenticity, provide value, and connect with them both online and offline. We’re excited to bring these insights into action for our clients!💡✨ #SocialEast2024 #MarketingInnovation #AI #SearchMarketing #DataDriven #CreativeStrategy #GenZMarketing …more

Our Marketing Coordinator, Ruth, just crushed two days at SocialEast 🤩 She’s back with ALL the inspo from Canada’s top marketers and is already cooking up fresh content and new digital strategy ideas. Can’t wait to see what she does next for our digital platforms❤️ #marketing #socialmediamanager #contentcreation #pei …more

Day 2 of SocialEast is a wrap! 👏🎉 What an amazing, jam-packed day we had full of sessions and panels. We explored how Reddit is a key platform for understanding context, learned winning strategies for accelerating business growth through modern storytelling, and discovered how to maximize small budgets with effective Meta ads strategies. Our team can’t wait to head back in 2025! …more

“Think of Reddit as the platform that combines the best of search and social," said Blake Smith, Senior Manager, Mid Market #Canada, at SocialEast 2024. In his talk, Blake explained how, no matter what people are searching for—whether starting with Google or checking an article of top recommendations—all roads lead through Reddit.

We’re proud to have our very own digital marketing specialist, Brody, representing us at SocialEast – one of Canada’s largest digital marketing conferences! We can’t wait to hear all about the insights and strategies he brings back to help elevate our brands even further. Stay tuned for updates! #SocialEast #DigitalMarketing #InnovationInAction #MarketingExcellence …more

It’s time for SocialEast again! #photooftheday

Always feels like you could have done better ;) Just finished a quick talk at SocialEast on Smart Marketing… our (Iron House Pro ) take on the types of systems any organization should have before they pay for marketing and advertising to get the best results. Currently sitting in the brewery next door decompressing and going over all of the things I meant to say and how I could have managed timing better… ;). But loved the opportunity and hope we offered some value. We offered a quick takeaway doc with some of our notes… here’s a copy for the masses, love to chat further for anyone interested! lnkd.in/gJ6Tis-m …more

Out here at SocialEast 2024 helping capture all the highlights and POV content with Collab.

Sure, it’s fun to hear about what the big guys are doing with their ads budgets and resources, BUT… We all know that sometimes, the same strategies and case studies we see from those giants just simply won’t translate to those who are working with smaller budgets and fewer resources. And that right there is why I chose to centre my SocialEast talk this year around Meta Ads strategies to optimize a SMALL budget. Because the reality is that most companies and organizations are working with just that - a small budget, and… They want to know what they can do NOW with the resources they CURRENTLY have access to, rather than only being shown the possibilities that exist for “maybe someday”. Special thanks to everyone who helped make SocialEast incredible like Mike Morrison Lindsay Faithfull, their team and volunteers, hosts Julie Ogilvie and Otni Chinenere, my fellow speakers, and everyone who showed up in the room! …more

I’m at #SocialEast today and tomorrow. Looking forward to meeting loads of people. We’re surrounded by cruisers and here’s the view from the window at Pier 21. …more

What a week! Last week, I had the privilege of attending SocialEast and the Ice Awards with my Uproar Productions Team in Halifax. The combination of networking with marketing peers and witnessing the incredible creative talent of Atlantic Canada was really inspiring. One thing that struck me was the quiet humility of many of the creatives and innovators I met. While some expressed a sense of being behind the curve to the bigger Canadian cities, I couldn't disagree more. Having worked in major markets like New York, Dallas and Calgary, I've been consistently impressed by the quality of work and the strong focus on relationships here in Atlantic Canada. Atlantic Canada still has the strong core value of people and relationships being the #1 priority. Relationship building, camaraderie, and mutual support are truly special aspects of this region. These qualities are also crucial to creativity and marketing. Unfortunately, this approach is becoming increasingly rare in many other places. When relationships are the focus, collaboration and creativity can thrive in a more authentic and meaningful way. This unique blend of creativity and collaboration sets Atlantic Canada apart. By embracing our strengths and fostering a supportive community, we can continue to lead the way in marketing and innovation. I'm excited to be part of this type of ecosystem and can't wait to see what we'll achieve together. This is a really special place to be! …more

Extremely grateful to get to experience SocialEast in Halifax for the second year in a row, this time with my co-worker Madeline Meadus. It was an insightful and inspiring two days of presentations and panels to further my professional development in the social media and digital marketing world. Highlights include: Terry O'Reilly & purple chickens 🐓 A panel of three powerful female-leaders ✨ Tips and tricks from TikTok Canada 🤳 Navigating AI and Google 🤖 Moo Deng phenomenon & HeyOrca 🦛 …more

"I have a pretty short attention span for dry or overly curated presentations... yours was neither :)" - a quote from a SocialEast attendee. I’m back from an eventful few days in Halifax, where I had the unique experience of speaking on the same stage twice in one week at two different events! A big shoutout to Mike Morrison and his team at SocialEast for inviting me to talk about “Organic social media isn’t dead” to a crowd of hundreds! The audience had so many great questions—I'm still haunted by the person who asked about a DMO getting sued for sharing user-generated content. IYKYK. Just three days later, I returned to the same stage at the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 / Musée canadien de l'immigration du Quai 21 for Jess Clerke’s Speak Up! Unlike my first talk, this time, I shared my entrepreneurial journey—from being a single mom juggling three jobs below the poverty line to becoming the CEO of an award-winning social media marketing agency. Thank you, Jess, for having me! 💖 What a whirlwind—in the best way possible! And it’s not over yet... this week, I’m heading back to Halifax as a finalist for the EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Wish me luck! (It was a thrill to meet so many people this week! Otni Chinenere, Joshua Counsil, Jake MacDonald, Caley Dimmock, Lindsay Faithfull, Julie Ogilvie, Levi Lawrence, Sean McConnell, Shannon Courtney, Caitlyn Hamblin, Alix Robinson, Colleen O'Dea, Jean-eva Dickie and I'm sure many more!) …more

Great two days representing Atlantic Lottery at SocialEast learning about the evolving marketing industry!

"This is the presentation I came for and it did not disappoint" is one of the many humbling and heartwarming pieces of feedback I received from the SocialEast attendee survey. As a long time fanboy of #SocialEast, just being on the stage was an honour in itself. But to feel the love from my peers, so many of whom are doing amazing work across Atlantic Canada and beyond, was pure magic. Thanks to Mike Morrison for bringing such a tremendous conference to Halifax, Julie Ogilvie for hosting my session with grace and ease, and Lindsay Faithfull for being an unshakable showrunner. I had the pleasure of meeting Ingrid Deon, Otni Chinenere, Joshua Counsil, and many more talented speakers, all inspiring in their own ways. Cheers to you all, let's stay in touch!

This past week I got to host Atlantic Canada’s largest Digital Marketing Conference along side the powerhouse Julie Ogilvie at the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 / Musée canadien de l'immigration du Quai 21 . And I cannot say enough of how phenomenal and highly informative this 2 day conference was. From topics ranging from “Stimulating Creativity in Teams: Lessons Learned from Scaling a Business”, Organic Social Media Isn’t Dead by Ingrid Deon Meta Ads Strategy to Maximize a Small Business by @caley dimmock.No stone was left unturned when it comes to digital marketing. Thank you for the trust you put in me SocialEast Mike Morrison and team Lindsay Faithfull to carry through a massive conference such as this with the likes of Google, TikTok, Reddit and many more including a keynote with the great Terry O’Rilley Terry O'Reilly It was a true pleasure to serve as host for this conference!!!

Another #SocialEast in the books. Our Nova Scotia Community College - NSCC Digital Marketing students were among the volunteer team 👏👏 Thanks to Mike Morrison for a great conference and supporting our students 🙌