Social Media Week Explores Top Toronto Stories and Trends: Immersive Art, Cannabis Culture, Mental Health and More

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Social Media Week Toronto

Nov 12, 2018, 06:21 ET

As Social Media Week events take place around the world, Toronto's #SMWTO will hear from top influencers, media and digital gurus to examine 2018's top stories and trends.

TORONTO, Nov. 12, 2018 /CNW/ - In its third year since returning to Toronto, Social Media Week returns to the city this week, kicking off Tuesday, November 13th at CBC's Glenn Gould Studio. Social Media Week Toronto events will also take place at various locations around the city including WeWork, Hoame, the Vault, Happy Place, the Museum of Illusions and the Thompson Hotel Lobby Bar.

In line with the global SMW theme, "Closer", Toronto's #SMWTO will explore our complicated relationship with social media – as consumers, media and marketers – as we take a look at the city's top social media stories of 2018 and look at what lies ahead in the year to come.

"We're exploring how social media shapes our lives and the city we live in. More and more, we're noticing businesses such as restaurants, retail and even workplaces incorporate design elements specifically for tech and social media," says Michelle Pinchev, Executive Director of Social Media Week Toronto. "In Toronto this past year with the AGO's Infinity Mirrors or the recent arrival of Happy Place and the Museum of Illusions, I think what we're seeing is that social media is not only driving more interest in art, it's actually encouraging engagement with art and architecture – and it's creating this insatiable demand for larger-than-life, immersive visual experiences that people can capture and share online."

The week-long event will also include panels and conversations about the legalization of cannabis in Canada, looking at online cannabis culture, social communities and the challenges of marketing in a heavily regulated space – something that has put native advertising and content marketing in the forefront.

Social Media Week Toronto will also shine a light on the topic of mental health, incorporating a number of talks and special events that focus on wellness, including a visit to Toronto's stunning new meditation studio, Hoame.

"There's been a lot of talk this past year about unplugging from social media, deleting Facebook, or even getting rid of your smartphone. But for the countless people in Toronto who work in tech, media and marketing, this simply isn't an option," says Social Media Week Toronto's Executive Director, Michelle Pinchev. "Instead, we want to encourage a more realistic conversation around how to have a healthier, more balanced relationship with social media. We also want to highlight all of the positive things happening online – all of the social good that social media has enabled."

The industry's best and brightest are slated to speak this year. Programming highlights include:

The program for Social Media Week Toronto has been announced and tickets are now available at: https://www.socialmediaweektoronto.com/

Toronto-based social media agency, Pinch Social, is organizing Social Media Week Toronto with support from Twitter, CBC Toronto, the Globe and Mail, Hoame, Trufan, HeyOrca! and others.

SMW Toronto – Canada's only Social Media Week
www.SocialMediaWeekToronto.com
Hosted by Pinch Social Inc.

SOURCE Social Media Week Toronto

Michell Pinchev, [email protected] | (647) 292-8087; Lori Harito, [email protected] I (416) 523-9602

Organization Profile

Social Media Week Toronto