Toronto's first Social Media Week reaches across industry borders

TORONTO , Jan. 25 /CNW/ - Toronto's inaugural Social Media Week will take place from February 1-5, part of a global week of simultaneous events in New York, Berlin , London , San Francisco , and Sao Paulo . This is the second annual Social Media Week internationally.

The five-day conference will explore the profound impact that social media has on culture, business communications and society at large. Locally, organizers aim to facilitate conversations across Toronto's creative, digital and business communities.

"It was important for us to reach beyond the social media community to include participants from a variety of industries and sectors," says Eli Singer , founder of Entrinsic, a social media communications agency, and city organizer for Social Media Week Toronto .

Over 20 primarily free events during the week will trace the current state of the social web, beginning with a panel featuring Globe and Mail Communities Editor Mathew Ingram , Maclean's blogger Andrew Coyne , and former BusinessWeek social media editor Shirley Brady .

Other innovative events during the week include CrushingIt!, a live, collaborative screenwriting project; daily broadcast from CFC Media Lab's creative coverage of the lead up to the Vancouver Olympics; and cutting-edge discussions on the future of the wireless industry, the impact of social media on literature and the written word, fundraising for not-for-profits, user-generated content, personal branding, music and more.

"Several of the events sold out within hours of being listed," says Singer. "We're thrilled at such an enthusiastic response, and looking forward to bringing together some of the brightest minds in this emerging industry."

For a full schedule of events, visit http://smw-toronto.sched.org/all.

Media sponsors include: Torontoist, BlogTO, CNW Group and Techvibes.

Participants include: Rypple, MaRS Discovery District, Mobile Monday, CaseCamp, The Canadian Film Centre Media Lab and Artez Interactive, Social Media Group, Refresh Events, The Blog Studio, The Ryerson University Digital Media Zone and DJs Mista Jiggz, Lissa Monet , Wristpect and Ase.

Social Media Week in Toronto is produced by Entrinsic.

About Entrinsic:

Entrinsic is a leading social media communications agency in Canada founded by Eli Singer . As President and CEO, Eli is a highly recognized thought-leader with the belief that social media is shaping the way consumers, and by extension, businesses think, behave and communicate today. Entrinsic's clients include The Museum of Modern Art, Staples Canada , Massey Hall Roy Thomson Hall and the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. More information available at www.entrinsic.com.

For further information: Media contacts: Jyotika Malhotra, Co-organizer, Social Media Week Toronto, [email protected], [phone]; Sara Falconer, [email protected], [phone]