March 10 & 11, 2022
Virtual Conference
A conference for the doers in digital communications & marketing.
We know the only way to really learn how to do things in digital is to:
Try to figure things out until your eyeballs are burning & your back is curved from too much screen time or
Connect with other digital folks who have already gone through it to learn from their experiences!
Join the Takeaway Community for a professional development experience unlike any other. Spend 2 full days immersed in sessions with digital subject matter experts sharing their real-world experiences & actionable takeaways so that you can learn how (& be inspired!) to do your best work.
“The conference attracts passionate and hard working people (as speakers and attendees) - and that's the kind of people I want to surround myself with.”
—2021 conference attendee
Keynote Speakers
Dakota Jeane DiSanto
Building Community Online: Take the passenger seat & BUILD a loyal fanbase
Dakota Jeane is an experienced social media professional who started her career in digital communications reporting to the Kardashian sisters. Yes, *those* Kardashian sisters (are there any others?!) Dakota took it upon herself to help them to build a social media presence for their retail brand, and although it’s branded as something different now, they are still using the account she helped build and it now has over 4.3 million followers.
Today, Dakota works with businesses around the world, developing their brands through social media. She is an entrepreneur, podcaster, outdoor enthusiast and is completely unapologetic about her views on using social media for business.
In her Keynote, Dakota will talk about why taking the passenger seat with your audience is the key to building online communities. She’s asking you to let go of what you’ve learned about marketing your business through social media (that means no more icky salesy feelings!) and how being social really is the answer to success on social media.
Dakota will share her experiences and takeaways from using social media to build brands (both big and small!) to help you look at community building in a whole new light.
Kevin Der
Fail fast, succeed faster. How experimentation can become your unfair advantage.
Kevin is passionate about emerging digital trends and how they can be purposefully used to solve problems and bring others together. He is currently the Team Lead of Marketing at NAIT and has over a decade of marketing experience in various industries including finance, government, IT, and higher education. Over the course of his career, he has developed and executed marketing strategies for publicly traded and Fortune 1000 companies.
In his Keynote, Kevin will share his experiences of how experimentation has changed the game at organizations he's worked for and why you should start developing an experimentation muscle. He's going to help you understand why there is no better time to think differently, take risks, and breed a culture of experimentation. This concept doesn't only apply to larger corporations with big teams, but also to small businesses and entrepreneurs and how they can create a culture of experimentation within their own workflows. No matter the size of organization. Experimentation will be your unfair advantage.
By the end of Kevin's Keynote, you will be inspired and eager to start flexing your experimentation muscles.
The Takeaway Conference isn't your typical "sit & listen to a bunch of executives who don't have a clue what actually happens in the day-to-day" conference. It's your "holy sh*t, these people actually get me and are going through the same challenges that I face" conference.
Sessions
Conference attendees will have access to all session recordings for 60-days following the live event. That means that if you miss something live, you’ll still be able to catch the recording after the conference.
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By the end of this session, attendees will be able to:
Create an ecosystem that fosters engagement and connection
Understand what makes people want to connect with a brand and fellow customers
Have definable tactics and steps to follow to this for their business
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By the end of this sessions, attendees will be able to:
Understand the value you bring to a partner.
Understand how to find the right partner.
How to maintain a great partnership.
A step-by-step guide on how to break up with a partner*
*including a few horror stories that you can learn from.
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By the end of this session, attendees will be able to:
Get started with SMS marketing.
Understand the rules and regulations around SMS and how to be compliant.
Reach for the low-hanging fruit with SMS (i.e., which email flows to add SMS to right now, and when and how to send SMS campaigns).
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By the end of this session, attendees will:
Understand the difference between TikTok and Reels
Get a step-by-step guide on “hooks” and “catchy” content that can perform well as a base for social media
Understand key analytics around the platform and how it’ll play a key factor for social media strategies in every industry
See examples of content that can be implemented today in an easy way
Know where to find resources to research trends
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By the end of this session, attendees will be able to:
Learn the key considerations when writing for your audience
Understand the relationship between copy and design
Recognize different types of copy to boost your digital presence
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By the end of this session, attendees will be able to:
Leverage storytelling
Understand how to effectively repurposing Content
Know which tools and platforms to use
* And hopefully a couple moments of genuine laughter
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By the end of this session, attendees will be able to:
Use Instagram features more confidently & more effectively
Understand the basics of developing a Reels strategy/plan
Learn how to edit Reels internally or externally
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By the end of this session, attendees will be able to:
Identify new audience segments to create compelling visuals to better communicate their value proposition to new market segments in digital media.
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By the end of this session, attendees will be able to:
Set up a podcast so it is easy to find and share
Make it easy for people who want to promote a podcast to do so
Make podcast content accessible to people who don't listen to podcasts
Grow listenership in ways that have a better chance of working than the old "rate and review" plea
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By the end of this session, attendees will be able to:
Understand why integrating PR and social strategy/teams is so important
Know how to manage a crisis that unfolds in the public eye
Know how to repair damage to a brand and recover after a crisis
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By the end of this session, attendees will be able to:
Increase brand and product awareness among their target audience.
Ignite specific and memorable conversations that stand out to potential customers.
Build trust and relationships between audience members and their brand.
Boost customer interactions, conversions, and sales.
Actionable tactics to find, connect with, and convert their target audience - including a FREE downloadable Community Management & Engagement Checklist.
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By the end of this session, attendees will be able to:
Have key point to start actioning diversity, inclusion and anti-racism practices in their organization, no matter their role.
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By the end of this session, attendees will be able to:
Get a fresh take on building target personas to guide content that is meaningful, resonates and inspires action.
Know the difference between your current audience and your ideal audience that you aspire to reach.
Understand how to keep your customer at the heart of your brand storytelling (and why it’s an important step in your content strategy).
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Speakers
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Dakota DiSanto
THE SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER
TAKEAWAY KEYNOTE -
Kevin Der
NAIT
TAKEAWAY KEYNOTE
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Alexa Burton
SHE/HER
ZGM MODERN MARKETING PARTNERS
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Alexa Prins
SHE/HER
ZGM MODERN MARKETING PARTNERS
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Audrey French
SHE/HER
AUDREY FRENCH & CO
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bobby Tyndale
HE/HIM
VERSION ME MEDIA
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Christina Garnett
SHE/HER
HUBSPOT
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Giftii Girma
SHE/HER
GIRMA CONSULTING
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Ivana Radojevic
SHE/HER
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Jessica Antony
SHE/HER
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Joanne Bartolome
SHE/HER
EMPATHIE CREATIVE
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Karen Unland
SHE/HER
TAPROOT PUBLISHING
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Michelle MacPherson
SHE/HER
MAVEN & MENTION
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Paige Simpson
SHE/HER
YARROW SOCIAL
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Shanika Abeysinghe
SHE/HER
PLATFORM CALGARY
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Suzanne Pescod
SHE/HER
RONALD MCDONALD
CHILDREN’S HOUSE CHARITIES
2-days of sessions with actionable takeaways
Our priority in designing the conference program is to offer a variety of sessions for different levels of savvy so that you can design your own experience based on your individual needs. Plus, you’ll get access to all session recordings for 60-days following the live event so you won’t miss a thing!
Sessions are 60-minutes each and range from beginner to advance. There are also specific sessions for different types of organizations including not-for-profit and small business.
Speakers who get it
Our conference speakers are actively doing the work and are talking from a place of experience, not theory and idealism. They are digital communicators just like you are and are experiencing the same challenges as you are.
All speakers are subject-matter experts in their own disciplines & are as fiercely excited about their work as you are!
An open & safe learning environment
From the moment you enter our space, whether it be virtually or in-person, you’ll be greeted with (figuratively) open arms, encouraged to ask questions, share your own digital communications experiences and engage in dialogue with the community.
You can always expect to be treated with kindness and respect when you’re with us.
Who is the Takeaway Conference for?
The Takeaway Conference is for anyone who uses digital communications tools to do their work. Our conference attendees are subject matter experts from different digital disciplines with varying levels of experience and representing different types of organizations. The one thing that ties everyone together is that every member of our community is actively doing the work and isn’t afraid to get their hands dirty.
The Takeaway Community is creative and has a fierce passion and energy for the industry. They’re endlessly inspired (and sometimes frustrated!) by their work and just need to connect with other people who feel the exact same way.
Takeaway is for you if you’re:
An all-hat-wearer at a not-for-profit
Using social media to sell your clay jewelry
Doing in-house brand communications for a big company
If you want to learn about new and different ways to do your work from other people who are doing the work - the Takeaway Conference is for you.
Get your tickets!
Your virtual pass includes:
Access to all keynotes + conference sessions
Swag package
$275 CAD
Takeaway Scholarship
The Takeaway Scholarship program invites digital communications professionals in marginalized groups such as BIPOC, LGBTQ2S+, or those with low income who may not have access or funds for professional development to attend Takeaway professional development, including the Takeaway Conference, courtesy of Takeaway and our event partners. Apply for the Takeaway Scholarship.