Loudoun Social Media in Tourism Symposium - #SOMET

The Social Media in Tourism Symposium’s first annual in-person conference was a fantastic event last week in Ashburn’s Embassy Suites – Dulles North. The event location here in Loudoun County, VA was the result of a tough “virtual” challenge, including online voting through social media (Facebook) over the Summer – out of 27 eligible sites included in the voting, and with finalists including Nashville TN and Portland, OR, Loudoun County came out the winner! Over 100 destination marketing organization employees, supporters, evangelists, industry experts and supporting media are collaborating and learning this week about topics ranging from “What Happens in Loudoun County, VA goes on YouTube and Flickr” to “How to Measure Your Tourism Organization’s ROI”. Our local hosts, the Loudoun Convention and Visitor’s Association, a.k.a. “DC’s Wine Country”, provided lots of guidance and insight, as well as overall fabulous representation of the County to the rest of the country.

The event itself was fully marketed, promoted and organized online, using Facebook, Twitter (search for the #SoMeT hashtag), and other channels.

Here's a great recap on the event - by Jenny Matheny, and here's another - by Bill Geist.

Thanks to all the participants and organizer for making this event a great success, and helping highlight Loudoun County, VA as a premier tourism destination, along with the rapidly-growing Loudoun online marketing and social media scene!



Jeremy Harvey (LCVA) and Dorri Morin (Loudoun DED) - Loudoun Social Media Hosts!