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TOCA President
Jared Bodnar |
By Jared Bodnar, TOCA President
Many of you know that I’m curious by nature and I have an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. Luckily for me, this year’s TOCA meeting in Tucson was a great way for me to satiate my need for useful information, and I took full advantage.
In addition to learning more about how journalists, marketing pros, Boomers, Gen Xers and Millennials use social media, the breakout sessions provided a unique knowledge-sharing opportunity where people could ask questions and share the ways social media has impacted their business. The most interesting part was finding out where people struggle with social marketing. Due to all of the social media conversations at the TOCA meeting, I thought it would only be appropriate to blog about the meeting, so you can get a snapshot of my key takeaways at this link.
Bo Sacks enlightened us about the future of media and publishing (don’t worry, the media’s not dying, it’s just evolving). Mr. Sacks talked about all sorts of nifty ways we’ll consume our media in the future. Oh, and I learned that he was the founding publisher of High Times magazine, so in a way he has some green industry experience (pause for laughter).
We heard two very different perspectives on water issues and garnered some valuable information about new approaches to solving the water crisis. I also learned the most intimidating part of being a guest on the Daily Show from Robert Glennon (it’s that unpredictable first question).
As much as the programs taught me, I actually learned a tremendous amount from my peers in the green industry. The conversations, discussions and arguments I had with other TOCA members at the breaks, meals and receptions taught me a lot about what other green industry communicators are doing and I came back to the office with some excellent ideas.
Most importantly, I learned that our membership is very engaged, and many members volunteered to help out with our new strategic plan execution. It makes me very happy that so many members were excited about TOCA’s future direction and want to take an active role in its execution. You will learn more about the specifics of the strategic plan in the coming weeks.
Whether you did or did not attend this year’s meeting, I highly encourage you to join us next year. We’re scoping out some really nice venues and if the TOCA meeting in Tucson is any indication, I promise you’ll learn a lot. |
