Gary Vaynerchuk to Deliver Keynote Address at Social Media Conference for Financial Services

WINDSOR, Conn., June 24, 2013 — Entrepreneur and social media expert Gary Vaynerchuk will deliver the keynote address during this year’s Social Media Conference for Financial Services, held Aug. 21-23, 2013, in Boston, Mass. The conference is hosted by LIMRA and LOMA.

“Gary Vaynerchuk is a natural salesman with a keen understanding of social media. We can all learn from the passion and entrepreneurial spirit he brings to the table,” said Stephen Selby, assistant vice president, social media solutions, LIMRA. “Gary Vaynerchuk’s energetic opening keynote will both inspire financial service’s use of social technologies, and lead the way into our most dynamic conference program yet.”

In 1997 while working at his family’s liquor store, Vaynerchuk foresaw the increasing importance of e-commerce and launched Winelibrary.com. Using traditional websites, and quickly understanding the value of social media Vaynerchuk grew his family business from $3 million to $45 million in less than a decade.

While he does not claim to be a ‘techie’, Vaynerchuk began video blogging in 2005 and has been called a true social media trailblazer. With close to 1 million followers on Twitter, he made BusinessWeek’s list of the top 20 people every entrepreneur should follow.

Author of two best-selling business books Crush It! Why Now Is the Time to Cash in on Your Passion and The Thank You Economy Vaynerchuk is about to release his third book Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook: How to Tell Your Story in a Noisy, Social World. In all three books, Vaynerchuk discusses how to incorporate social media techniques into business.

In addition to Vaynerchuk, this year’s conference features four speakers who represent the leading social media platforms in the United States. They are:

Neil Hiltz, head of Financial Services, Global Vertical Marketing, Facebook
John Ploumitsakos, director, Online Sales, Twitter
Glen Reardon, head of Industry, Financial Services, Google
Brian Tietje, strategic account executive, LinkedIn

The conference also offers breakout sessions with speakers from industry leading companies, who will share their experiences with social media.

LIMRA and LOMA established this annual event to help financial services professionals grow their business and expand market share using the latest social media innovations. Now in its fourth year, the conference will provide the latest research, as well as share best practices and approaches in the constantly evolving social media landscape. Sessions at the conference are designed to help everyone from experienced early adopters to those who are just starting social media initiatives for their organizations.

This year’s conference also marks the inaugural presentation of The Silver Bowl Award for Social Media Excellence, which celebrates the best and brightest in social media strategy, creativity, innovation and results. This award is for the financial services industry and will be judged by executives from the social media and financial services industries.

LIMRA is also hosting a one-day seminar on Aug. 20, 2013 (one day prior to the conference), designed for advisors and field managers to help them effectively and compliantly use social media in their day-to-day practices.

Members of the news media are welcome to attend free of charge. Please contact LIMRA Public Relations for details.

LIMRA Contact:

Catherine Theroux, 860-285-7787, ctheroux@limra.com.
Mark Morris, 860-285-7875, mmorris@limra.com

About LIMRA

LIMRA, a worldwide research, consulting and professional development organization, is the trusted source of industry knowledge, helping more than 850 insurance and financial services companies in 73 countries increase their marketing and distribution effectiveness. Visit LIMRA at www.limra.com.

About LOMA

Established in 1924, with 1,200 plus member companies in over 80 countries, LOMA is committed to a business partnership with its world-wide members in the insurance and financial services industry to improve their management and operations through quality employee development, research, information sharing, and related products and services. To find out more about LOMA and the learning opportunities it offers, visit LOMA’s Web site at www.loma.org.