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"We've noticed a lot of excitement around Mashable Connect 2011, our invite-only event at Walt Disney World\u00AE in Florida this May. After producing more than 50 events for Mashable, we felt that it was time to put all of our experiences together in one event that will bring the online Mashable experience offline in a unique setting.\nThe event will bring together digital leaders across a variety of industries \u2014 including marketing, consumer electronics, entertainment and more \u2014 to make connections and exchange ideas around how brands, organizations and communities are connecting through social and digital tools, and innovation.\nThere will be special networking opportunities like activities in the Disney Parks and, as always in true Mashable form, a few surprises!\nI also personally wanted to say how excited I am for this event. I know that the participants will greatly benefit from being a part of the experience: from great networking and brand building with some of the key influencers across industries, to sharing ideas and inspiration, to getting to better know the Mashable team.\n\n\n\n\nWhy attend Mashable Connect 2011?\nWalt Disney World\u00AEWe wanted a setting where people could spend time together away from the distractions of day-to-day schedules and meetings. From our speakers to our attendees to our partners and sponsors, this will be a larger networking opportunity where people aren\u2019t checking in and out in between meetings. \nWalt Disney World\u00AE is a magical place that continues to be a pioneer in imagining the near and distant future.\nWe\u2019ve chosen the ideal time for the ideal weather for the ideal conference setting. The Contemporary Resort has top of the line accommodations and is perfectly located for some of the surprises that we have in store. \nContent and connectionsTogether, we will explore how communities and audiences are connecting with each other through social and digital innovations. We will share best practices and case studies. This will come in the form of keynote speeches, Q&amp;As, conversations, case studies and networking sessions.\nParticipants will hear from esteemed and provocative speakers and spend time with influential and thoughtfully selected members of the digital community including executives, entrepreneurs, brand managers, designers, developers and members of the Mashable team. \nInvitation onlyFor our first Mashable Connect event, we wanted to keep it as intimate as possible to deliver the maximum ROI for our attendees. To do this, we wanted to make sure we are working with a key group of people to create the best experience possible. \u00A0Who is attending?Our attendee list is curated by the Mashable team. We are looking for digital leaders within leading companies, brands and organizations.\u00A0Titles range from CEO and founder and community manager to marketing directors. \u00A0We already have a strong and interesting list of attendees from such organizations as 92Y, American Association of Advertising Agencies, Behance, Buddy Media, Constant Contact, Converseon, CNN, Deep Focus, Edelman, Fenton, Ford, HBO, Hilton Worldwide, Gowalla, Intridea, iStrategyLabs, Microsoft, NBC, Ogilvy, Pepsico, Radian6, Rackspace Hosting, Saatchi &amp; Saatchi, Scripps Networks, SocialVibe, Thrillist, Tumblr, TV Guide, UN Foundation, Universal Music Group, Wells Fargo, Xerox and Yahoo. And of course, the majority of the Mashable team will be there to get to know our community even better. \nWhat are the surprises?!We can\u2019t tell you just yet, but we have some big names and special events that will be once-in-a-lifetime opportunities.\nWhat is included in the registration price?Our registration is all-inclusive and includes content, meals, special events, hotel rooms and transportation: \n\n3 nights hotel stay at Walt Disney World\u00AE with gourmet meals and refreshments\nMore than 20 content sessions that provide a behind-the-scenes look at some of your favorite brands\nUnique and creative networking opportunities with industry leaders and key influencers\nConnecting with Mashable editorial, community and business teams\nSpecial events and activities within Disney Parks\nOpportunity to gain new perspective away from the traditional conference setting\nExclusive access to pre-event online networking\nComplimentary transportation to and from the Orlando International Airport (MCO) via Disney\u2019s Magical Express\n\nWho are the speakers, so far?\n\nScott Belsky, Founder &amp; CEO, Behance\nRohit Bhargava, SVP, Global Strategy &amp; Marketing, Ogilvy\nSabrina Caluori, Director of Social Media &amp; Marketing, HBO\nCraig Engler, Senior Vice President &amp; General Manager, Syfy Digital\nKC Estenson, Senior Vice President &amp; General Manager, CNN Digital\nElizabeth Gore, Executive Director Global Partnerships, UN Foundation\nJosh Koppel, Founder, Scrollmotion\nDavid Karp, Founder, Tumblr\nRob Key, CEO, Converseon\nMichael Lazerow, CEO, Buddy Media\nMarcel LeBrun, CEO, Radian6\nAdam Rich, Co-founder and Editor-in-Chief, Thrillist\nSteve Rubel, SVP/Director of Insights, Edelman Digital\nIan Schafer, CEO, Deep Focus\nRaymie Stata, SVP, Chief Technology Officer, Yahoo\nChristy Tanner, Executive Vice President &amp; General Manager, TVGuide.com &amp; TV Guide Mobile\nJosh Williams, CEO, Gowalla\n\nCan I bring my family or guests with me?The content and activities within the conference are geared for attendees only. However, we welcome you to bring your family to experience the parks. Our event is Thursday evening to Saturday late night, so Thursday day and Sunday are perfect opportunities to spend time with your family. There is an extra charge for additional adults for hotel rooms so special accommodations will need to be made. Contact us if you plan to bring your family.\nApply now to attend Mashable Connect 2011: mashable.com/connect/application"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2011/03/07/connect2011/>