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DOYO Live conference sells out again
By Kalea Hall
YOUNGSTOWN
Video
For the second year in a row, DOYO Live, Youngs-town’s digital marketing and interactive design conference, is sold out.
“I think we do produce great content 365 days of the year that has absolutely built our audience,” said Dennis Schiraldi, DOYO Live founder and founder of CYO Marketing in Youngstown. “Last year we delivered on a really great experience. I think we fill a very large void in the marketplace.”
DOYO Live kicks off today at 9 a.m. with keynote remarks from Youngstown State University President Jim Tressel followed by keynote speaker Debra Jasper and breakout sessions. On Wednesday, DOYO Live offered three workshops for attendees.
The DOYO Live events all take place at YSU’s Williamson College of Business.
Schiraldi began the conference last year because the marketing firm leader saw a need for a local marketing conference. Last year more than 200 attended, and this year, it’s more than 260.
Though 2016’s conference received a high approval rating from attendees, Schiraldi saw a need to grow the experience, so he added workshops the day before the actual conference, a greater depth of speakers during the conference and an interactive lounge.
The two-hour workshops Wednesday covered multiple areas for attendees to have options.
Deanna Fusillo of Sassy Girl Media, a consulting, website design and social media company in Youngstown, hosted a workshop on women entrepreneurship; Nate Riggs of NR Media Group, an inbound marketing agency in Columbus, discussed launching a user data-driven website within 60 days or less; and Schiraldi’s workshop focused on developing a business-to-business lead-generation marketing strategy.
“My goal is to inspire women, but not just that, to help them understand the differences between men and women – how we think and how we are perceived – and then have the ability to bridge that gap so that you are able to not only just recognize what we do as women that may be able to be done a little bit better, but also recognize the strengths that men have,” Fusillo said. “When men and women come together to collaborate, you can be a big powerhouse.”
Today, Jasper, CEO of Columbus-based Mindset Digital, will discuss how to connect and communicate in a digital era, utilize social media for the best return on investment, build connections with customers, use visual storytelling techniques to capture the audience and be established as a thought leader in any industry.
After her keynote address, there will be three breakout sessions with seven track options available in each session.
DOYO Live focuses on constantly delivering content to its audience in a variety of venues.
“I think it’s important to know that we set the bar,” Schiraldi said. “We are not just a one-time-a-year type of event. We are really committed to delivering content.”