DOYO Live has new features to make it better than 2016’s conference

June 21, 2017 at 12:00a.m.

YOUNGSTOWN

Dennis Schiraldi has a list of new features for this year’s DOYO Live digital marketing and interactive design conference.

The Aug. 3 conference has a greater depth of speakers and an interactive lounge, with DOYO Live workshop sessions taking place Aug. 2.

Both the sessions and conference will take place at Youngstown State University’s Williamson College of Business.

Schiraldi explained the conference, now in its second year, as a place where “content creators and contributors get to network.”

“Hopefully they share knowledge and do business together,” Schiraldi said.

Schiraldi, a native of Lowellville and founder of local firm CYO Marketing, wanted Youngstown to have its own marketing conference, so he created one last year – and the tickets sold out with more than 200 in attendance.

“The goal was to get 150 people last year, and as much as everyone was high-fiving, it’s all about delivering a quality experience,” Schiraldi said.

The 2016 conference received a very high approval rating from attendees, but Schiraldi still saw some room for improvement. DOYO Live took in applications from potential speakers to have a more dynamic conference this year.

The addition of three workshops, from 3 to 5 p.m. Aug. 2, are intended to make the DOYO experience better.

One session will be led by Deanna Fusillo of Sassy Girl Media, a social media marketing and website solution company in Canfield. Fusillo’s “Women Entrepreneurs: Pushing Boundaries and Breaking Rules” workshop will focus on helping to empower female entrepreneurs.

Nate Riggs, founder and chief executive officer of NR Media Group, a Columbus-based company that helps organizations and higher-education institutions navigate digital transformation, will host the second session on “How to Launch a User Data-Driven Website in 60 Days or Less.”

Schiraldi will host a third session on “Development of a B2B Lead Generation Strategy.”

On Aug. 3, Debra Jasper, CEO of Columbus-based Mindset Digital, who has a doctorate in educational policy and leadership from The Ohio State University, will give the keynote speech. Jasper 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.

In 2016, Jasper spoke and had workshops in 53 cities in five countries. Jasper heard a lot of great feedback about the DOYO Live conference, and she used to call the Youngstown-Warren area home when she was a reporter for the Warren Tribune Chronicle for a short time. Today, she teaches communicators how to better communicate a message in a hyper-distracted world.

“It’s easy to get the message out,” she said. “What the challenge is today is how you get the message in. We talk about how you communicate with clarity and impact.”

Throughout the main event Aug. 3, there will be several breakout sessions and networking time.

Tickets for DOYO Live workshops and the conference can be purchased separately or together. For more information on the conference, go to: http://www.doyolive.com/