I-Meet Launches Online Community Network (OCLN)

Meetings industry’s first topic-specific ‘hot spot’ network now online; Featured Industry Leaders will drive relevant, interactive conversations

Philadelphia, PA August 10, 2011 .  i-Meet.com, the world’s largest professional and social network for people who plan meetings and events, announced today the launch of its Online Community Leadership Network (OCLN), a collection of online gathering spots designed to deliver the industry’s most relevant topics in an interactive forum.  With worldwide participation and expert commentary, these mini-communities are designed to speak out on topics most  important to meeting and event planning professionals.

This industry-first affinity based network program is both unique and innovative, and is  embedded within the largest social media community fully dedicated to the meetings industry.   With powerful world-wide networking capabilities, the OCLN brings a wealth of expertise and content to the ‘doorstep’ of every i-Meet member in their quest for professional development, career enhancement, or business strategy development.

Each topical mini-community is led by highly-credentialed i-Meet members, who have proven expertise in their specific subject matter area and have established themselves in thought-leadership positions.  They have been chosen for their industry reputation as well as their  understanding of how social media can bring professionals together to engage, connect, and network.

“We’re thrilled to be delivering this powerful content-rich network to our members,” said John Pino, Founder and CEO of i-Meet.  “The collection of thought leaders, their companies and their service record is well-known, and their continuous innovation is proven.  This is an exciting partnership program with a business-focused roadmap that should foster the right conversations that can change the industry."

The roster of  OCLN Communities includes:

Strategic Meetings Management (SMMP) - Betsy Bondurant, Bondurant Consulting
PhoCusWright Research - Eugene Ko of PhoCusWright, Inc.

Speaking of Speakers - Dr. Marc Tinsley, Fitness for The Rest of Us
Event Branding & Marketing - Ronnie Caplan, Creative Arts & Events

Leadership Development - Mike Malinchok of S2K Consulting, LLC
Career HQ - Fritz Lehman, OpenDoor Resources, LLC
Social Media for the Meetings Industry - Fabrizzio Busso-Campana, Vmark Media, Inc.
Hospitality Marketing - Steven Herron, Hyperdisk!
Globalisation of Event Spend Strategies - Gary Naylor, StarCITE
Corporate Travel & The Meetings Industry - John Broaddus,TRX
Green Meetings - Jonathan Yuengling, i-Meet
Attendee Engagement for Maximum ROI - Tara Thomas, Certain Software.

An OCLN Overview of each community is available at www.i-meet.com.

In addition to their role as topical advocate and content ‘chef’, the network of community leaders will be delivering timely and informative monthly educational webinars sponsored by i-Meet open to all community members. This OCLN roster will continue to grow and evolve to serve the needs of the i-Meet membership.

About i-Meet:
Created by the Founder of StarCite, www.i-Meet.com is focused on building the industry's most relevant worldwide online community for the meeting and event industry. With 55,000 members from over 150 countries around the world to date, i-Meet brings social networking, web 2.0 tools, work flow and relationship opportunities, and industry intelligence to its members and suppliers. Learn more about i-Meet at www.i-Meet.com and follow i-Meet on Twitter @I_Meet.

Media Contacts:Chip Stockman
I-Meet
cstockman@i-Meet.com
610.999.2186