States 2009 Techno Tourism Conference to Explore Social Media

ATLANTA, March 24, 2009 - Navigate to the Georgia Tourism Foundation's 2009 Techno Tourism Conference on social media, the most talked about trend in marketing and public relations today. This year's theme, Social Media Marketing….Affordable, Effective & Essential, highlights the potential of social networks to reach vast audiences in both local and global communities. On April 20-21, Chattahoochee Technical College in Marietta will host the annual conference, offering attendees a chance to hear from technology experts, industry veterans and creative professionals who have a proven track record of success. 'The Georgia Tourism Foundation is delighted to provide this unique business development and networking opportunity to its tourism partners across the state,' said Gilda Watters, managing director of the Georgia Tourism Foundation. 'Georgia's tourism entities will learn how to leverage social media to promote their attraction or destination.' More than 100 attendees are expected from every corner of the state, representing Convention and Visitors Bureaus, tourism associations, visitor centers, destinations, attractions and other hospitality entities, all of whom stand to benefit enormously from social media efforts, which are wildly popular but rarely understood. Each year, the Techno Tourism Conference offers the state's tourism industry partners insights into new technologies and trends that can have a direct impact on their business. This is one of the many ways the Georgia Department of Economic Development and Georgia Tourism Foundation work to support and develop the state's hospitality industry. Marietta will provide the perfect backdrop for the coaching. Attendees can enjoy its historic town square complete with unique shopping, mouth-watering restaurants and celebrated theaters. As the largest of Georgia's technical colleges, Chattahoochee Tech is an ideal venue with the tools and atmosphere attendees need to tackle their new social media strategies. The Georgia Tourism Foundation allows for the creation of new public-private partnerships that merge and strengthen Georgia's tourism marketing efforts, in order to attract more visitors and increase the industry's economic impact throughout the state. This non-profit, public-private organization brings together the leadership of the state's premier tourism destinations to consolidate marketing efforts, pool resources and more effectively promote Georgia's natural beauty, cultural heritage and rich attractions to vacationers. For more information about the conference, including registration, please visit 2009 Techno Conference. The Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) is the state's sales and marketing arm, the lead agency for attracting new business investment, encouraging the expansion of existing industry and small businesses, locating new markets for Georgia products, attracting tourists to Georgia, and promoting the state as a location for film, video and music projects, as well as planning and mobilizing state resources for economic development.