Don't Miss These Chicago Area Marketing Events in May!

It's springtime in Chicago, and at the moment, that means lots of rainy weather. Luckily, there's always plenty to do in the area, and that's definitely true for marketers. This May, there will be plenty of great opportunities for us to learn and connect with each other. Let's take a look at some of the highlights of the coming month:

Chicago Small Business Week

National Small Business Week takes place from April 30 - May 6, and there are several events taking place in Chicago as part of this event:

• Tuesday, May 2: Small Business Week Celebration - Comcast and CNBC's The Profit present a chance to network with other small business owners and participate in a panel discussion with small business experts.
• Tuesday, May 2, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM: Small Business Week Women's Collective - This free event will provide an opportunity for women entrepreneurs to network with each other, participate in a Q&A, attend a mindfulness session, and spend the day coworking.
• Thursday, May 4, 6:00-8:00 PM: Be Your Own Brand: Small Business Week Networking & Panel - This free event will provide an opportunity for networking, as well as a panel discussion on how to build success with your brand.
• Thursday, May 4, 5:00-9:00 PM: The City of Chicago's Small Business Center on the Road Small Business Expo - This free event will include workshops for entrepreneurs, access to the City of Chicago's business consultants, and networking opportunities.

Conferences

Learning Economy Summit

This event, which takes place on Wednesday, May 3, will feature a number of speakers and sessions on how to create educational content to drive your marketing campaigns, as well as opportunities to network with other marketers. Tickets are $650.

SEJ Summit

This conference presented by Search Engine Journal will take place on Thursday, May 11, and it will be a great opportunity for marketers to listen to a number of great speakers, learn more about search engine optimization (SEO), network with other SEO experts, and collaborate on solutions. Tickets start at $505.

Business Analytics Innovation Summit

This event, which will take place on Monday, May 15 and Tuesday, May 16, will offer a chance to learn about the possibilities provided by data analytics in today's business. The conference features a Marketing Analytics track that will delve into using predictive analytics and personalization. Tickets start at $1,695.

Classes and Workshops

• Wednesday, May 3, 12:00-1:30 PM: Drive New Business With Social Media - This free event presented by the Illinois Small Business Development Center will help small business owners learn the basics of social media marketing.
• Wednesday, May 3 and Thursday, May 18, 6:00-8:00 PM: Intro to Digital Marketing - This free class from General Assembly will offer an introduction to online marketing, including content creation, email, social media, and paid advertising. 
• Thursday, May 4, 10:00-11:00 AM: Smarter Email Marketing (4 Trade Secrets You Need in Your Arsenal) - This class will look at how to get the most out of your email marketing campaigns. Tickets are $49.
• Thursday, May 4, 6:00-8:00 PM: Setting Up E-Commerce for Your Online Business - This class from Content Academy will look at how to build, maintain, and grow an e-commerce website. Tickets are $10.
• Monday, May 8, 6:00-8:00 PM: Hella Good Content 2.0 - This workshop from General Assembly will take a tactical approach to creating effective content in your marketing strategy. Tickets are $40.
• Thursday, May 11, 8:00-9:30 AM: Whose Job Is it Anyway...PR or Marketing? - This panel discussion will look at where the responsibilities of PR and marketing overlap and who should handle tasks like crisis communication, social media, thought leadership, and content creation. Tickets are $75, or $35 for AMA members.
• Monday, May 15, 6:00-9:00 PM: Google Analytics for Beginners: Key Concepts and Quick Wins - This class from General Assembly will look at how marketers can use Google Analytics to improve their websites' performance. Tickets are $60.
• Tuesday, May 16, 6:30-8:30 PM: Evernote Presents: Productivity At Work and On the Go - This free class will look at the tools and techniques your team can use to stay organized, collaborate on projects, and remain connected and on track.
• Wednesday, May 17, 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM: Orbit Academy: Search Optimization Masterclass - This class, led by Orbit Media's Andy Crestodina, will take an in-depth look at how to achieve the best rankings in search engine results pages (SERPs). Tickets are $397.
• Thursday, May 18, 5:00-9:00 PM: Attribution After Dark - This event will feature a panel discussion on the challenges that marketers face related to cross-channel attribution, as well as opportunities to network with other area marketers. Tickets are $19.
• Monday, May 22, 6:00-8:00 PM: Digital Marketing 101: Planning the Right Content for Your Audience - This workshop from Content Academy will look at how to define your audience and determine how to best reach them with your content marketing. Tickets are $199.
• Tuesday, May 23, 6:00-8:00 PM: Under the Influence With Martin Atkins: Zero Dollar Marketing - This free class will look at how to craft a marketing strategy even if you don't have any money for your marketing budget.
• Thursday, May 25, 6:00-8:00 PM: Digital Marketing 101: SEO Basics - This workshop from Content Academy will look at how to create content optimized for search without sacrificing user experience. Tickets are $199.

Networking

• Monday, May 22, 6:00-8:00 PM: Volunteer Orientation at Chicago Urban League Entrepreneurship Center - At this event, marketers and entrepreneurs can learn how to share their expertise with others in their community.
• Thursday, May 25, 6:00-9:00 PM: OneAlive at Shay - This event will provide an opportunity to meet with other local professionals. Tickets are $12.
• Friday, May 26, 11:00 AM - 1:30 PM: Jump$tart Business Basics: Lunch and Learn - This free networking lunch allows local professionals to connect with each other and share their businesses' products and/or services.
• Saturday, May 27, 10:00-11:30 AM: Chicago Creative Women's Brunch: Small Time, Big Leagues - This event is a great opportunity for area women involved in creative endeavors to connect and learn from each other. Tickets are $18.

We're looking forward to attending some of these great events, and we hope you are too! If you're planning to attend any events, or if you would like us to share your event in a future blog, please let us know in the comments below. Have a great May!