Those of you who have been asking for Social Media training for the C-suite and other management layers are about to get your wish: Red Chair is finally launching in the US. First stop: Portland, OR on March 11 and 12. (Details below.)

Before I go on, let me be super clear about what Red Chair training is and isn’t:

What it isn’t:

Red Chair is not another FaceBook or Twitter 101 seminar.

Red Chair is not a shady Social Media certification course.

Red Chair is not the latest “me-too” Social Media conference, a business pitch by a team of consultants, or the same old rehashed Social Media cheerleader content you’ve already seen a dozen times.

What it is:

1) (Day 1) Training specifically developed for CEOs, CMOs, Vice-Presidents, PR managers and other senior level executives on how to properly plan for, integrate, manage and measure Social Media programs.

2) (Day 2) Training specifically developed for mid-to-account-level managers on how to properly manage and grow Social Media programs (Example: Customer Service, Marketing, Business Development, PR, Brand Management, Advertising, Online Reputation Management, HR/Human Resources, Legal, Consumer Insights, etc.)

3) If you have serious questions about HOW to use Social Media for your organization and how to both operationalize and integrate it properly, Red Chair is probably what you have been looking for for.

4) If you manage an Ad agency, PR firm, or Marketing firm and want to know how to build a suite of Social Media services, we will cover that in the program (in-depth on Day 1, and outlined on Day 2).

To increase the effectiveness and specificity of the training, Red Chair divides instruction between senior roles (C-suite on down to VP and Director level executives) and junior roles (Department managers on down to account-level managers). The Portland event will thus be divided into two sessions, one held on March 11 and the other on March 12.

Day 1: (March 11) – “Red Chair: Executive” is a one-day course specifically designed to teach CMOs, CEOs, executives, Agency principals, VPs, Director level professionals and senior-level consultants how to properly build, integrate, manage and measure Social media programs across their organization. The full day session will teach key decision-makers how to properly deploy Social Media across large organization by focusing on four key areas: Program Development, Program Integration, Program Management and Program Measurement.

Though “Red Chair: Executive” training touches on complex business topics, an advanced understanding of Social Media management is not required to attend. The training will fill all of the gaps for attendees by mid-morning to get everyone caught up.

Executives who attend the full day session can expect to return to their organizations equipped with the instruction, framework and insights necessary to properly begin integrating Social Media into every facet of their business in support of their business objectives.

Day 2: (March 12) – “Red Chair: Studio” is a half day course specifically designed to teach professionals in more junior roles how to build, manage and grow specific social media programs based on their specific departmental needs. This session caters to Department managers, account-level managers, junior consultants and university students looking for valuable training they will need after they graduate. This session also offers a solid training base for small business owners looking to start plugging Social Media into their business activities. The half-day training will focus on program planning, program management and program measurement at the departmental level, rather than across a complex organization.

The idea behind Red Chair training is to teach companies how to properly integrate social media into their mix of activities from both a strategic and an operational perspective rather than just from a theoretical one. From planning and integration to management and measurement, the course touches on every step of the program building process. Aside from the instruction itself, Red Chair training provides a detailed blueprint for Social Media integration and management for organizations of any size.

Red Chair training programs are being co-developed with the help of executives from Coca Cola, Best Buy, Michelin, The Home Depot, Sungard and Microsoft and constantly adapted to follow rapid changes in the Social Media space. The Portland 2-day event is being co-produced by our Portland partner Ant Hill Marketing, with the collaboration of Webtrends and 52Ltd.

“Red Chair: Executive” will be held on Thursday March 11 – tentatively at the Oregon Executive MBA facility located downtown Portland, though we may move it to a smaller venue depending on registrations, while “Red Chair: Studio” will be held on Friday March 12 at Webtrends’ headquarters on 6th Avenue.

Specific venue details are listed on each session’s event registration page, and attendees will be notified of any changes and updates. Registration for Red Chair Portland sessions is open to everyone, so sign up quickly: Seating for both events is limited and spaces will go fast. To sign up, click here.

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Register now and save BIG:

To help speed up the registration process a bit (hey, I’m a procrastinator too) we are running a pretty sweet early-bird price cut. The promotion will only last for a few days, so save yourself (or your boss) some cash and register before the prices go back up to the full amount. (And no, I am not telling you when the early-bird promo ends. It would kind of defeat the purpose, wouldn’t it.)

Get all the information you need by clicking here.

Register Now by clicking here.