PRESS RELEASE: Charm City Welcomes Digital Teens and Tweens

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MEDIA CONTACT:  Adam Gertsacov 646-543-5512 adam@digitalfamilysummit.com

Charm City Welcomes Digital Teens and Tweens.

Digital Family Summit holds second annual conference in Baltimore October 11-13, 2013

Baltimore MD May 1, 2013

This Columbus Day weekend, teens, tweens and their parents will explore the brave new world of digital content creation in a three-day summit of workshops, talks, panels, and parties to be held in Baltimore, Maryland.

The second annual Digital Family Summit  will be held in October 11-13, 2013 at the Baltimore Hilton Hotel in the heart of Baltimore’s celebrated Inner Harbor.

“The Summit is designed for both parents and kids who are creating exciting content on blogs, in digital video, through photos or by designing video games,” says Stephanie Schwab, Chief Executive Officer of Crackerjack Marketing, and a Digital Family Summit founder. “Kids and their families can come together to learn new digital skills and gain confidence in expressing themselves online.”

With 76% of teens using social media networks, 14% of teens writing blogs, and nearly 95% of all teens on the internet, parents have a new world of digital content to consider with their kids. The conference is designed to bridge the gap for content-creating teens and tweens and their parents who may or may not be digitally savvy.

LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES

The Digital Family Summit features three types of learning content: Workshops, Talks and Keynotes.

Teen and tween attendees learn the ins and outs of digital media creation, including video, photography, game design, and blogging.

For teens and tweens, fast-paced, kid-friendly, experiences will help budding content creators get up and running in the medium of their choice by the end of the conference.  Workshops include:

• Blogging
• Digital photography
• Video production
• Video game development

Talks provide opportunities for parents and tweens to learn about online safety, including cyber-bullying, identity theft, and intellectual property rights, and examine the privacy issues inherent in digital sharing.  Speakers and panelists include teens and adults with expertise in digital security, personal branding, entrepreneurship, emerging platforms and more.

Keynotes will cover topics ranging from good digital citizenship to using social media to get into college.

ACTIVITIES FOR THE ENTIRE FAMILY

This year’s conference will also feature sponsor parties, one of the most popular aspects of last year’s Digital Family Summit. In 2012, party sponsor Gillette Venus threw a Pink Carpet Party and Ubisoft created a Just Dance party, both attended by all conference attendees. These, and many other activities will be designed for the whole family: from meals to snack breaks to an exhibitor treasure hunt, which will send everyone searching throughout the hotel for clues leading to sponsor prizes.

“We hope that the entire family will come to the conference, even if not everyone is digitally focused,” says Schwab. “Baltimore is a fun, family-friendly city, so come and enjoy all that the city, and the conference, has to offer.”

BRANDS AND BLOGGERS ARE GETTING INVOLVED

Last year’s Microsoft sponsored Teen Entrepreneur Lounge was a great place to take a break, play some games, and learn about entrepreneurship and digital safety.

Last year the conference drew 275 attendees of all ages.  Cecily Kellogg, a well-known mom blogger and writer for Disney’s Babble.com website said in a review after the conference: “The Digital Family Summit is poised to really bring something new to the intersection of parent bloggers, digital kids, and the children of bloggers.  I cannot wait to return to the conference and meet more of these amazing young people!” 

Says Helen Jane Hearn of Federated Media, one of last year’s speakers ”When I saw it in action, parents and kids better understanding each other — thriving through communication — through this digital medium, I was completely impressed.”

And Rebecca Levey, Co-Founder of 2012 sponsor KidzVuz, said “As a sponsor it was incredible to meet so many wonderful kids and see them interact with the site live.”

Sponsorships for 2013 are now available and include branded parties, meals, suites, expo booths, content tracks and more.

Ticket sales are now open, with early bird pricing of $99 per person available through July 12, 2013.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

To get more information about the conference, including speaking opportunities, sponsorship opportunities, and early bird registrations, visit https://www.digitalfamilysummit.com. Also follow Digital Family on Twitter at @digifam and become a Fan on Facebook.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

 Adam Gertsacov is the co-founder and co-organizer of Digital Family Summit.  He wears many hats, including those of a professional clown, an author and publisher, an artist/educator, a non-profit administrator, a P.T. Barnum impersonator, a flea circus impresario, and the esteemed hat of the Clown Laureate of Greenbelt, Maryland.