As close to 500 guests made their way into the River View Room at Optus Stadium in Perth, State of Social recorded its largest attendance yet.

Like years past, we got things started by acknowledging the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we were gathered and paid our respects to their Elders past and present, as some amazing students from Wesley College performed traditional dances as part of a moving Welcome to Country.  

After a short-and-sweet opening address from Meg Coffey, we welcomed Adrian Molina from Aviation Gin to the State of Social stage. Well … kind of. Adrian joined us via Zoom from the US, treating conference attendees to a light-hearted and informative presentation about storytelling through humour and the similarities between brand managers and TV showrunners. It was a truly valuable and unique insight into the life of a brand manager working for an exciting brand partly owned by one of Hollywood’s biggest stars … Ryan Reynolds. 

Once we had all recovered from being completely lost in Ryan Reynolds’ eyes, Rachel Corbett, NOVA Entertainment’s Head of Podcasts and Digital Content, put on an absolute masterclass about the world of podcasting and how branded podcasts can help brands grow, reach new audiences, and make more meaningful connections.   

If you’ve been wondering all about the where what, and who of social media, Suzie Shaw from We Are Social lifted the lid on social trends and where people are spending their time online, how games are becoming increasingly important for brands across the globe, and the steps brands can take to educate their audiences. 

Taking in all of that knowledge from our first three keynote presentations really worked up an appetite. During lunch, we stopped for a cheeky beer tasting from our friends at the Feral Brewing Company, and conference attendees enjoyed an incredible AR art exhibition from Jackbox that really got the creative juices flowing. 

With our stomachs (and brains) filling up, the remainder of day one was split up into multiple breakout sessions. 

Barry Walker from Wunderman Thompson taught us all about strategy vs tactics, defining your real business problem, and how to set and achieve SMART goals.  

Have you noticed the rise of deep fakes on the internet lately? Maybe you haven’t. Maybe that’s the point … David Stewart from Bennett + Co taught us all about deep fakes, what they are, how to spot them, and how to make them.  

Carol McCracken, the Head of Marketing at Willie Creek Pearls, made us remember our point of difference and reminded everyone in the room to remind their customers about their abandoned carts.  

The legal cannabis market seems as if it will inevitably take off in Australia, and that’s why it was amazing to have Martin Lane from Cannabiz running a breakout session all about the growth of Australia’s legal cannabis industry.  

Dissecting, understanding, and completing creative briefs can be difficult. Smiljka Dimitrijevic from 303 MullenLowe lifted the lid on understanding how to avoid common brief-writing pitfalls and nail down the compelling insights and propositions that underpin every great marketing project.

We all want the secrets to break through on social media. That’s why we asked Anne Shea to grace State of Social with her presence and teach us how to up your innovation, engagement and conversion game.

Are you struggling to understand the effectiveness of your campaigns? We’ve all been there. Fortunately, Michael Wretham from Match & Wood was at State of Social this year to show us how to determine and improve the effectiveness and ROI of our campaigns.

Do you actually know what PR means? David Gardiner from DGPR blew a few minds by letting us all in on how you can use public relations to complement your digital marketing, social media, and so much more. 

During Afternoon tea, attendees were treated to a live pearl harvesting, with a few lucky guests going home with pearls worth more than $500 each. 

All fuelled up and energised, we headed back into the River View Room for our last two keynote presentations of the day. Zoe Scaman joined us from the UK, walking guests through how brands reach and connect with fans through games, new forms of media, and interactive experiences. 

Following straight on from Zoe, Rae Johnston chose to embrace this year’s theme, offering attendees tips and tricks to tame all the chaos that comes with social media and digital marketing, STEM journalism, AI, and how to manage professional burnout.   

After all the knowledge, ideas, and creativity that had been shared on day one, it was time for a bit of networking … and a few drinks, as we wrapped day one with a paper plane throwing competition at #SMPerth Drinks. 

Day two

We can hardly believe it, but that’s it for State of Social ’21! 

If you’ve never attended State of Social before, day two of the conference works a little differently from the first day. For guests who are still hungry for knowledge after day one, day two is filled with workshops on various interesting topics from the world of social media and digital marketing.  

Getting things going on day two, Zach Kangelaris from Ranieri & Co took guests on a deep dive into the world of podcasting, the recent explosion of podcast advertising, and strategic planning for digital and branded content marketing.

Shifting gears away from the audio space, it was lights, camera, action as Carmen Braidwood walked guests through an absolute masterclass on how to be more confident on camera.  

Bethanie Blanchard from Carat offered up the tools and insights needed to develop a strategic plan to navigate the chaotic world of social media and digital marketing. Bethanie even managed to leave us with one of her favourite quotes: “You must have chaos within you, to give birth to a dancing star.” 

If you’ve been wondering about the legal side of life, specifically regarding intellectual property, then Kristine Hodgson from Bennett + Co was a presentation not to be missed on day two, as we took a look at everything from influencers contracts to IP risks. 

Up next was Andrés López-Varela from Storyation, who shed some much-needed light on how to talk to teams, stakeholders and agencies, and how content is so valuable to conversations.

Breaking for lunch, guests were treated to some delicious food and a fantastic Buy West Eat Best Farmers’ Market. 

Perhaps now, more than ever before, mental health is under the spotlight, especially when considering the role that social media plays in mental health. Andy Wright and Chris Freel joined us for an insightful presentation on who’s responsible for our mental health.

We then shifted gears as Mike Drysdale, a true State of Social favourite, let us all in on building brand equity through branded entertainment. Mike’s workshop was packed with tips, insights, practical lessons, and a heap of real-world case studies.

With so many businesses moving into the eCommerce space, it was a real treat to have Ben and Scott from The Cut teach us how to create an eCommerce website that cuts through all the noise and converts browsers into buyers.

Returning from last year, Gabe Mach from Bonfire let us in on the secrets, tactical tips and practical processes for planning, creating and evolving campaigns that connect and convert.

Wrapping things up on day two, Garry Dean from NOVA gave a mind-blowing presentation on listener-focused advertising and audience psychology.  

Well, that’s all she wrote for another year of State of Social. As is always the case with State of Social, there isn’t much time to reflect on the year that was, as we immediately start looking forward to next year’s conference! 

If you couldn’t make it to this year’s conference, you can catch up on all the action with Post Show Video Access!