This document provides ideas and recommendations for improving HootUps events hosted by HootSuite. It suggests focusing events around specific topics or industries to build cohesive communities among attendees. Examples given include hosting events around popular bands, marketing trends, or real estate to engage relevant audiences. The document also proposes creating themed gift kits for HootUp attendees related to event topics.

1. IDEAS
OBSERVATIONS
CHALLENGES
By: Sepi Bordian
February 2012

2. HOW TO MAKE HOOTUPS EVEN BETTER
• Lack of focused audience targets = lack of attendance
• Upon reviewing HootUps & HootUp communities, there is a lack of cohesiveness and solidifying factor that
makes an event useful for its attendees
• Being a HootSuite member is used as THE common ground for the attendees, but this is not enough to
engage participation on an ongoing basis
• I believe attendance and participation can increase by focusing
HootUps to specific audience segments so that all three
parties benefit even more. The three parties being:
1. Attendees
2. Organizer / Sponsor HootSuite
3. HootSuite (of course)
When these parties come together based on a specific theme
then a sense of community can be felt allowing for HootUp Magic
• Recommendation Sponsor/
A*endees
• Base the HootUPs on the trends seen on Twitter or mentions Organizer
for a certain brand or certain industry to increase motivation
for attendance
• This will allow for building a community that is motivated to
come together to learn about the topic that they are interested in or participate in activities that
they like while learning
• Tie in how HootSuite can be a contributing factor to their success in the realm of social media, for
both the sponsor and attendee

3. HOW T0: EXAMPLES
• Relying on top tweeters, twitter trends or number one Owls to
host the HootUp in a certain category that they may be interested in (either for work or as
their hobby, such as music, a band or a Marketing or Realtor Networking event) and incorporating this
theme
• Providing a sponsor such as a local band to participate in the
HootUp would be a great way to create a community around a topic that all participants are
passionate about and are therefore motivated to keep the momentum going
• Now the critical ingredient to add to this mix is:
• Show how HootSuite can assist the attendees to track their favorite bands
or how the band involved can maintain its campaigns through HootSuite
• Or in the case of the Marketing Networking event, how newbies can
understand the importance of HootSuite for their campaigns
• Or how can a realtor connect with potential clients looking to buy condos
• This will generate the buzz necessary for more
Enterprise clients to get involved as more attendees
become a part of HootUps

4. HOW T0: EXAMPLE #2 & #3
• Reach out to local Dating Services
• With the tremendous increase in popularity of online dating,
adding a theme to the HootUps, such as a “Valentine’s day”
one and reaching out to local Dating services of the hosting
cities would be a great way to generate buzz and excitement
for people to not only want to meet each other but to become
more aware of what is available in their city
• This way the businesses involved can also benefit by gaining
possible clients but also the understanding of how HootSuite is
an essential part of their campaigning
• Male/Female Owl guises
• Another idea would be to have male/female owl guises with
Drawing by: Sepi
different looks so that participants can pick their “look” for their
profiles or for the events to make their participation more
unique and personal

5. HOOTKITS
Ideas
MAKE CONTENT SPECIFIC HOOTUP KITS
HootKits can be more desirable and relevant if they are themed around the specific HootUps or the events
where they are being distributed
Examples:
• SXSW attendees could receive HootKits containing:
• Owl’s must see/do picks for Austin complete with Owl’s map of the city
• code for downloading Owl game to keep busy between meetings
• Owl lanyards for the day and owl shades for attending the parties or HootUps in the evening
• Restaurant/”Foodies Unite” themed HootUp would have kits containing:
• Owl printed recipes or Owl chopsticks
• Canucks game themed HootUps would have kits including:
• mini pucks and sticks game, all owl themed of course
• “Social Media & Dating” night would have:
• Owl pen/paper for exchanging numbers or owl hearts or Owl mints

6. @#$!
$#@%^ $#@%^
WHAT THE F#ÇK* MOMENTS
* To use Dave’s terminology 
A. “ROTTEN WATERMELON WITH MY FIREPLACE!!!”
One of our customers had received their electric fireplace and upon opening the box had discovered a rotten
watermelon inside his package. Upon investigating the matter further and having to calm the customer down, I
had to provide them with a free replacement but also have a very sever conversation with our sales rep for this
brand to provide an apology letter to our customer. Although funny at the end, it definitely was a “what the F***
moment!
B. INCREASED WORK WITH LESS PEOPLE!!!!
With many layoffs in a very short period of time and continuous increase in the amount of work while at the
same time going through continuous IT system changes, definitely had what the F@#$ times and had to:
o Handle the extremely low morale
• Maintain our leadership courses & opening lines of communications with all levels of staff
• I met with all of my managers who reported to me and their teams on an ongoing basis to
ensure they are motivated through the tough times
o Restructuring the teams to handle workload
• Strategizing on what immediate new structure made the most sense
• Making tough decisions on who to keep & who to let go of
• Extensive performance reviews to ensure everyone is being treated fairly
o Continuously innovating new processes and automations in order to manage increasing customer
service issues as well as attending to our vendors