Andhra's upcoming capital of Amaravati is all set to host India's first Social Media Summit Awards (SMSA) - a national event connecting people, content and conversations around emerging trends in media.
The two-day event is scheduled to happen on November 18 and 19 at A Convention Centre in Vijayawada.
Envisioning the vital role of social media in the day-to-day life of people and the change it might bring with respect to information, governance, business and commerce, the Andhra Pradesh government is supporting the initiative.
"Social media, now, is a billion-dollar industry that offers endless opportunities for brands to connect with their audience. In order to take advantage of it, companies have to understand that the social media sphere evolves very quickly, so staying ahead of these shifts is crucial," a press release stated.
This Summit is being planned by VIBRI Media, with the support of the state government.
According to the press release, the summit aspires to engage entrepreneurs, journalists/bloggers, brand managers, social media strategists, students, artists, media specialists and developers, and discuss trends, pros and cons of this industry, and the way forward.
The event also seeks to highlight the importance of incorporating social media into marketing strategy, by demonstrating how it can add value to a business, in terms of both revenue and brand.
The first day will see several speakers representing Google India, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, including one session on “Best Practice in creating socially relevant Snackable Content”, by Satyaraghavan, Head of Entertainment Content at YouTube.
The second day will witness an award ceremony and there are 30 categories of awards for best content creation on social media.
Other guests attending the event include Baahubali producer Prasad Devineni, actor Rana Daggubati, music director Anirudh Ravichander, actor RJ Balaji, and actor Deepika Padukone.