Calling all content strategists, user experience designers, information architects, web writers and editors, web developers and technologists, marketers, communications pros, product managers, publishers and entrepreneurs: this is an event you won’t want to miss.

In a series of lightning-style talks of 5 minutes each (with plenty of pauses for drinks), eight speakers (including two international guests) will fill you in on what they learned at Confab, the groundbreaking U.S. content strategy conference, earlier this month—followed by a sneak peek of what’s to come this September at CS Forum 11 in London.

Hosted in the stunning Mermaid Centre, join us to learn, talk, socialise, discuss, network, pow-wow, postulate and surmise. And did we mention it’s free?

Date: Tuesday 7 June, 6-9 pm
Venue: The Mermaid Centre, Puddle Dock, London, EC4V 3DB

What we learned at Confab 2011

Fresh from the Confab content strategy conference in Minneapolis – the first event of its kind in the USA – these Confab speakers & attendees will share what they learned, what inspired them, and what it all means for the future of our organisations – as well as why content strategists are obsessed with cake.

• Sara Wachter-Boettcher (@sara_ann_marie): special guest visiting from Phoenix, Arizona. Director of Interactive Content & Marketing Strategy at Off Madison Ave, blogger, and Phoenix Content Strategy Meetup organiser.
• Richard Ingram (@richardjingram): Partner at ingserv, diagrammer extraordinaire, and content strategy advocate.
• Elizabeth McGuane (@emcguane): Lead content strategist at LBi London, writer, and editor.
• Relly Annett-Baker (@rellyab): Writer, content strategist, co-founder of Supernice Studio.

Content Strategy Forum 11: A preview

Whether you’ve already registered or debating whether to attend, you’ll enjoy these three Content Strategy Forum speakers (and one organiser) each giving a tantalising five minute preview of what’s coming in September.

• Destry Wion (@wion): special guest visiting from Strasbourg, France. Organiser of Content Strategy Forum (Paris 2010 & London 2011), co-organiser of the CS Paris meetup, UX designer, and writer.
• Diana Railton (@dianarailton): Founder of DRCC, specialist in corporate communications and content strategy.
• Cleve Gibbon (@cleveg): CTO of Cognifide, content management expert, and marketer.
• Charlie Peverett (@cpev): Content strategist at iCrossing, online journalist, and editor.

Schedule

• 6pm-6:30pm: Drinks in the Mermaid Centre’s Bridge Bar (cash bar)
• Presentations start in the auditorium at 6:30pm sharp.
• 7:45pm-9pm: More socialising and networking in the Bridge Bar (cash bar)
• After 9pm, anyone who’s still standing can head to a nearby pub.

RSVP now to secure your place

Tickets are free but limited—visit the meetup group and RSVP to reserve your place.

If you’re short of time, check out these short clips.

Credits

Camera: Kenneth Yau.
Editing: Jonathan Kahn.

Pose your questions on twitter using the hashtag #cslondon10. We’ll select the most popular for a panel discussion on the night. There’ll be live Q&A too.

Preparations are in full swing, and it’s going to be a full house. See you then!

Taking place at The Book Club in Shoreditch, this informal evening of discussion and socialising is the place to be if you want to learn more about the business value, opportunities, and practical application of this emerging field of practice. The event is free but space is limited, so get your ticket now.

What: “Content Strategy, Manhattan Style”
When: Tuesday 13 April 2010 at 6pm
Location: The Book Club, Shoreditch.
Speakers: Karen McGrane, Rachel Lovinger, Jeffrey MacIntyre.
Relevant industries: digital agency, user experience, publishing, media.

• It’s Not Just About the Content, It’s Also About the Strategy (Karen McGrane)
• Metadata: What, Why & How? (Rachel Lovinger)
• The Role of Content Strategy in Media and Entertainment (Jeffrey MacIntyre)

Read on for the details.

It’s Not Just About the Content, It’s Also About the Strategy

The content strategy process can help you create and maintain great content. But that’s only half of the story. Developing a strategy that defines what you want to achieve with your content—and why—is the key to creating business value. To communicate the value of content strategy to business leaders, you need to frame the problem in terms they care about, selling them on the value of better content to their bottom line.

Join Karen McGrane for a discussion on ways to connect content with business, including developing a strategy that aligns with business goals, selling content strategy to executives, and different ways to monetize content.

Metadata: What, Why & How?

Metadata is used to capture qualities of content that describe what it is, and to provide direction for its display and distribution. It’s useful for organizing a collection of content items, and becomes indispensable as that collection grows. This makes it easier to find and use content in meaningful ways. You wouldn’t be able to use iTunes without metadata!

Rachel Lovinger will guide a discussion on what content strategists need to consider when working with metadata. This will include types of metadata, how it’s used, best practices, and forward looking trends, as well as any other related topics that come up.

The Role of Content Strategy in Media and Entertainment

Content strategy asks of organizations two things: to treat content as a critical business asset, and to recognize one’s role online as a publisher. For many, this is a big leap. But what happens when content strategy is introduced to clients in the media and entertainment sector, for whom this is already conventional wisdom? What is the value of content strategy for broadcasters and publishers—the original content experts—and how does it inform the way clients of any industry respond to this field of practice?

Drawing on experience honed as a content strategist for several leading media properties, join Jeff MacIntyre in a discussion of the role of content experts consulting those already (allegedly) expert at content. This conversation is recommended for UX practitioners of all stripes interested in a practical review of the opportunities and challenges of executing a content strategy.