The Social Media Summit is finalising preparations to host the third edition of the largest social media gathering on August 15 at the Century Park Hotel in Amman, Jordan.

The event, to be held under the theme ‘Social Media and Its Pivotal Impact on the Tourism Sector’, is being organised by Hits Marketing – a leading regional marketing and event management company based in Dubai – in cooperation with the Jordan Tourism Board (JTB) and Jordan Hotel Association, with the participation of a host of local media partners and sponsors.

Social Media Summit executive director, Ehab Heissat, explained that social media networks play a significant role in attracting local, Arab and international tourists to Jordan. Accordingly, the summit’s third edition will include several exciting sessions featuring Jordanian, Arab and international experts and speakers.

On its sidelines, the summit will organise a workshop on the optimal use of social media networks to promote tourism and market tourist attractions. The workshop will be led by a group of experts specialised in e-marketing, social marketing, and content creation. Around 200 workers from the local tourism and hospitality sector are expected to attend the workshop, which will be held for the first time in Jordan.

In addition to the partaking of JTB general manager, Dr Abed Al Razzaq Arabiyat, as a keynote speaker, Heissat confirmed the participation of numerous international speakers and experts from some of the leading companies in the fields of social media networking, digital media, and consultancy.

Moreover, Heba Abdulwahab, Moments Lead at Twitter, will speak at the summit and accompanying workshop, in addition to Olga Egorsheva, founder and CEO of Lobster – one of the largest licensing companies for user-generated content. Sarah Begum, TV presenter and social media activist, will also be in attendance to discuss storytelling through social media. Other speakers include Andrea Frahm, founder of German-based agency Frahm & Partners Communication, and Courtney Brandt, a social media activist behind the blog A to Za'atar that assesses restaurants and hotels in various tourist destinations.

Participants will be able to listen to and debate a host of local and regional speakers and trainers, including Ameed Awad - International Digital Marketing and Social Media trainer; Amir Ounallah - founder and CEO of Batuta.com, a leading Arabic online travel agency; Gaith Adaileh - co-founder of Khaberni.com; and Amjad Sawalha from Siyaha.org.

The Social Media Summit is the first and largest social media conference in the Middle East. In 2018, a series of conferences are scheduled to be held in Dubai, Sharjah, Riyadh, Muscat, and Oman. - TradeArabia News Service