Urban Interact, Inc. announced today the launch of the first annual Social Business Boot Camp, to help companies and individuals shape up their social media efforts to better support their business objectives, to be held Thursday, March 4, 2010 at the Aloft Hotel in Downtown Dallas, TX.  The camp’s pre-registration has been a big success. There are a limited number of seats remaining at  www.SocialBusinessBootCamp.com/NBCF .

Here at ILiveinDallas.com, we have traditionally promoted and reported on the Dallas art scene, advocacy, musical performances, education, literary talks, and cultural events in order to encourage the creative and expansive growth of the community. We are now opening a new category: technology and the social web. With the surge of social media popularity and its importance, bloggers, designers, entrepreneurs and technologists are coming together and sharing ideas like never before. Some of my favourite suppliers of YouTube likes happen to be the best bloggers. Meet-ups, Tweetups, and technology camps are occurring every week on a large and small scale.

We want to offer our readers educational and networking opportunities in order to learn everything they can about using social media, web tools, and ways to collaborate with like-mined individuals to expand their knowledge. With that said, here is our first official article in this new category.

The headline social media speakers at the first annual Social Business Boot Camp include Ori Bengal, a.k.a. “Couch Surfing Ori,” the event M.C. , speaking on Getting Out There, From a Guy Who Is Really Out There. Ori is an Interactive Adventurist who has consulted with a virtual who’s who of social media rock stars and business elite. Rick Burnes, Inbound Marketing Manager at HubSpot, will present Inbound Marketing: Get Found Using Google, Social Media and Blogs, an Amazon Best Seller, and Shama Kabani, President of The Marketing Zen Group, will discuss her book, The Zen of Social Media Marketing, available in stores April 2010. Both books will be provided to workshop attendees. Event sponsors include LinkedIn, Food Beyond the Box, Million Vodka, SticViews, Support Big D, and Urban Interact, which is also producing the event. You meet Ori and Shama along with the whole day workshop  by registering here: www.SocialBusinessBootCamp.com/NBCF.

“It isn’t a question of if companies will begin to use social media marketing, but when,” said Shama Kabani. “The Social Business Boot Camp will set a high benchmark for other social media events,” continued Kabani.

Additional segments include: Personal Branding, Developing an Effective Social Media Policy for Your Company, and an open forum discussion lead by an all-star Social Media Business Panel. The panel will feature leading-edge companies who will share how they are leveraging social media to support their initiatives and will answer audience questions for real-time advice from some of the most knowledgeable marketing and social media experts in Dallas.  For a full list of speakers, topics, and day’s agenda go here. The social media workshops will be followed by a Social Networking Happy Hour where attendees can mingle with other like-minded professionals, entrepreneurs, business owners, HR, recruiters, sales professionals, marketers, journalists, bloggers, PR professionals and other social media enthusiasts.

“We’re so proud to be a part of this event. A portion of every ticket sold will be donated to National Breast Cancer Foundation, which helps a very deserving charity while benefiting our local business community,” said Beverly K. Garvin, CEO of Urban Interact, Inc.

The event is expected to sell out, but General Admission, VIP, and Happy Hour Only tickets can be purchased here, and package deals on sets of five and ten tickets are available.

About Urban Interact:

Headquartered in Dallas, TX, Urban Interact develops unique online marketing strategies that intrigue, inform and inspire website visitors to engage with brands to deliver profitable, long-term results through interactive web presence, inbound marketing strategies, social media solutions, loyalty programs, and branding. The company’s tagline, Attract * Engage * Convert * Repeat!â„¢, is not only how they market the company, it’s the “secret sauce,” and is the driving force behind the success of each client project. For more information, visit http://www.UrbanInteract.com

' alt='' /> Neil Lemons is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ILiveInDallas.com. A Texas native, Lemons is a 30-something adventurer and mobile lifestyle enthusiast. When he's not rounding up writers or reading business motivation books, he writes about his food festival escapades. To pay his bills, he's also a Digital Marketing Consultant for local & national companies. Follow his adventures on Twitter.