How do you turn social media on its head and make it unique for your initiatives? I'm always fascinated to see new approaches to using social media and get inspired by different organizations' creativity. From specific initiatives to drive more traffic and awareness (like American Express' Passion Project) to getting executives involved (like HubSpot's CEO Manager Twitter for a Day) to countless other examples in sports, entertainment, B2B, and B2C, creativity is a key factor in the success of our efforts.

Social media is especially intriguing when it comes to the way it can be used for on- and offline events. (E.g., webcasts, virtual environments, onsite conferences and meetings, Twitter chats, etc.) Based on the nature of these types of activities, social media is a strong communication channel to pilot new ideas, convert more traditional approaches to 2-way engagements, and create real-time impact.

Specifically social media can be used to:

• Drive registration traffic
• Create a much more engaging environment
• Tie on- and offline participants together
• Generate more information sharing, innovations, and crowdsourcing
• Provide more direct access to speakers, executives, peers, and others
• Offer ongoing engagement opportunities long after an "event" has taken place
• Troubleshoot and resolve issues quickly

We can learn so much for all types of social media examples that can then be used for our on- and offline activities. As part of the ongoing Let's Chat!#Ciscosmt Series, the Cisco Social Media Training team will be hosting a live and free USTREAM panel broadcast from 9-9:45 a.m. PT on July 31, 2013. (Simply go to the Cisco USTREAM Channel on the morning of the panel chat, log in, and participate in the live discussion using#ciscosmt.)

Join us for a unique view into the ways social media can be used for on- and offline events. During this special activity, our distinguished moderator and panelists will share examples and their experiences around this topic. Moderator and panelists include:

• Jeanette Gibson, Senior Director, Digital and Social Media Marketing (moderator)
• Kathleen Mudge, Social Media Program Manager, Cisco (sharing Cisco Live experiences) (panelist)
• Matt Rozen, Group Manager Corporate Social Media, Adobe (sharing Adobe MAX experiences) (panelist)
• Brian Ellefritz, Vice President, Global Social Media, SAP (sharing SAP SAPPHIRE experiences) (panelist)

To help us prepare for this panel discussion, share ways you are leveraging social media for your on- and offline activities. And what types of questions do you want to cover with these panelists? Share your comments either in this blog post or on Twitter, using#ciscosmt.

We look forward to your insights here and during the broadcast! And in the meantime, for those that are interested in social media training, check out our short video with more details and ways to get involved.