Coolest conference is in Tahoe

Slated for Feb. 27 through March 2, the top minds from the worlds of digital storytelling, snowsports and social media will converge on Heavenly Mountain Resort in South Lake Tahoe for the fifth annual Tahoe Snowcial, a winter social media and technology festival that celebrates a common passion for snow and provides attendees with insights from some of the most innovative players in the market today.

The Tahoe Snowcial organizing committee released its first round of speakers and headline entertainment for the world’s coolest social media conference.

The list includes:

• Tariq M. Shaukat, executive vice president and chief marketing officer, Caesars Entertainment — Shaukat is one of the foremost authorities on customer loyalty and relationships.

• David Armano, managing director, Edelman Digital Chicago — In addition to world’s largest digital practices, Armano is an internationally recognized thought leader and speaker.

• Patrick Harrington, technical team lead, Walmart Labs — Harrington specializes in dissecting Big Data for the retailer that generates more than one million customer transactions every hour.

• Michael Jaquet, vice president and chief marketing officer, U.S. Ski and Snowboard Team — Jaquet has leveraged his experience in digital strategies to develop the Ski Team’s own branded channel on YouTube.

• Stanley Hainsworth, chairman and chief creative officer, Tether — one of the foremost brand storytellers, Hainsworth has helped create the global affinity for Starbucks, Nike and Lego.

• Barbara DeLollis, travel reporter, USA Today — A sought-after speaker and moderator, DeLollis has been covering travel for the USA Today since 2002 and in 2009 launched Hotel Check-In, an influential blog that covers all things hospitality.

• Chris Steiner, co-founder, Aisle50, author and senior writer for Forbes Magazine — Steiner has published two books: “$20 Per Gallon” in 2009 and “Automate This, How Algorithms Came to Rule Our World” in 2012. He is also the co-founder of Aisle50, an app that is bringing group buying to the grocery industry.

• Ian Swinson, senior director of User Experience, Salesforce.com — Swinson has spent the last 20 years solving design problems at start-ups, design studios and enterprise software companies.

• Chris Heuer, specialist leader, social business, Deloitte Digital — Considered one of the leading voices on social business and engagement, Heuer is a holistic business strategist and creative technologist who specializes in helping brands deliver exceptional customer experiences through digital channels.

In addition to two half-day conference sessions, Tahoe Snowcial also offers three days of skiing or snowboarding at Heavenly Mountain Resort, a headline concert at Harrah’s Resort Casino, an Ignite event and a digital film fest.

The Philadelphia alternative hip-hop band G. Love and Special Sauce will headline the Saturday evening events. With their unique laid-back blues sound and classic R&B grooves, the popular foursome will delight the Snowcial crowd with popular singles such as “Baby’s Got Sauce,” “Cold Beverage” and “Peace, Love and Happiness.”

“The value that attending Snowcial will bring to your organization is tremendous,” said David LaPlante, Snowcial co-founder and chief snowcialite. “To gain entry for as little as $500 is beyond reasonable to borderline larceny.”

Early-bird rates starting at $500 are now available for this one-of-a-kind event, and end Jan. 15. Register at tahoesnowcial.com. For sponsorship information, contact the Snowcial sales department at snowcial@gmail.com.