The Milwaukee chapter of the American Marketing Association is hosting a breakfast program tomorrow featuring Jeremy Epstein, a well-known speaker and consultant to talks about the power of raving fans and community-driven marketing.  I had the pleasure of driving Jeremy from the airport to dinner this evening, where we joined several of my work colleagues before I dropped him off at his hotel.  Prior to picking up Jeremy I was nervous — Jeremy’s all about being remarkable so I felt pressure to be remarkable.  I had done my best to prep him prior to arriving in Milwaukee — let him know how many attendees we’d have at the breakfast tomorrow morning, gave him a head-up on the weather so he knew that he didn’t need to pack a winter coat, etc.  Well, I didn’t have to worry.  After just a few minutes of small talk in the car, it seemed as if we had known each other for years.  I think that’s the beauty of people who are into social media.  You have to be social by nature so it’s very easy for like-minded people to carry on a conversation. 

A short time later at dinner I had the pleasure of meeting in person some of the people I follow on Twitter - Hugh MacLeod (@gapingvoid), Nilofer Merchant (@nilofer), Susan Burns (@TalentSynch).  Such a great opportunity to converse in person and get to know each of them a bit more.  What we talked a lot about was the point of social media and how important it is to be engaging and authentic. And I’m pleased to report that they are all very nice people!

So back to Jeremy.  Really looking forward to his presentation tomorrow, and I don’t think the AMA-Milwaukee audience will be disappointed. He is truly passionate about what he does, he’s engaging, authentic and a genuinely nice guy.  Plus, he’s full of ideas!  He made numerous notes to himself sparked by our conversation on the drive to the restaurant.  I’m thrilled that we are able to bring such a great resource to the local marketing community.