Social media leaders to speak at Tester’s May 17 tourism workshop

Senator’s online marketing panel will help local businesses grow, create jobs

(BIG SANDY, Mont.) – Senator Jon Tester announced today that the biggest names in social media – Yelp, Bing, Facebook and Google – will participate in his “Touting the Treasure State through Technology” panel at his upcoming Tourism Small Business Opportunity Workshop on Friday, May 17.

Tester’s 13th small business workshop, which will be held in Bozeman, will connect national tourism industry leaders with Montana businesses to expand tourism opportunities and create jobs in the Big Sky State.

Tester’s workshop will be held on May 17 in the Strand Union Building’s Ballroom A at Montana State University. Montanans interested in attending are encouraged to RSVP at tester.senate.gov/rsvp.

Tester’s “Touting the Treasure State through Technology” panelists will teach Montana small business owners about the best ways to use social media and paid advertising to attract customers over the Internet. The panelists are:

• Google’s Rob Torres, Head of Travel – specializes in training travel industry businesses to expand their online presence using the world’s largest search engine.
• Facebook’s Brooke Oberwetter, Associate Manager for Public Policy – trains small business owners across the country on using Facebook to communicate with customers.
• Yelp’s Luther Lowe, Director of Public Policy – develops products and procedures for businesses to connect with customers through Yelp.com.
• Bing’s Sean O’Connor, Sales Manager – helps small businesses grow with search advertising.

Tester’s workshop, which begins at 9 a.m., is free and open to the public. Montana native Eric Phillips, a top executive with Delta Air Lines, will be a keynote speaker.

Tester’s Bozeman workshop builds on the success of his 12 previous small business workshops held across Montana. More than 2,000 Montana companies and individuals have attended the sessions.