Social media conference stalls

A regional conference on social media scheduled for the Reno-Sparks area next month fell victim to the recession.

Organizers of the SM@RT conference the name is short for "Social Media at Reno-Tahoe" instead hope to organize a series of smaller seminars early next year.

The SM@RT conference had been expected to draw as many as 500 experts in social media Dec. 8-10. It had been scheduled at John Ascuaga's Nugget.

Todd Felts, an assistant professor of journalism at the University of Nevada, Reno, and one of the conference organizers, said registration was falling short of expectations.

"It was an economic reality that was beyond our control," Felts said. "We wanted to have a great conference. We were headed toward an OK conference."

While potential attendees were interested in the conference and its education sessions, many from out of state couldn't find room in their budgets, he said.

Now, Felts said organizers look to create smaller educational events focused on specific interests or industry sectors. They may begin running as early as March.