Excuse me while I bask in the afterglow of Telligent’s second annual user group conference, The Big Social 2012. The event was an undeniable success with customers, partners, analysts and friends jetting into Dallas from across the globe — from as far away as Australia, South Africa and the United Kingdom. For three jam-packed days of social-filled learning, we hosted more than 30 guest speakers, 24 breakout sessions, four training workshops and some inspiring keynotes from social business leaders.

During the event, I was on the social-prowl to gather the hottest conference news, pictures and videos to share with you. Here are some shots from the big show.

Monday:
Registration, Workshops & Swag Grab

Telligent’s Katie Josephson helping one of our speakers get registered.

Telligent’s Chief Strategy Officer, Cecilia Edwards leads the Strategy Workshop for a huge, engaged crowd.

Guests took in the space-age surroundings on the W Hotel’s 33^rd floor during the The Big Social
Welcome Reception sponsored by the lovely folks at Couto Solutions.

Lots of mixing and mingling. Telligent’s Melanie Womble hanging out with Rackspace Hosting’s
Forrest Lymburner at The Big Social Welcome Reception.

Hey guys! Those silver shimmery walls really make your The Big Social red lanyards POP!

Tuesday & Wednesday:  
Great Customer Storytelling, Tip Trading & Knowledge Exchanging

After his inspirational keynote, Dallas Cowboys hall-of-famer Roger Staubach receives a honorary
Telligent hoodie from Telligent CEO Patrick Brandt.

 
Next up: TBS sessions. Speakers are all signed in and ready to go.

The networking continues after one of our business sessions wraps up.

Lots of folks getting a first-hand look at the new Telligent Community and Telligent Enterprise
updates in the Demo Lounge.

Tuesday Evening:
What’s a user group conference in Dallas without a little Texas-style fun?

The Big Social winds down day two by heading to the famous House of Blues for some R&R (rock ’n’ roll)!

After a day full of learning, the mega party band, Emerald City encourages The Big Social attendees
to let down their hair and bust a groove.

A lot of folks gave the mechanical bull a shot. Alas, the bull remains undefeated.

Get up and get down people!
The Big Social party goers aren’t afraid to join a conversation or a group dance!

You can always guarantee a great picture when there’s food around.
The BBQ sliders were yummy crowd pleasers.

Somebody is getting serenaded! One of Emerald City’s lead singers hops off the stage into the crowd
for a little one-on-one time. (Telligent events = shy-free zone.)

All Conference:
Hanging Out in the Social Media Lounge

Congrats to Karla Leskovsky, social marketing manager at Emerson Climate Technologies!
She was Monday’s Daily Prize winner in the Social Media Lounge.

You can’t win if you don’t play! Chris Amstutz of Emerson Life Sciences was
the BIG winner of Blue Beard’s Treasure in the Social Media Lounge in Wednesday.

Fantasy gaming Telligent customer, Bragstr, hosted the official launch
of their new site and community in the Social Media Lounge on Tuesday.

Enjoying a little cotton candy break courtesy of the Social Media Lounge.

The stylish crew from Toni and Guy hanging out in the Social Media Lounge.

Weren’t able to attend this year? Well we hope you will be able to join us next year. But for a further recap of this year’s conference, The Big Social media sponsor, CMSWire, was on-site to catch even more of the highlights. To learn more about this year’s conference from a third-party perspective, read CMSWire’s recent article.

For those of you who were able to make it, we hope you walked away with useful information for building your social strategies and helpful community tips. If you have any pictures, videos or stories of your own, please share them with us! We’re still posting pictures and updates on our Facebook page and on Twitter. So, stay tuned!

Hope to see y’all at The Big Social 2013!