Social networking has hit the credit union conference circuitbig time in 2010.

For its annual conference in Colorado Springs last month, theCredit Union Association of Colorado sought to “really make use ofthis exploding technology” by hiring Pasadena, Texas-based vendorCU Grow.

Attendees at the meeting, held at the Broadmoor Hotel, took partin floor videos and interviews shown on special Web pages set up byCU Grow and posed for photographs later uploaded to Facebook andCUAC's website.

All told, there were 288 social media participants withrepresentatives from 10 states besides Colorado. Many tweetedquestions to various conference speakers, including Atlanta-basedbusiness coach Michael Hudson.

“We think our members really loved the excitement, energy andbuzz we brought to Colorado Springs as we worked hard at attractinga more youthful audience to our meeting,” said Nicole Brusewitz,education director for CUAC.

CUAC met its goal of engaging both CU executives at the meetingand those unable to attend, counting some 700 Twitter and Facebookclicks to a separate “call to action” account.

One attendee, Nicole Anguiano, marketing specialist at DenverCommunity FCU, said it was “awesome” to be able to sit in onebreakout session while keeping tabs on another going on down thehall.

Diane Tracy, vice president of finance/IT at Horizons North CUof Northglenn, agreed with Anguiano and added that she liked to seediscussion continuing online long after the sessions were over.

CUAC is far from the only state group to bring on CU Grow tohandle social networking at a conference. Two weeks ago, at theTexas Credit Union League's annual meeting in Grapevine, the vendorarranged for tweets and blogs to be broadcast from varioussessions.

And the Mississippi Credit Union Association said it too hashired CU Grow for its annual meeting May 5-8 at the Beau RivageHotel/Casino in Biloxi. Using a technique initiated last year bythe New Jersey Credit Union League, CU Grow photographers willconduct man-on-the-street interviews to spread CU awareness to thepublic.

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