EDMOND—Armstrong International Cultural Foundation social media manager Edwin Trebels went from learner to teacher on May 12, speaking to a group of local professionals at the Ambassador Hotel in Oklahoma City, as a speaker for Social Media 101: Strategies for the Intermediate Level. The all-day event was organized by OKC Social, a club for social media professionals.

Trebels, who is a member of OKC Social, spoke to eight attendees of the mini conference in the morning and six in the afternoon, presenting “Change Things, When Change Is Hard.” Foundation staff members Shane Granger and Sherry Beezley also attended. The talk, the first of eight on the day, focused on helping individuals and organizations adopt new innovations.

Other speakers included Ruth Burr Reedy, an internationally recognized expert on search engine optimization who spoke about businesses achieving returns on their investments into social media. Trebels said his presentation and Burr Reedy’s tied in well with each other. Casey Cornett, director of social media for one of the state’s largest marketing agencies, spoke about using Facebook and Facebook ads. Rachel Taylor, executive director for the city’s Western Avenue district, spoke on smartphone photography. Christopher Sommer and Gentry McKeown, who was one of four nominees for the state’s young advertising professional of the year award, gave advice on choosing which social media platform to use. Content marketer Anna Wickham spoke about implementing an effective strategy, and Allie Carrick, the current president of OKC Social, moderated the event.

“It’s great to see the foundation ramping up its social media strategy this past year and attending all these social media events and now giving back a little to the social media community, being able to share our experiences and thought processes with them at these events,” Trebels said. He added that some social media organizers have expressed interest in having him speak in the future, including teaching Certified Tourism Ambassador classes and possibly speaking at another event for OKC Social.