by Lauren Danielsen | Sep 14, 2019 | Events, Features, Fundraisers, News, nonprofit
Portland, OR. SEMpdx held its annual Rooftop Party in Portland’s Pearl District at the On Deck Sports Bar & Grill. It’s the eleventh year for the networking event. The SEMpdx Board of Directors took time for a photo. Leaders include: Ryan Campbell, Scott Hendison, Kevin Getch, Anna Madill (back row) Tony Svoboda, Trish Carey, Garrett Browne, Robert Frost, Todd Mintz, Sarah Hinds, and Ashley Kennedy. Every year, the nonprofit Search Engine Marketing Organization selects a charity to support and this year, it’s Girls Inc., an organization encouraging girls to be “strong, smart, and bold.” The benefits of becoming a SEMpdx Charity of Choice include: recognition at events, pro-bono digital marketing services, and up to a $5,000 donation.
During the Rooftop Party on August 1st, members try their hand at the giant Connect 4 game.
One of the founders of SEMpdx, Kent Lewis, talks with members. Lewis is also the President of Anvil Media.
Rooftop sponsors included: AMA PDX, Logical Position, Oregon State University’s Professional and Continuing Education, The Portland Business Alliance, Webfor, and Smartz.
From SEMpdx:
SEMpdx was founded in 2006, because we felt that there was a lot of veteran talent here in PDX, but we weren’t really recognized for it because we were all so busy working that we weren’t self-promoting. We also knew that the business community in Portland was coming around to SEM, but didn’t really know about the level of talent here in PDX. This led to our rather simple mission “put search on the map in Portland, and Portland on the map in search”. In other words – to get PDX recognized in the national SEM community, and raise awareness for search marketing in PDX. We got the group together when Scott Orth & Blu Drobushevich approached me (Kent Lewis) after SMX Seattle in 2006 and suggested we create our own industry association in Portland. Initially, I (Ben Lloyd) was hesitant, and wasn’t sure we had critical mass in the area. That said, after a brief debate, we agreed to run it by folks we knew and trusted in the industry. A month or two later, we scheduled a meeting with a dozen or so local SEM professionals. Everyone at that meeting was on board (literally, everyone become an initial board member). I sold the initial sponsorship (Site9) that gave us the funding and moved SearchFest from IPN (Stan Davis & I created the initial events in 2005) to SEMpdx and we were on our way. Ben Lloyd helped us incorporate through his father’s firm and we started formalizing articles, bylaws, processes, mission, vision, and so on. Scott Hendison worked on the blog and website, Tracy Chapman started organizing, and Todd Mintz started blogging. The rest is history! There was a great deal of hard work & details by the board, which was critical and appreciated. The group then started putting on monthly educational events.
by Elisa Klein | Aug 12, 2017 | Events, Features, News
Portland, OR. Bells were ringing atop the Hotel deLuxe at SEMpdx’s 9th annual Rooftop Networking Party on August 8th. Nearly 400 marketers joined in the fun at a game zone where people could try their hand at the “Hi-Striker.”
The Search Engine Marketing Organization also announced its year-long partnership with local charity, Schoolhouse Supplies. It’s a nonprofit that supports public education in the Portland area by providing free school supplies to students in need. SEMpdx joined a matching donation program with KGW and raised over $5,500 to support local children. (Photo credit, Nina Johnson Photography)
DJ Chad Smith spinning tunes as marketers party on the roof at Hotel deLuxe
The party was presented by Upsource. Other sponsors included Logical Position, The Growler Guys, Webfor, OregonLive, Three Rivers Winery, Idealist Consulting, Portland State University, Oregon State University, American Marketing Association – PDX Chapter, Portland Business Alliance, SakéOne, Veracity and PDX Pipeline.
The annual Rooftop Networking Party was also co-hosted by pdxMindShare, IABC and SMPS Oregon.
From SEMpdx:
SEMpdx was founded in 2006, because we felt that there was a lot of veteran talent here in PDX, but we weren’t really recognized for it because we were all so busy working that we weren’t self-promoting.
We also knew that the business community in Portland was coming around to SEM, but didn’t really know about the level of talent here in PDX. This led to our rather simple mission “put search on the map in Portland, and Portland on the map in search”. In other words – to get PDX recognized in the national SEM community, and raise awareness for search marketing in PDX.
Who Helped
We got the group together when Scott Orth & Blu Drubevich approached me (Kent Lewis) after SMX Seattle in 2006 and suggested we create our own industry association in Portland. Initially, I (Ben Lloyd) was hesitant, and wasn’t sure we had critical mass in the area. That said, after a brief debate, we agreed to run it by folks we knew and trusted in the industry.
A month or two later, we scheduled a meeting with a dozen or so local SEM professionals. Everyone at that meeting was on board (literally, everyone become an initial board member). I sold the initial sponsorship (Site9) that gave us the funding and moved SearchFest from IPN (Stan Davis & I created the initial events in 2005) to SEMpdx and we were on our way.
Ben Lloyd helped us incorporate through his father’s firm and we started formalizing articles, bylaws, processes, mission, vision, and so on. Scott Hendison worked on the blog and website, Tracy Chapman started organizing, and Todd Mintz started blogging. The rest is history!
There was a great deal of hard work & details by the board, which was critical and appreciated. The group then started putting on monthly educational events.
Our First Events
Our first was a simple meetup to promote the idea and get some momentum going. After a couple of months, we came up with the idea to put on a full-day SEM conference and put together our first SearchFest at the forestry center.
Aside from a lunch-line fiasco, that went off pretty well – we had good attendance but we ended up giving away a lot of tickets. We did end up making a few bucks off of it, so we decided that we should do it every year. SearchFest has since become our stake in the ground and has helped us further our mission.
Won’t You Join Us?
We’re glad you’re here and we welcome you to become a member. If you’d like to learn more about becoming a member, check out our benefits and sign up information for Portland Oregon’s premier Search Engine Marketing Organization.”
by Elisa Klein | Aug 12, 2016 | Features, News
Portland, OR. The eight annual SEMpdx Rooftop Networking Party drew over 500 people who enjoyed views of Mt. Hood and the downtown cityscape from the roof of the Hotel deLuxe. Board members from SEMpdx showed their colors at the photo booth during the non-profit trade group’s annual party. The event on August 9th was presented by Moz and raised money for a charity called Reading Results. It’s an organization which works in low-income schools in the Portland-area to identify 1st, 2nd, and 3rd graders who are already falling behind in reading and intervenes with paid tutors during this most vital window of literacy development.
Over 500 marketers stormed the rooftop of Hotel deLuxe to party for charity, and enjoy views of downtown Portland.
Keith Daly, Development Director at Reading Results, poses with SEMpdx Charity of Choice Director, Darin Fenn and SEMpdx Editor, Todd Mintz.
SEMpdx President, Kevin Getch, SEMpdx Past President, Alan George, and SEMpdx Events Chair, Robert Frost draw prizes for attendees, including tickets to Engage Conference.
Volunteers from Moz hand out ice cream to professionals on the roof of Hotel deLuxe.
Employees from long time Rooftop Networking Party sponsor, Logical Position, pose in their booth.
SEMpdx continues to build on the foundation of supporting local digital industry professionals and area businesses through educational and networking events. Ten percent of the proceeds will benefit Reading Results.
The SEMpdx Rooftop Networking Party is co-hosted by the Computer-Human Interaction Forum of Oregon (CHIFOO), Oregon-Columbia chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC), and pdxMindShare.
Event sponsors include: presenting sponsor Moz, The Growler Guys, Webfor, Ethology, Tricor Brand Communications, and American Marketing Association PDX Chapter (AMA PDX).
About SEMpdx
SEMpdx (Search Engine Marketing Professionals of Portland) is a nonprofit group dedicated to nurturing the development of the search engine marketing (SEM) and social media marketing (SMM) industries in Portland, Oregon and Southwest Washington. Created as a resource for both local industry professionals and businesses, SEMpdx strives to build national credibility for the area as a hub for the industry, as well as improve the quality of work and life for its professionals. Committed to giving back to the local community, SEMpdx supports a charity of choice for a twelve-month period.
by Elisa Klein | Mar 26, 2016 | Events, Features
Portland, March 10th, 2016. A record-breaking crowd of nearly 500 professionals celebrated SearchFest’s ten-year milestone and learned about the event’s new title: Engage. This year, the Northwest’s premier digital marketing conference highlighted the industry’s hottest topics, including: social media advertising, content strategy, paid search and optimizing for mobile devices. SearchFest is hosted by SEMpdx (Search Engine Marketing Professionals of Portland), a Portland-based nonprofit dedicated to nurturing the development of the digital marketing industry in the greater northwest. Ten percent of the event’s proceeds will go to SEMpdx’s 2016 charity of choice, the Brody Borlaug Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to bringing pediatric immunology to Doernbecher Children’s Hospital. (Photo credit, Nina Johnson)
“Changing SearchFest’s name to ‘Engage’ will speak to a more diverse group of attendees,” said Alan George, President of event organizer, SEMpdx (Search Engine Marketing Professionals of Portland). “Ten years ago, SearchFest focused on the technical aspects of search engines, while today, the conference offers four different tracks. The name ‘Engage’ encompasses the many directions that attendees can take to customize their experience.”
A capacity crowd of nearly 500 attendees look on as Michael King delivers dynamic closing keynote at SearchFest.
A capacity crowd of nearly 500 attendees look on as Michael King delivers dynamic closing keynote at SearchFest.
Once again, this year’s SearchFest sold out and redefined the conference’s capacity. It was attended by guests as far away as Australia and also nearby prominent Pacific Northwest companies including Vacasa, Keen Footwear and Microsoft. Presenters come from all over the world to speak at SearchFest (Australia, Germany and Nashville) from companies like Salesforce and Moz. This was the first year that SearchFest had the support from a presenting sponsor, Yext.
From SEMpdx:
Video bundles are available for those who could attend SearchFest 2016 and for those who could not. For those who did not attend SearchFest 2016, pricing levels range from $199 – $299, depending on SEMpdx membership. Those who did attended SearchFest 2016 will receive the video bundle for free. The entire conference will be available to stream onto various devices unlimited times. Each video will be packaged with the presenter’s slide deck and will be available for viewing in four to six weeks.
by Elisa Klein | Aug 30, 2015 | Events, Features, Uncategorized
Portland, August 11th, 2015. SEMpdx‘s seventh annual Rooftop Networking Party drew over 550 professionals. Members of the local nonprofit search engine marketing group kicked up their heels, including Founder and former CEO of Moz, Rand Fishkin, SEMpdx advisory board member, Anne Kennedy, and Geraldine DeRuiter.
Members gathered on the rooftop of the Embassy Suites downtown to enjoy the city view, music, food and giveaways (including a chance to win free tickets to SearchFest 2016).
Ten percent of the proceeds from the sellout event will benefit SEMpdx’s new charity of choice, the Brody Borlaug Foundation, which aims to help establish a world-class Pediatric Immunology Program at OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital. Moreover, SEMpdx will provide in-kind digital marketing expertise, such as advice on social media campaigns and SEO strategy, along with ten percent of its proceeds made throughout the year, to the Brody Borlaug Foundation.
Jeff and Tracy Borlaug, founders of the Brody Borlaug Foundation, pose with Alan George, SEMpdx President, and Cassidy Quinn, entertainment reporter at KGW.
SEMpdx President, Alan George, and Events Chair, Robert Frost, announce the winner of one of the many drawings guests were able to enter at the Rooftop Networking Party including a chance to win free tickets to SearchFest 2016. (photo credit, Nina Johnson)
John Alden, Lindsey Stier, Hannah Vincent and Eric Scriven from sponsor Logical Position hang out during the SEMpdx rooftop party.
John McPhee and Kevin Bekker from event sponsor, Oregonian Media Group, enjoyed some great brews provided by the Growler Guys during the SEMpdx Rooftop Party.
The event was sponsored by Moz, The Oregonian, the Growler Guys and Logical Position.
From SEMpdx:
SEMpdx was founded in 2006, because we felt that there was a lot of veteran talent here in PDX, but we weren’t really recognized for it because we were all so busy working that we weren’t self-promoting.
We also knew that the business community in Portland was coming around to SEM, but didn’t really know about the level of talent here in PDX. This led to our rather simple mission “put search on the map in Portland, and Portland on the map in search”. In other words – to get PDX recognized in the national SEM community, and raise awareness for search marketing in PDX.
We’re glad you’re here and we welcome you to become a member. If you’d like to learn more about becoming a member, check out our benefits and sign up information for Portland Oregon’s premier Search Engine Marketing Organization.”
