The figures are either daunting or exciting. We’re rapidly approaching an installed base of tablet users set to top 760 million around the world, a number that will no doubt spell the beginning of the end of PC dominance. Let me throw another figure at you: social commerce is forecasted to grow to a $30 billion market by the end of 2015. That’s less than three years away! Are you prepared for these seismic shifts in the business world, where the referral economy teams with the power of mobile computing to create tomorrow’s winners (and losers) in retail, publishing, marketing, communications, you name it?

Change is rapidly upon us. Mega-trends in the digital/mobile/social space are occurring so quickly that you may find your entire market has transformed itself in a matter of quarters. There is either a major business opportunity for you, or your company is vulnerable to swift irrelevance, and eventual obsolescence.

We at SMI saw this coming for a while now and that’s why we’ve planned for this year’s Social Media Influence 2012 conference in June to focus squarely on best-practice social/mobile/digital strategy in the business world. You’ll hear from the companies, brands and organizations that are innovating in the area of social gaming, social commerce, social media marketing and social business design. You’ll hear how companies have increased sales, amplified their message and harnessed better ideas from within their organizations using the latest digital and social media tools and strategies. Specifically, you’ll hear from GE, Unilever, Microsoft, Google, London 2012, Buddy Media, Dachis Group, Conde Nast and many more who will take you through the big innovations and trends that are transforming the business world today and will help you better compete tomorrow.

To say this is our most ambitious conference – now in its seventh year – would be an understatement. The theme is success stories. Simply put, you’ll learn invaluable and actionable best-practice strategy pointers for you and your team. We also have one extra goodie we’ll be giving to delegates: a free e-book of #FAIL: The 50 Greatest Social Media Screw-Ups and How to Avoid Being the Next One.

Come join us on June 12th!

- Bernhard Warner

editorial director, SMI

Follow us on Twitter at: @socialinfluence… And on Facebook.