photo by: Adobe Stock

Douglas County businesses can learn to step up their social media game for this summer’s FIFA World Cup at two free training sessions from economic development organizations in February and March.

On Tuesday, the county announced that the two workshops would be held on Feb. 18 and March 4 at the University of Kansas’ Innovation Park, 2033 Becker Ave. Each one will take place from 9 to 11 a.m. and will feature interactive activities and discussions with local business owners and marketing professionals.

A news release from the county said the workshops were being organized by the Lawrence chamber of commerce, the KU Small Business Development Center, architecture and design firm Multistudio and Douglas County.

Tyler Lindquist, an administrator with Multistudio, said in the release that the workshops would be called “Winning the Feed,” “because that’s exactly what we want our local businesses to do.”

“When thousands of visitors arrive this summer, we want Douglas County businesses to stand out, tell their stories and capture the attention they deserve,” Lindquist said.

The release said the first workshop, on Feb. 18, will be called “Social Media 101.” It’s aimed at social media beginners and will cover the basics of major platforms and advice on branding and producing content. It will be moderated by a business adviser and communications strategist at the KU Small Business Development Center and will also feature the founder of downtown Lawrence’s 715 Restaurant, a professional photographer and a longtime digital media strategist.

The second workshop, on March 4, is “Advanced Social Media” and will dive deeper into photography, video production and algorithms. It will be led by the founder of marketing and design agency YellowBug; a KU marketing professor, a local communications professional and multiple photographers will also participate in the discussion.

The workshops are free, but participants must register online at members.lawrencechamber.com/events.

Douglas County has already announced at least one other World Cup-related training workshop, this one on extreme heat readiness. It’s intended to help people recognize heat-related illness and safely run outdoor events during June and July when World Cup guests are expected. That free training is from 9 a.m. to noon March 9 at Flory Meeting Hall at the Douglas County Fairgrounds, 2120 Harper St.; participants can register at dgcoks.gov/form/heatworkshop.

These may not be the only World Cup training sessions in the months ahead. As the Journal-World has reported, planners have already discussed offering special training for workers, which could cover things such as cultural sensitivity and handling transactions in cash more effectively for guests who may not have credit or debit cards.