In the same week we’ve written about why brands should get serious about Snapchat’s ad offerings, influencers from its community – including marketers and brands – have announced they’ll be speaking at the world’s first ever Snapchat event in London this September.

While not directly affiliated with Snapchat itself, influencers and large brands are already getting on board with Snaphappen, including Three Mobile as a headline sponsor.

Snapchat marketers Carlos Gil and Chris Kubby will also be at the event to discuss how brands can work with the app in the right way.

Alongside the event, an awards ceremony for the best Snapchat influencers, collaborations, stories and more, The Ghosties, will take place that evening.

The app has over 100 million active daily users, and its influencer user base is starting to increase as more brands get on board. In addition, Snapchat reaches more than 60% of 13 – 34 year old smartphone users around the world.

The Snaphappen event is being organised by Craig Fox, founder of the popular JailbreakCon – and it’s only been three weeks in the making so far.

“It’s first event for Snapchat ran by the community itself, it’s going to be a fun day out with lots of talks from the biggest Snapchatters in the world, these guys have worked with Fox, Disney and some of the biggest brands out there.

“I literally had the idea three weeks ago, and I’ve worked about 200 hours in those three weeks. Lots of brands have been in contact about coming and we’re also in talks with a few more” he tells MarketTech.

While Fox isn’t a fan of the new Discover feature Snapchat’s introduced to highlight publisher and brand content, he says marketing on the app can work – and  his favourite brands are Bloomingdales and Taco Bell.

“Their use of Snapchat and how they tell stories incredible. I don’t get Discovery though, I think everything should be done via Stories, to be honest with you,” Fox adds.

If you’re interested in Snaphappen and The Ghosties, tickets are now on sale for both and range from £55 up to £160.

Article Written By: Rachael Power of Marketing Tech News