Fairfax County, Virginia – Social Media Week Fairfax, the September 14 event for all digital marketers, bloggers, influencers and savvy consumers, has added multiple noteworthy guests to its roster of distinguished panelists and guest speakers.

Presented by the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority (FCEDA), in conjunction with Social Media Week, the event will welcome representatives of the Food Network, National Geographic and the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African American History and Culture to the stage at Capital One headquarters in Tysons Corner.

Other recent additions to the SMWFairfax program: Jonathan Aberman, managing director at Amplifier Advisors and host of the What’s Working in Washington podcast, will moderate the discussion “Future Tense: How Leading Companies Embrace Innovation” and Washington Post reporter Aaron Gregg will moderate the panel “Playing with Matches: Does Digital Media Fuel or Burn Startups?”

SMWFairfax will also feature multiple exhibitors from the Greater Washington area, contests offering participants the chance to win prizes supplied by Amazon Web Services, ample time for networking and a 1 p.m. luncheon at the conclusion of the event.

Click here to see a complete agenda, a full list of speakers and to register for the event.

“Social Media Week is the kind of interactive event that shines the spotlight on Fairfax County as a hotbed for emerging technologies and digital growth,” said Gerald L. Gordon, Ph.D., president and CEO of the FCEDA. “The global nature of SMW is in line with our efforts to showcase the county as a place where innovation, creativity, thought leadership and diversity are assets that contribute to both the community and its economic base.”

This is the second year the FCEDA and Social Media Week have teamed to bring together leading marketers, entrepreneurs, founders, influencers, bloggers and digitally connected consumers for a forum to consider ways in which social media and technology are shaping business, government, society and culture. Sarah Fraser of the Hey Frase Podcast will serve as emcee of the event.

Debra Puchalla, senior vice president of digital programming and video for the Food Network and Cooking Channel, and Sara Levine, senior managing editor of the Food Network, will be on hand to demonstrate the ways short-form videos can be a recipe for success when it comes to making a culinary impact on Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook.

The morning program will kick off with Anthony Shop, co-founder and chief strategy officer of Social Driver, moderating “Partnerships with Purpose,” a conversation with National Geographic vice presidents Tammy Abraham and Amanda Waas. The discussion will explain how National Geographic became the No.1 brand on social media.

Lanae Spruce, manager of social media and digital engagement for the National Museum of African American History and Culture, will join Laura Larrimore of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and Joseph Galbo of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission for the discussion “Hug Your Haters: The Art of Dealing with and Defusing Negativity Online.” Chris Dorobek, executive editor at GovLoop’s DorobekINSIDER, will moderate.

Among exhibitors committed to participating in the interactive Innovation Hub exhibition area are:  George Mason VSGI & MGTA (demo games and mixed reality), Fifth Tribe (product development, interactive building, digital marketing), Microsoft (digital transformation through intelligent cloud), QBurst (online marketing), Big Parser (connecting to and sharing data), DCVR (virtual reality), We Work/We Work Labs (workspace for startups), Zoomph (media metrics and analytics), DC Inno (digital media) and TAG Labs (educational funding through video game arcade).

This year’s Social Media Week sponsors: Capital One, QBurst, Microsoft, Zoomph, Amazon Web Services, Hilton, Yext, Booz Allen Hamilton, Axios, Hatch Apps, TransitScreen, UrbanStems, Big Parser, The Bridge, LSMP Video, DC Virtual Reality (DCVR), InsideNoVA, DC Inno, NextGov, Potomac Tech Wire, WeWork and WeWork Labs.

Time magazine called Fairfax County “one of the great economic success stories of our time.” Business growth and innovation helps Fairfax County fund one of the nation’s most prestigious school systems and other public services that contribute to the quality of life of residents. Fairfax County offers businesses a state-of-the-art infrastructure, access to global markets through Washington Dulles International Airport, a vibrant investment capital community and a highly skilled and well-educated workforce.

The award-winning Fairfax County Economic Development Authority promotes Fairfax County as a business and technology center. The FCEDA offers site location and business development assistance, and connections with county and state government agencies, to help companies locate and expand in Fairfax County. In addition to its headquarters in Tysons Corner, Fairfax County’s largest business district, the FCEDA maintains marketing offices in six important global business centers: Bangalore, Berlin, London, Los Angeles, Seoul and Tel Aviv. Follow the FCEDA on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.