Last month, hopes of a gravy-stained appearance were riding high at the event, but in vain. @Berlaymonster (4) never showed, though he (only his gender is not a secret) did offer up a Tweetise on the “fetid shallow pond of EU Twitter” from his “own particular algae-ridden crevice of the pool.” However, the ghosts of unbridled Europhilia past and present were very evidently there in the shape of Capt. (ret’d) Europe (16), a baseball cap providing a token attempt at anonymity, and his shorter, but in full mask and suit, successor, le Captain Europe du jour. Well perhaps du lendemain as he (the beard is a bit of give a way) didn’t make it into the top 40, even if he was featured in at least 40% of pics taken that evening.
I got two EU superheroes and symbol of European unity to take a photo with me. Truly honoured! #euinfluencer pic.twitter.com/B53Q0XTzaV
— Harold Tor (@HaroldTor) 19 octobre 2017
Was great to join this dream team at the #EUinfluencer event tonight with @PoliticoRyan @BrusselsGeek @JusticeLeagueEU and @marcoRecorder! ? pic.twitter.com/vTpECJfG0n
— Captain Europe (@captain_europe) 19 octobre 2017
As Florence Ranson from FoodDrinkEurope tweeted, “Anyone who’s anyone in Brussels’ Twittosphere is here!”.
The ZN-Euractiv soirée at the latter’s IPC offices was billed with aptly shameless hyperbole as the event of the season, and this cutting edge occasion managed not to lose its edge even when the technology cut out. Several top nominees shared their opinion on the nature of digital influence, what makes an EU-influencer, and their approaches. Many echoed James Kanter (14), who expressed his astonishment how influential Twitter has become, playing a vital role alongside other social media, in shaping our daily lives, the way we stay informed or misinformed and influencing public opinion. Main takeaways:
- Nicholas Whyte (37) is not Carl Bildt (17), though a designer did get them confused,
- James Crisp (11) has a flexible definition of friendship, but rigid morals,
- ZN’s signature “Tweet before eating” chocolates, though most no doubt disappeared during the more lengthy interventions just before drinks were served – looking at you @Mark_Johnston (28) and @MarcoRecorder (25).
Seriously however, a truly valuable takeaway is a top 40 #EUinfluencer Twitter list so you can make sure you know who they are and see how they are shaping EU politics. And there was really a methodology behind the ranking.
“No ranking can ever please everyone, but at least this one is clearer than some others. Plus the top 40 are at the very least an interesting bunch to follow on Twitter,” wrote Jon Worth on his blog. He also provided an inspirational message on video from his beach house in Berlin.
And the audience for these neo-Oscars was not just inside the room. The hashtag #EUinfluencer was trending as number 1, even above #EUCO that was going on just across the road. #EUinfluencer was used in 708 posts by 302 users, reached 1,320,132 users, and obtaining 2,785,029 impressions – mainly on Twitter but also on znconsulting.com, stollmeyer.eu, and many more. Find the best tweets about the event on our Storify and search #EUinfluencer for further gems from the presentations of Katie Owens, Alice Stollmeyer, Aurélie Valtat, Michiel Van Hulten, Paul Nemitz and Stavros Papagianneas.
And finally we get to the stars of the event: moderators Jennifer Baker (15), EURACTIV’s ebullient host of #EU Tweets of the Week and ZN’s Phil Weiss (not on the list, but nevertheless hyperebullient). Here they are pictured with Liora Kern (who you can catch being ebullient on ZN Friday Live) and, of course (for those who have seen him out of Halloween costume), the permanently ebullient and number-1 #EUInfluencer Ryan Heath.
Our own @pweiss & @liorakern with number-1 #EUinfluencer @PoliticoRyan & top #EUinfluencer @BrusselsGeek ?? pic.twitter.com/qHp3ll4xLP
— ZN Consulting (@ZNConsulting) 20 octobre 2017
PS Then there was offline networking.
Happy #euinfluencer (s) @EURACTIV w/ @HaroldTor pic.twitter.com/GygPiPCjdQ
— Dominique Ostyn (@DominiqueOstyn) 19 octobre 2017
Still going strong but am I an #Euinfluencer? @ZNConsulting @EURACTIV pic.twitter.com/29l8Hu49YZ
— Liora Kern (@liorakern) 19 octobre 2017
