The New Communications Forum is the one social media event I attend every single year. That’s because the speakers at this conference, which is now in its sixth year, are predictably incredible. I’m not talking about me; I’m referring to people like Kami Huyse, Geoff Livingston, Shel Holtz, Shel Israel, Maggie Fox, Katie Paine, Jackie Huba, Francois Gossieaux, Geno Church, Dharmesh Shah, Brian Solis and many others.  These are, quite simply, the people I most respect and listen to in the social media realm.

NewComm Forum takes place the week after next in San Mateo, CA. The keynote presentation on Thursday, April 22 is by Scott Monty, whose accomplishments at socializing the Ford Motor Company’s marketing programs are deserving of a lifetime achievement award. People told me that last fall’s presentation on The Hyper-Social Organization by Gossieaux and Ed Moran of Deloitte Services actually changed their lives. I know it had a huge impact on me. You can hear an updated version on Wednesday, April 21.

People don’t come to NewComm Forum to sell stuff; they come to discuss the big issues of how social technologies are transforming organizations and institutions. It was this event in 2006 that convinced me to devote my career to understanding and documenting social media’s transformative impact.

Why am I telling you all this? Because registrations are down this year. Whether it’s the economy or the flood of new competition, they aren’t where they need to be and that’s bad news. I say competition, but NewComm Forum really has none. No other event will send you home with as many new insights, ideas and action items as this one. That’s not to denigrate the many other good conferences out there, but in my opinion there is simply none that combines the theoretical with the practical quite like this one.

It’s not just me saying this.

• Kami Huyse calls it “quite simply the best social media conference I have attended;”
• Neville Hobson says it’s “arguably the best conference for communicators and marketers to help you understand what social media and new communications tools and technologies can do for your business;”
• JD Lasica agrees that it’s “one of the best social media gatherings anywhere;”
• Todd Van Hoosear terms it “the premier conference for unlocking the power of social media for business.”

These folks have no financial interest in making these comments. They simply believe, as I do, that a program of this quality needs to be preserved.

The organizers have made $500 speaker discounts available if you register with the code NCF500. They’ve also added a one-day pass for $395 if you register with code NCF1D. If you happen to be in the Silicon Valley area, this is a no-brainer. You get:

• Full access on Wednesday, April 21^st;
• Keynote sessions by Jackie Huba, Dave Carroll (singer/songwriter, “United Breaks Guitars”) and Tim Westergren, founder and chief strategist of Pandora ;
• Access to all conference sessions, including presentations by Shel Holtz, Jen McClure, Paul Chaney, Eric Schwartzman, Francois Gossieaux, Brian Solis, Katie Paine, Dharmesh Shah, Beth Kanter, Kami Huyse and others.
• Breakfast, Luncheon featuring Dave Carroll and a cocktail reception.

Please support this valuable event and assure its health into the future. Tweet it to your followers using hashtag #ncf2010. And thanks for listening.