Montecito Bank & Trust is proud to present the Third Annual B2B Series, an education series for businesses.

With events in Solvang, Santa Barbara and Ventura, the series will give participants the opportunity to network with local companies of all sizes and learn from nationally-recognized speakers from Zappos, Visit CA and lynda.com. This year’s topics include creating a culture of service, making the most of Facebook and Twitter for business, improving organizational leadership, and taking advantage of current tourism trends in California.

“Montecito Bank & Trust is committed to helping local business thrive,” President/CEO Janet Garufis said. “Our goal for B2B is to help local businesses stay on top of new and innovative strategies and ideas by presenting opportunities to learn from industries’ most respected and knowledgeable thought leaders. We are excited about the enthusiastic response we’ve had from businesses across the tri-counties who appreciate an opportunity to learn, network and grow, and expect our business education series to become an annual tradition. We are looking forward to three great events and invite everyone in the local business community to join us.”

Each event day begins with a four-hour interactive, small-group workshop designed to give attendees more face time and individual attention. Keynote events follow the workshops and begin with networking, complimentary hors d’oeuvres and cocktails and end with a keynote speech.

The first event in the series will be held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Ventura on Sept. 12. Justin Seeley, staff author at lynda.com, will host a workshop titled :Harness the Power of Facebook and Twitter for Your Business,” addressing ways to maximize social media. Following the workshop, Jonathan Wolske, culture evangelist from one of Fortune’s Top 100 Companies to Work For, Zappos Insights, will deliver a keynote on creating a culture of service for business.

Wolske will discuss why defining culture and core values is imperative to impeccable customer service which ultimately increases company profits and productivity.Barry Posner, co-author of The Leadership Challenge, will keynote “Great Leadership Creates Great Workplaces” on Sept. 26 at the Fess Parker’s DoubleTree Resort in Santa Barbara.

Posner, one of the Top 50 leadership coaches in America, will address topics such as understanding effective leadership practices, initiating action to improve performance as a leader, and creating a workplace with more engaged and committed people.

The workshop preceding this keynote will feature Daren Blonksi, consultant for Sonoma Leadership, and Judy Guillermo-Newton, SVP and director of organizational learning at Montecito Bank & Trust. After guests take a leadership assessment, these two leadership experts will cover a number of organizational leadership topics, including ways to apply the Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership to real-life organizational challenges.

The final event will be held at Hotel Corque in Solvang on Oct. 15. A workshop on tourism marketing will be run by Lorrie Thomas Ross of Web Marketing Therapy, Mary Harris from the SYV Hotel Association, Tracy Farhad from the Solvang CVB and Kathy Vreeland of the Buellton Visitors Bureau. This workshop will be focused on helping businesses stand out in the crowd with creative promotions and web marketing. The keynote will feature Lynn Carpenter-Schumann, VP of marketing for Visit California, who will address the impact of the ever-improving tourism industry in the Santa Ynez Valley and beyond, and the strategies tourism-related businesses can use to grow.

Click here to register and learn more about all of the events. All guests who register by Aug. 31 will receive a 50 percent discount.

— Andy Silverman is a marketing coordinator for Montecito Bank & Trust.