We all know SPAM isn’t just limited to email anymore, especially if you’re a frequent Twitter user. And although Twitter has gotten better in its SPAM catching and annihilation practices, SPAM still manages to show up in the darndest places. Like next to the live stream of your TechCrunch event, let’s say.

There are two ways that SPAM can make its way into this feed– either by using the #tcdisrupt hashtag when you send your spammy tweet out into the world, or by logging into your Twitter account through the event’s Twitter Chat and posting it directly.

The fact that spammers would want to target the event is simply a numbers game. Trending topics, especially when there’s a hashtag associated, mean a lot of people are watching or paying attention. Eyeballs mean potential clicks, and that’s exactly what Twitter spammers are after.

So what can you do about it?

Use a curation platform that gives you (the event organizer) more control over what’s being displayed, and more importantly, what isn’t. One company that’s providing an innovative solution in the curation space is TweetRiver. Another option is to roll your own aggregator, like the elegantly executed A Feed Apart. My personal prediction? Annotation and curation will be one of the next explosive areas of growth within the Twitter ecosystem. Apps, plugins, you name it.

On a final note, Marketing Ninja Amy and Client Relations Rock Star Lance are actually in New York right now representing MailChimp at TechCrunch Disrupt. If you’re there, please say hello!