Blogher15 Conference
What one day of attending the Blogher Conference was like in my words. Do you remember the movie WEDDING CRASHERS? As hilarious as this movie was with Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson I never thought I too would CRASH an event!!!!! I planned to spend one day in NYC at Blogher15. When I purchased my ticket I remember it stated Expo and party only. This ticket granted me networking access only for the brands and the closing party on Saturday.
As a newbie, I had no idea what to expect. I chose to go on Friday because I thought this was a better day connections with brands on the first full day. For some reason it never dawned on me the opening/closing ceremonies , lunch and the sessions were not included in my registration – this was a total Oops!!!! I am officically a BLOGHER CRASHER!!!!! Prior to the conference I reviewed the schedule and went through the list of brands to map all the brands relevant for me. I wish there was a newbie 101 to walk you through how to navigate the conference.
I wholeheartedly believe every experience has lessons to be learned. This was my first blogging conference so I had idea on what to expect. It was wonderful to see and hear about Soledad O’Brien’s foundation and her mentoring efforts with the mentees on the panel. Also Anna Maria Chavez, CEO of Girl Scouts of America speak on her organization and the girl scouts on the panel sharing their experiences. A great opportunity to leave with inspiring and empowering messages. Oops, I did attend the lunch with keynote, Gwyneth Paltrow discussing her site GOOP.com.
Oops, I did attend one session, The Writing Lab and the facilitator was kind enough to share all of her notes with attendees.
Newbie Mistakes
- Spending one day is not enough time to connect with bloggers and brands.
- Realized after I returned home my ticket was for networking only, ooops I attended the opening ceremony and lunch!!!!!
- Attend and stay from Saturday to Sunday.
- Never miss the closing party, what was I thinking?
- Spend more time in the expo hall with brands.
- Pack comfortable shoes.
- Take pictures, pictures and more pictures!!
I attended the conference to learn and understand about brands as well as meeting other bloggers.
What I Learned:
- The expo and party only ticket is not for the sessions or speakers.
- Brands are people too. They were extremely personable and willing to answer all of my questions.
- Always be courteous and personable as you are meeting new people, you never know who you may meet along the way.
- Check in early to connect with bloggers.
- Purchase an all access ticket to take advantage of the sessions, speakers, expo and closing party.
- Spend as much time as possible connecting with brands, take lots of pictures with brands in booth.
- Take pictures, pictures, pictures and more pictures.
- Try to connect as much as possible on social media during the conference.
- Live “Scope”!!!!
- Try to sightsee in the host city if possible.
Brands
ISow
This is a great way to change the dynamics of gift giving for my kids. I love teaching my kids the value of giving back and making a difference.
InfoLinks
how to monetize my blog with ads
MamaBear
an app to track my kid’s social media activities as well as a their location
Shea Moisture
0ffers haircare, body care, makeup, hair color products. The fruit fusion/coconut water hand and boy scrub is an at home TREAT for your hands and body. I also tried the Superfruit Complex body wash and oil. These products smell heavenly!!
Shark
I had a chance to try out one of their vacuums which was so lightweight and I put in my plug to review their “steamer” mop. Fingers crossed!!!!!
NutriNinja
This was the best chocolate smoothie I ever tasted and hopefully I will have an opportunity to review their product.
NRG
Charger on the spot and it is the best. It slips in your handbag and charges to 2 phone chargers.
Tom’s
I started using the wild lavender deoderant for my 8yo so it was nice to engage with the brand in person. Tom’s offers a toothpaste to transition from kid’s toothpaste to adult toothpaste.
GoGo Squeez
One of my DD’s favorite on the go applesauce brands. There were samples for the new flavor apple pineapple.
Storied Myth
This is a wonderful app for my young reader. In addition to the app she will receive activities in the mail to use along with the app.
I had wonderful chat with an editor from ESPNW who is interested in our perspective in areas beyond sports such as fitness, apparel, food, activities, interests, etc. As a mom blogger with a focus on fitness I think there is a lot to share from a fitmommy blogger perspective. Hopefully this will develop into a lasting relationship and content channel.
The best part of attending was getting to see Jen Lawrence-Snipes over at Jael Custom Designs. She and I met on Mom Bloggers Club in 2009 and the last time we saw one another was in 2010. Definitely far too long to connect in person!!!
I have send a huge shout out to Danyelle Little over at The Cubicle Chick for giving me that nudge off the sofa!!!! It was an invaluable experience and has paved the way for me to attend the next conference.
Why I Blog-My TOP 3 take aways from the conference is 1)NETWORK 2)INSPIRE 3)EMPOWER
Thanks for stopping by!