One thing that I was determined to do since relocating to Tallahassee, is to get out there and attend conferences, expos, and other events in the U.S. Being based in the U.S. Virgin Islands with bills and a peanut check left me with very little to travel the way I wanted to, but God. It’s been a year since the move, and I just attended my first ever bloggers’ event, BlogHer.
BlogHer is a well established, 3.5 day event for primarily bloggers, but is inclusive to all creatives (journalist, photographers, brands,etc.) that want to attend. BlogHer was held at the Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek Resort in Lake Buena Vista Florida smack dab in Disney territory.
Each day was different, but they were all filled with Keynotes, Breakout Sessions, and opportunities to “pitch” to brands and to network with fellow creatives.
Favorite BlogHer Keynotes
Gabi Gregg, Luvvie, & Serena Williams
Passion. Being Yourself. Discipline.
The words of power that I respectively received from these three amazing women. Gabi Gregg encouraged us to know our worth, charge our worth (monetarily,etc.), then add tax. Seriously *clap clap fingersnap*. I swear my stomach would still be sore if Luvvie’s keynote was any longer, but there’s more to Luvvie than her humour. One message that resonated with me is to stop comparing someone’s 3rd year with your 1st day. Self comparison as they say is the thief of your joy. There’s lots of behind the scene sacrifice and hardwork that you’re not seeing that results in the success that you do see. Luuvie’s journey is a clear example of that.
Stop comparing someone's 3rd year with your 1st day. Self comparison is the thief of your joy. Share on XSerena Williams blessed my whole life and snatched many edges just by gracing us with her presence. As we all know Serena and Venus’ dad was instrumental in instilling discipline in the structure of their lives. The presence of discipline is evident through her continued successes on and off the court. There was also a lady who’s family owns Vagisil (sorry I don’t remember) that encouraged everyone in the audience to yell VAGINA because apparently 35% of women are uncomfortable with saying the word. Why tho? I digress.
Oh yeah VAGINAAAAA. 🙂
BlogHer BreakOut Sessions
Each day I had the option to choose what break out session I wanted to attend. I like that there were multiple options for each session,because your session choice depends on the knowledge you want to improve yourself.
Smart Tip: Team up with fellow blogger friends to get the most out of all the sessions. Have someone attend each of the sessions with questions from your tribe in tow and compare notes at the end of the day. You can get the gist of each session this way.
Expo Hall
The expo hall was filled with lots of cool brands looking to make connections with new bloggers and stay connected with bloggers they may have already worked with. There were lots of samples and swag bags to giveaway as well.
Smart Tip: Go to the expo hall when it’s less crowded to make a hopefully more significant impression on the staff of the various brands. If you’re not here for loud competitive crowds, that’s the best strategy.
If you’ve been following my Instagram and Instastories, you would have seen a lot more highlights in real-ish time of this blog. There’s at least one more event that I plan to attend for the summer so follow me and stay tuned
The Hotel
While I did not stay at the Hilton Bonnett Creek Hotel, I absolutely loved the entire venue. It was the perfect place for a blogger event of this magnitude. We basically took over the entire facility! #bloggersunite There was plenty of seating, beautiful spots to take a million pictures (not joking), and many restaurants to network and socialize at. In the midst of attending, I realized that there is a perk to staying at the hotel where an event is held. You have the convenience of retreated to your own space to freshen up, droping off extra swag goodies, and recharging in silence. Introverts need that. 🙂
THE MEET UPS AYEEE!!!
Speaking of socializing, let’s talk about one of the things that actually made it all worth it. Getting to meet so many bloggers, creatives, and entrepreneurs I’m inspired by is irreplaceable. Networking is the ultimate perk of attending these events.
Petty BlogHer Cons
-I wish there was a way to attend all the sessions, but I can see that would require the event to last significantly longer. This will probably cause the cost of attending to go up significantly. See my smart tip above about comparing notes.
-Too much self promotion from some presenters, but hey I’m not knocking anyone’s hustle. If you don’t like the way a certain session is going or it’s not what you thought it would be, bounce and sit in on another one. Like the boss that I am. 🙂
-There were lots of mini-sub-events going on that I almost missed, but my Internet family had my back. Like that #GirlsTrip private screening (the movie comes out July 21st) that I was technically suppose to register for seperately? I still got in tho. #bossstatus A lot of this info was being communicated through the BlogHer Facebook group which I did not know existed until the last minute. I think there’s room for improvement there, but no biggie. The movie is a must see. All women will enjoy it.
-Some breakout sessions were more popular than others and it resulted in crowded rooms. My suggestion is to get to your sessions early. Do not arrive on the dot or a few minutes late.
In a Nutshell
I had an awesome time. I learned a lot that I will be implementing on the blog and in everyday life. Ultimately I feel renewed by being amongst people that get what blogging and social media is all about. BlogHer is a great way to break into attending blogger events. I would definitely go back for next year. Fingers crossed it’s on the east coast.
