Tuesday, October 23, 2012

How the Love Birds Do Vegas and Blogalicious - Pt. 4

Missed the previous recaps? Check out Pt. 1, Pt 2 and Pt 3.


Yes, this is the final installment on Blogalicious! There was so much between attending the conference and enjoying Las Vegas as a vacation that I wanted to share as much as possible with my readers. If you haven't noticed I'm very passionate about the conference as well as the city of Las Vegas!

First, I wanted to share more about the Hard Rock Hotel. We were given a free stay there and really enjoyed it - Mr. Love Bird stayed there last year when he went to Vegas with his BFF, and he kept raving about it. The bed was super comfy! Thank you Hard Rock for the awesome room:


A strange incident happened in the elevator when we saw an empty glass and white powder nearby. Suspect. A guy was in the elevator and heard me comment to Mr. Love Bird about it and he exclaimed, "What I wouldn't give for coke right about now!" Oooookkkk.

One aspect of the Hard Rock Hotel I've always liked is the memorabilia they have, rock and roll decor as well as the awesome music they always have playing the background. 


This huge photo of Dave Navarro was in the ladies bathroom

Loved the cymbals as sconces in the hallways and the Rolling Stones photo in our room

Another strange incident happened at the check-in desk where a guy was so gone he toppled over trying to reach his ID he dropped while standing in line. There were a few guys standing in front of him and neither them nor the attendant behind the desk noticed. It was the most bizarre thing! He just slowly crumpled to the ground, managed to get his ID, stand up and conduct whatever business he had to do then keep going.

It always seems like Mr. Love Bird and I witness things like that wherever we go!

Back to the conference, I think taking a more laid back approach vs. trying to cram everything in made the experience much more enjoyable for me. A few key snippets I don't want to forget:
  • I really appreciated Catherine of Her Bad Mother and Babble Editor pointing out during the Community Jam Session that not everyone wants to be a professional blogger - I've noticed a huge trend with many making the assumption that all bloggers are aspiring to do it professionally, and that all bloggers are into monetization and turning their blog into a business. So glad this was recognized!
  • If you do want to go the route of monetization, I appreciated Mario Armstrong's point to think of yourself as a media company
  • It's making me think of writing a much bigger blog post, but I appreciate McDonald's presence there to continue to discuss their push on under 400 calorie items - so many bloggers get upset with some of the bigger brands' presence at conferences and partnerships with bloggers, but as someone coming with experience in media and marketing, there's nothing wrong with a brand working to change its image and improve; kudos to McDonald's for working on this!
  • I was especially struck by seeing so many middle-aged and older black bloggers at the conference. This made for such a rich experience and perspective on how I see myself blogging long term. I really enjoyed my conversations with older bloggers!
  • As with any conference it definitely is what you make it, but I think having an awesome platform and team to start with definitely makes it easier. I want to thank Justice Fergie and her team for such an awesome time! 
  • A word about swag: it definitely wasn't the focus. There were more health and beauty products with a few larger giveaways/contests for cash, gift cards, electronics throughout. I really liked not having the focus be on swag! I think post-conference everyone was most excited about the Nature Made gummy vitamins. Mr. Love Bird and I can't stop eating them! We also like our Crest 3D White Strips, and I'm loving my Eucerin lotion for extra-dry skin especially now that fall is here and my skin is not adjusting well.
Here are a few pictures from the official photo album of the conference. Thank you to Eric Payne Photography for capturing these moments!

Rocking my sister's flower at tea and probably saying something profound ;-)
Super focused at Mario's talk that spilled out onto the terrace
Getting my buffet on!

Alas, evidence of my failed attempts at hula hoop exist

Was there anything I didn't cover that you want to hear more about or any questions? Let me know in the comments below and hope to see some of my readers next year at Blogalicious!