Harlem Lovebirds: One Week From Today: #Blogalicious5

Seven days from now I'll be in Atlanta for Blogalicious5, and I'm feeling a certain kinda way about it . . .

Last year was my first time attending blogging conferences and while there are so many to choose from I have to say of those I've attended Blogalicious is my favorite for 3 reasons:

Intimate environment
Specific, highly actionable content
Attention to detail

If you want more details check out my multi-part Blogalicious '12 review here.

With a few conferences under my belt I feel very prepared going into Blogalicious5 especially because of the location - I've been to Atlanta several times, have family there and love the city! It's going to be a mini-mommy vacation for me too as my sister will be taking care of Lil Lovebird while I'm gone (it was originally supposed to be a family trip, but Mr. Lovebird has to be away on business). I'm so thankful to my sister for stepping in to help!

I wrote an epic how to do BlogHer/Blogalicious post last year, but here are a few updates for this year on how I'm prepping:

Technology - last year I attempted to bring a tablet to BlogHer, but this year I have a much better tablet: a Windows 8 Asus Vivo Tab RT with a keyboard which feels more like a mini-laptop; it's super portable and the battery life is outstanding (thank you Design Mom!)

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Style - it's been said appearances shouldn't matter but to be honest, they really do; how you present yourself is crucial to making a strong first impression at conferences, and I've prepared with a fresh cut and a few updates to my wardrobe; the best part is I was able to get everything deeply discounted scouring coupon codes/sales as well as my September birthday emails for discounts

Trifecta of savings: gift code, free shipping and double points!

Business cards - I've updated last year's card a bit thanks to a free card offer from both Moo and Minted for Blogalicious attendees; I still have some leftover from last year so I'll be bringing both sets (also I think it's very important to have a picture of yourself on your card and for the texture to be writeable - I like taking notes on cards immediately after meeting someone and a picture makes you more memorable!)