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| This is just the tip of the iceberg of BlogHer 2015 speaker awesomeness! {Image credit, clockwise: Ava, Soledad, Christy, Luvvie, Gwyneth and Melinda) |
- I'm prepared! I'm SO not stressing like I have done for conferences in years' past. Why?:
- My sister in NYC confirmed my Moo business cards arrived today (2 full days ahead of schedule!) - oh and about biz cards: they NEED to have a writeable surface. I keep cards for years with notes on them and am such a connector that I frequently go back to them. If I can't write on your card, I don't want it. Yes, I'm a biz card snob
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| 1//2//4//6 are coming with me! (sources in this post) |
- My gadgets are "on fleek" (I think this is the first time I've used this phrase on my blog, and
I'm officially oldI'm not sure if it's appropriate!) - I was on the struggle bus, gadget-wise last time around, but now with my MBA, Galaxy S6 Edge, Seagate external HD, and my trusty Jackery ALL. THINGS. ARE. POSSIBLE. I'll be slipping away to see clients while at the conference so I'm going gadget heavy. I'll also have myancientT2i with me, but my Galaxy S6 Edge is literally "edging" it out (more on that at another time...); to top it off I'm carrying everything in my Kelly Moore bag which is still going strong, and I'm bringing along my Day Designer (a modified version just launched at Target BTW and is also at Blue Sky), but since it's massive, it will mostly likely stay back at my sister's apartment so I can debrief in the evenings
- The conference app is fantastic and will make it so easy to navigate - it is very comprehensive and easy to use; I'm pretty much following this small online business track
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| The private Hasbro party from 2012 |
- Private events - BlogHer has an official stance on "outboarding" and last time it was such a frenzy of people split between official and unofficial events that this time around I've felt an underlying animosity towards the conference as in "why go when it's all about the private parties anyway?" It was such a whirlwind for me my first time at BlogHer, but this time around, while I am going to some private parties I'm not butt-hurt (awful word, I know) if I'm not invited to others. As I've advised before, one of the best policies is not to even ask, "Are you going to such-and such?" cause then it can get awkward. Really fast. Just show up and if you see people you know, great. If not, make new friends (BlogHer can get clique-ish quickly)
- It's not just about blogging - last time I attended I had only been blogging for 3 years, now I have 6 years under my belt, and I've grown exponentially; I've also learned it can't just be about my blog. As I've stressed before multiple profit centers are crucial and while I won't be 40 years old and blogging about diapers and breastfeeding (unless God has other plans) it's important that I focus on diversifying my brand. Working as a brand ambassador since my last BlogHer attendance, and now starting a business with my sisters is putting me on track for the long term success!
- The partee(ez) - with Boyz II Men and Nick Canon closing down BlogHer on Saturday night I'm super excited after some of the hecticness of the past week and a half to unwind and enjoy. There are parties each night but with my family in town this is the one must-attend party I'll be at
- FAMILY - It's been a minute since my kids have seen my parents, and I'm so thankful it worked out for them to fly up from Texas so we can all see each other. It's going to be a packed house for a couple nights at my sister's in Harlem when my parents join from their hotel, but the more the merrier
- Lastly, I can't help but be Wellesley-proud; I smiled widely when I opened my alumnae magazine earlier this spring and saw this:
P.S. You can check out my first BlogHer reap here as well as my epic "How to do BlogHer/Blogalicious" post here.
