Reflecting On My Blogging Conference Experiences!

    I had the distinct pleasure of being sponsored to attend a blogging conference this past weekend by Latinos in Social Media (#LATISM.)  It was an incredible honor to represent them and to have the opportunity to attend such an amazing conference right here in my own town of New York City.

    Since I only had a short time to prepare for the event, I frantically searched the internet for posts and articles that would help me to prepare for the weekend.  I was worried about everything from what I was going to wear to what seminars I wanted to attend.  Although there is a lot of information out there about blogging conferences, I wasn’t able to find any one post/article that addressed all of my questions and concerns.  Hopefully, I will be able to give you some insight into the conference in this post.

    Let’s first talk about clothing…The truth is that, although there were some women who had on cute outfits with heels during the seminars, the vast majority of the attendees had on  comfortable clothing with flats, sandals, and even flip-flops.  I realize that this attire might not be appropriate for other events, however, with the amount of running around that one has to do during the event, it is absolutely necessary.  Be prepared to be on your feet all day traveling from seminar to seminar and meeting with brands.

    Another concern was that many of the people I expected to see at the conference were people whom I had never met in real life.  There is always a little apprehension when meeting someone whom you have only interacted with on the internet.  Let me be the first one to tell you that all of the people who I finally met were equally, if not more, wonderful and amazing in real life than they were on social media.  Anyone who thinks you can’t make connections with people on social media is dead wrong.  I was so glad to finally connect face to face with all my dear friends and colleagues.

    Now let’s talk about the Swag…Yes, there are many companies who attend the conference and set up booths that are giving away free items.  I’m not going to lie and say that I wasn’t excited to receive things for free.  However, it was not the highlight of the event for me.  My main focus was networking with potential brands and making real connections with fellow bloggers.  While some people were hanging out in the Hall all day or visiting company suites, I was strictly adhering to the seminar schedule as that was my main reason for attending.

    You have to make a decision to pace yourself from the beginning.  There is no way that you can possibly do it all and see it all.  By making decisions about what aspects of the conference are important to you, you can prioritize your time to make sure you meet your goals.  Also, remember to stay hydrated and carry little nourishing snacks in your bag because you are going to need tons of energy.  I carried a water bottle and such items as yogurt and cereal bars and snacked on these in between meals during the seminars.

    Be ready to have some fun too!  I attended a total of 6 parties this weekend!  Yes, 6!  I bet you probably didn’t know that Bloggers and Moms knew how to party like that.  Trust me, they can get down with the best of them.  One of my favorite events were Kick Off Your Heels 12′ at Pio Pio Restaurant in NYC.  All of these events were lots of fun, had great food, and allowed me to mingle with some fantastic people.  It was nice to let my hair down a little bit.

    All in all, was an experience that I will never forget.  It really allowed me to spread my wings as a Blogger and Writer.  I made connections with others that will prove to be invaluable.  Also, it validated my status as a professional and made me realize how respected and appreciated I am among my peers.  I am taking these lessons with me into my future endeavors and know that they will help catapult me into accomplishing my hopes and dreams!

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