At the screening of #DeliveryManChicago
As many of you know, my family and I attended a large blogging conference last week in Chicago. This is the second time that I attend a conference and I wanted to have my family with me because I just couldn’t bear to be away from them for even one minute. Before the trip, I set personal and professional goals for myself that would keep me focused throughout my stay.
Entering #SweetSuite…
My husband and I drove for almost 14 hours to get there and I cannot even begin to describe the excitement that I felt when we finally arrived in the city of Chicago. I felt right at home since I live in a big city myself and I found that there were a lot of parallels between New York City and Chicago right away.
Hanging out with CVS and Latina on a Mission!
I was very fortunate to have had my ticket to the conference sponsored in part by Noodle.org. Our collaboration was a match made in heaven because of my experience being a NYC public school teacher for the past 13 years and the fact that they are the first education search engine. Their support of Tough Cookie Mommy has been evident throughout this whole trip and we are extremely grateful to them for their contribution.
At #HasbroParty with Ericka Saves!
My professional goals for the trip were to network and connect with as many brands as possible. It’s important to bloggers when we attend these conferences that companies see us as professionals and not just as consumers. Most bloggers consider themselves entrepreneurs, freelance writers, or independent contractors and they actively look to collaborate with brands on a business level and not necessarily to just purchase their products.
Snuggling with the Pillsbury Dough Boy!
As far as my personal goals, I was hoping to reconnect with old colleagues and friends and to hopefully meet new bloggers. What I wasn’t prepared for was to make the lasting friendships that I feel were forged during this trip and conference…
Hanging out with Myrah and Carol!
- Myrah (Coupon Mamacita) and I were already close but we bonded on an even closer level while we were there.
- My boys fell in love with Carol (All Mommy Wants) and I connected with her warm and genuine personality.
- Di (Free Sample Momma) cracked me up with her honesty and warmed my heart with her sweet demeanor.
- Ericka (Ericka Saves) was so eager to learn and to share and I really liked how nice and friendly she was.
- Migdalia (Latina On A Mission) has always been a mentor to me but we totally bonded as sisters at the Expo and I respect her even more now.
- Rachel (One Link Software) was amazing and I can tell we will be friends for a very long time.
- Debbie (Frugal Diva Frenzy) and I had a lot in common. She is raising a Survivor and I am a Survivor. We connected right away and I love that she speaks her mind at all times.
Connecting with Cottonelle at #SocialLuxe
If you are planning on attending a blogging conference in the near future, make sure you establish your goals for going in advance. There will be many events and and a lot of activities for you to choose from and knowing what you hope to accomplish beforehand will help you to prioritize your time wisely. Even though I tried to do that this time around, next year I will be even more prudent in choosing where and how to spend my time.
The treats at #SocialLuxe
One of the things that attending this conference confirmed for me is that bloggers are some of the most amazing people on the planet. They share of themselves and their lives without hesitation through their writing. This honesty and selflessness is what makes them so unique and I’m proud to be a part of them.
My boys had a great time too!
© 2013, Tough Cookie Mommy. All rights reserved.
Lovely post, I also traveled with my family by car. You saw a rainbow on the way home and I missed it.
I am so jealous. I have only been blogging about 6 months so I wasn’t ready to make the trip. I want to go next year!!
this looks like such a fun event to attend ! i would love to go next time
What a great trip! Sounds like a wonderful time, especially with your family! (I really like the pic of you and the Pillsbury Dough Boy, I’ve had a crush on him for years!)
Sounds like you had a wonderful time! I went to Blogher last year but wasn’t able to make it this year.
This looks like it was a lot of fun! I wish that I could have gone. The venue looks very nice.
Sounds like you got a lot out of this years confrence. Glad you had a good time.
It looks like fun. Such cute boys.
sounds like you had a wonderful time! makes me wish i were a blogger – i have never really been to a big city!
sounds like you had lots of fun and i think its great that you took your family with you!
Sounds cool, is this an annual conference in Chicago.? What was it called?
I’m telling ya, I love looking at all the pics off you bloggers that get the opportunity to visit all these great places together and have so much fun. I wish I had what it takes to be a blogger but….I know better.