This past weekend I attended BlissDom Canada and wow, there was so much to take in, see and learn. I spent the day going to great micro sessions, snacking on treats from Kraft, having pictures taken of me with chef Michael Smith, and dancing the night away with Flash, Dora the Explorer and a contestant from the price is right at the costume party. So from one newbie to another, here are my top 5 tips for having a blast at a blog conference.
1.) Bring a friend. I went with Mel from Melanie OTG and that made the whole experience less intimidating since we were both newbies.
2.) Wear sensible shoes. For the fashionistas out there, resist the urge to wear your killer heels. Instead opt for super cute ballet flats or boots, trust me your tootsies will thank you.
3.) Bring your electric devices and any cords you may need to charge them. You’ll want to send tweets, follow other conference attendees you meet on twitter and update your Facebook status. It’s more effective to do this in the moment than to wait till the end of the night when you’re exhausted and can’t remember what you originally wanted to share.
4.) Unique business cards are helpful. I received many business cards and the creative, interesting and artistic ones were noticed and exclaimed over enthusiastically. Unique cards will help you and your blog to make a lasting impression.
5.) Reusable bags. At many conferences there is swag galore so don’t forget to pack a reusable bag that folds into pouch. Pop it into your oversized purse because you will need an extra bag to carry all the gifts from the many sponsors at the conference.
Bonus tip:
6.) Go with a positive attitude, smile and be open to having fun. Blog conferences provide a great opportunity to connect in person with all the people you’ve met online, so be brave, smile bright and get to know the other attendees.
Shout out to my girl Mel and my new bloggy friend Lynn from Diary of a TurtleHead for joining me on the dance floor to party like it was BlissDom Canada 2012.