Tips and Advice for Attending A Blogging Conference
Hey all! Have you recovered from yesterday’s post? It was long and tiring! 🙂 Well worth it though. If you are interested in attending a blogging conference after reading all about FitBloggin yesterday, then I have some Tips and Advice for Attending Blogging Conferences. Read on to find out more info!
1.) Give yourself extra room in your luggage!- The swag you get is unbelievable. Seriously, new sneakers from Reebok! You are going to need A LOT of room to take home all the awesome stuff you get, so pack accordingly.
2.) Don’t be afraid- The first night at the Welcome Reception, we filled out anonymous slips of paper about what we were excited about and what we were nervous about. Almost everyone said they were nervous about meeting people. Don’t be nervous. You will definitely meet people, you will talk to them and they will be nice. Seriously. People do kind of end up in cliques (it’s a comfort zone thing IMO) but don’t be afraid to go up to cliques and talk to them. They are absolutely NOT going to be like “Um, why is this person talking to me?” They will be excited to talk to you. In fact, I wish I had taken this advice more.
3.) Be prepared to learn- A lot of people said they were surprised by how much their brains hurt by the end, but it’s true, you spend a lot of time learning important information. Bring a laptop, a recorder, a camera, a notepad or something to remember everything. You will not get handouts for the most part.
4.) Bring business cards- People WILL ask for them. You want to have nice professional business cards that reflect your blog’s style. Make sure you have them on you (i.e. don’t forget them in your hotel room like I did!).
5.) Don’t forget to pack clothes!- I know, you are thinking that this is a dumb tip but it’s not. First of all, if this is a fitness blogging conference, you will need workout clothes, probably at least two workout outfits. You will also need some comfortable clothes to wear to the sessions and maybe a dressier outfit or two for the night activities. I suggest wearing something bright and cheerful because it will show that you are an open person with a sunny disposition and you want to talk to people. Ok, I may be reading a lot into clothing but I think there is some psychology behind this.
6.) Check out the agenda before you go!- Before you sign up for a conference, make sure it is worth it to you. Look at what sessions are being offered, what classes, who is presenting and who else is going! There are more and more conferences available for bloggers and they are expensive so you want to pick the right one for you.
7.) Rest!- I can’t say this enough. I had a couple of busy days leading up to the conference where I didn’t really get enough sleep and I felt tired. I then had to get up at 4 am to catch my flight, fly across country to end up three hours behind (i.e. three hours later until bedtime) and get up early for a FULL DAY of activities. We were going from 8 am until 6 pm everyday and then coming back at 7 pm for evening activities. I was totally wiped by Saturday. I wish I had taken some more time to chill out before the conference and catch up on sleep. I also recommend taking some time during the conference to rest and recharge.
8.) Get on social media- Tweet, Instagram, Pin, take videos. Keep the conversation going!! This is how you are going to build your brand. Talk about the conference, get re-tweeted, tweet at other people.
9.) Talk to a lot of people, don’t worry about connecting with everyone- You don’t have to be besties with everyone by the end of the conference but do try to talk to a lot of people. They will remember you, you will remember them. Your circle will get bigger. You’ll see them at the next conference. But try to keep the relationship going after the conference. Bloggers support other bloggers!
I hope this information is helpful. Readers, do you have any tips for blogging conferences? What did I miss?
Let’s continue networking! What’s your blog? What’s your twitter handle? What blogs do you love to read?