Preparing For A Conference

I am excited to attend the Mom2.0Summit hosted by Dove in Orlando, FL next week.  I have to prepare for the conference this weekend.  That includes packing, selecting the sessions I want to attend, and finalizing my travel itinerary.  In addition to this conference, I will be attending the #BLOGHER17 conference at the end of June. As I continue to build my blog audience and social media presence, I want to take this opportunity to network with several other bloggers.  These conferences are also being sponsored by many major product brands.  Prior to attending a conference there is a lot you should do to prepare.

What are these conferences about?

The Mom 2.0 Summit

This professional conference features educational programs, social gatherings, and the fostering of relationships between influencers and major brands.  This year the attendance is expected to be around 800 leading influencers.  That’s a large conference.  I hope to gain some insight on how to build relationships with large brands and maybe even get a sponsorship opportunity with one.

BLOGHER

#BlogHer17 is also focused towards social media influencers.  The focus of this conference is on highlighting the skills and talents of women who are creating online content.  #BlogHer is the world’s largest conference for women and content creators. Pairing so many women with so many brands will create the most opportunity for me to me connections.

What Happens At These Conferences?

I have been fortunate to receive an invitation by Disney to attend the Social Media Moms Celebration in 2015.  At that event I met many bloggers and have remained in contact with them.  I am so excited that I will be attending both of these conferences with some of the women that were also at the Disney event. The conferences are a great platform to become inspired by the keynote speakers and by the friendships and conversations you have with other women at the event.

There are also several educational sessions at the conferences.  These sessions will help me step up my efforts in growing my brand, creating a stronger network and developing relationships with other brands.  I also read that there is a lot of fun activities scheduled into the agenda.  I am looking forward to the yoga on Thursday morning and the run 2.0 on Friday morning at the Mom 2.0 Summit.  These are nice times to network with other women in a smaller, more intimate and casual gathering.

Preparing For A Conference

Begin Networking Off Site

After I registered for these conferences one of the first things I did was follow the conference twitter accounts.  The second thing I did was get connected to the conference private Facebook groups.  This lends me the opportunity to begin networking with others attending the conference weeks before I even get to the conference. It also keeps me abreast of the latest news and announcements related to the conference, such as the guest speakers, new sponsors, event information, meetups, and travel information.

I built several Twitter lists for each event.  These lists contain the conference speakers, attendees and sponsors.  I also created a spreadsheet with everyone’s social media contact information including Twitter, Instagram, Facebook pages, LinkedIn, blogs, and Pinterest accounts.

Another tool that I was introduced to from the Mom 2.0 Summit is Flipboard.  I have been saving articles that I read online or on social media as links and copy them into my Flipboard so I can read them when I have more time or refer back to them later on for more details.

Twitter Parties

Mom 2.0 Summit hosted several Twitter parties each week to help the attendees learn more about what they will be presenting.  It also drums up the excitement prior to the event and encourages others to get to know one another.  There is a Virtual Packing Party on Monday night on Twitter.  I can’t wait to see what is said during this party to help me prepare for the event with last minute details.

Business Cards

If you don’t have business cards, you need them!  I redesigned my cards and can’t wait to pass them out.  When I was at the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration I collected business cards and put them in my name badge holder.  I learned a little trick for these upcoming conferences.  I will take photos of the business cards I collect, with notes about the person on the back, and upload them into my Flipboard so that all of my contacts will be in one location.

Update Your Media Kit

If you don’t have a media kit, you should create one.  I didn’t have one and began creating mine.   I need to finish is so that after I network during the conferences, if I a brand wants to work with me, I will send them my social media stats.  I asked the Facebook group for some examples of blogger media kits and Andrea Updyke shared this great link with us!

Learn The Dress Code

My fellow blogger friend Claudia Krusch from Trendy Latina did a Facebook Live broadcast to help conference attendees know what to look forward to when attending a conference.  In her video she talks about dress code and how it represents you and your brand.  Take that into consideration when packing for your trip. Also, consider your footwear.  As much as you want to look good in your shoes, make sure they are comfortable.  Pack a pair of flats in your bag so you can make a quick change should your feet get tired.

Select Your Learning Tract

If the conference has workshops, review the schedule ahead of time and highlight the training sessions that you want to attend.  This is one of my favorite parts of conference preparation. It’s like picking our your college courses before the semester, but the are all great classes!  I have also engaged in some conversations with attendees of the conference who want to have sidebar conversations.  So we have to schedule that into our calendars so we can get the most out of our time there.

Packing For The Conference

How To Pack

One of my favorite social media influencers is Chalene Johnson.  I listen to several of her podcasts and she recently had an episode on how to pack for stress free travel.  What I found useful was her travel itinerary sheet and her packing list.  I travel often for running races in several different locations, so I am used to packing with just a carry on bag.  When traveling for conferences, I need to consider my dress code and packing so I don’t wrinkle everything.  I also have to use larger luggage because of all the swag I may receive from the sponsors.

What Not To Pack

Something else Claudia mentioned in her Facebook Live and blog post was what not to pack.  One point in particular was not to bring your nice camera.  I have the iPhone 7 Plus which does portrait photography, so I hope that I can get blog-worthy photographs at the event using just my phone.  I do plan on bringing my Surface Pro with me for taking notes; but will be leaving my larger laptop in my room for after hours.

It’s Time To Rise

The theme of this year’s conference is Rise.  This is perfect for me as I Rise up to work on enhancing something I enjoy doing, writing, networking and socializing. Remember to bring a positive attitude, an open mind, a notepad and pen, and enjoy the opportunities in front of you!  I can’t wait for what I will learn during these next upcoming months and I look forward to meeting everyone I have been communicating with and also meeting new people on site!  I just learned today that Julianna Margulies is going to be the welcome keynote speaker.  She will share her experiences in front of and behind the camera and her thoughts on media and representation of women. There is so much to look forward to.  I know I am going to come home energized and inspired and I can’t wait!