By now, I’m sure you’re sick of me talking about BlogHer, one of the largest social media/blogging conferences in the country {5,000 people!} that took place this past week in New York City. I’ve had my heart set on it since the minute I heard about it….because I mean, c’mon…it’s NEW YORK CITY, a place I’ve dreamed of visiting since I was 12 {more photos/posts about the actual city to come soon…}.
Before this topic can officially come to a close, I’ve put together a short list of the highs and lows I experienced. Net net, New York City is AMAZING….and crowded….and overwhelming….and beautiful. And the conference? It was awesome….and not awesome at the same time. How’s that for being decisive?
Photo courtesy of Danielle Tsi – when Martha came on stage.
Highlights
- Being in New York City and feeling the energy of so many bloggers together.
- Sightseeing and exploring the city outside of the conference.
- Rooming with Melissa and Diana!
- Having dinner with Jess {check out her re-cap, nailed it}!
- Seeing Martha Stewart and Katie Couric speak.
- A live webcast from Barack Obama, even though I missed it.
Lowlights
- The individual sessions I attended were not deep or ground breaking. I didn’t feel like I really learned anything new. To be fair, I was only able to attend 2.
- Sometimes it felt clique-ish and like high school.
- TOO MANY PEOPLE. They should cap registration at a much smaller number.
- It felt disorganized and chaotic.
- Outside parties and swag events can be cool but I felt like they cannibalized the event and prevented people from really being present. If you want to capitalize on the BlogHer crowd, just become a sponsor and support the actual conference!
Overall, it was a good experience and I’m glad I did it. I definitely needed to get it out of my system. Next year? Right now, I’m not planning to go. It’s in Chicago and after making the decision and big investment to go to Alt Summit in January {which I really feel like is more in my niche and I’m hoping and praying I can find a way to pay for it all!}, conference season will be over for me after that….at least for a little while.
As for New York City, I’m coming back for you someday….preferably with Josh and Sky and in the FALL or WINTER when it’s not 100 degrees with air as thick as soup.
P.S. - I can't tell you how amazing my husband was for taking the week off work and watching Sky. They had so much fun and the only part that makes me sad is that he used vacation time and we didn't get to be together as a family. Big time mom guilt over here but soooo thankful I have such a perfect partner in crime.
Comments