Would You Ever Attend a Blogger Conference?
Before starting BestieTalks we had no idea things like ‘blogger conferences’ even existed. Eight months after launching our website we came across BlogHer, who was holding a blogger event, and we decided immediately that we wanted to attend. The blogging world is vast and there is so much to learn and so many people to meet. We figured this would be a perfect opportunity to expand our knowledge and network with other bloggers. Our only communication with bloggers up until this point had been online and through social media. All of our interactions have been so positive online that we were not the least bit hesitant about jumping right into our first blogger conference. Have you ever thought about attending a blogger conference? Or maybe you already frequent them and had a similar experience as us? If you have never been to one, would you ever attend a blogger conference? We are here to tell you why you absolutely should!
Picking the Right Event for You
- So a blogger conference has caught your interest, now what? Start reading up as much as you can about the event, the organization putting it together, and what other people have said about their experience at prior events. Don’t just pick an event without doing your due diligence. Google the event and read up on it! You want to spend your money and time on something that will be beneficial for you and your blog.
- When you start researching information about a particular blogger event start following the organization or people associated with the event to keep up with new info and to make sure the event is something you really want to attend. This will allow you to find out all about them. We followed BlogHer on Instagram and Twitter and really grew an understanding of what to expect. We new after spending time following them online and reading about the event that this was a perfect conference for us to attend.
Zuri Hall gave a great speech! - These events are not cheap by any means. Again, why its so important to make sure you pick one that you REALLY are interested in. Once tickets go on sale you usually don’t have to buy right away. There was a bunch of deals on tickets that happened on and off up until a few weeks before the event. Had we not been so eager we could have saved a few bucks by waiting for a sale! Scope them out like airline tickets. If you see any notices of them selling out then, of course, buy but otherwise just be patient a bit and you might get lucky with a discounted ticket!
- You will most likely have to travel for the event. We met in Los Angeles for the BlogHer event so we made a whole weekend out it. You will have to factor in traveling and someone to stay. Again, attending one of these events is not cheap. Location, price, and the event are all critical factors in choosing a conference. We are lucky because we share out blog so we are able to travel together for things like this. Most bloggers will travel solo so make sure you pick somewhere where you will be happy about being alone. Don’t let traveling alone deter you! Bloggers are some of the coolest people! You will no doubt make a friend or two while you are there!
- If there is an app you can download related to your event, download it! It will most likely have info and a schedule/itinerary of events that you will want to stay up to speed with. There will be lots of things going on during the event and seeing the schedule will help you decide what things are a must for you to attend.
Alyssa Milano was a guest speaker!
What to Expect at a Blogger Conference
- The event we attended was 2 days. The first day after arriving in Los Angeles we headed over to the venue to register and get your name tags. The venue was amazing and no shortcuts were taken on making the place look wonderful. You are buying a ticket to essentially hang out in a building all day. Expect that building to pimped out! Seriously, they go above and beyond for bloggers and EVERYTHING is picture worthy. Duh, we’re bloggers and we live for photo ops. You will have a shit ton available to you!
- Bring a backpack because you will collect goodies and a bunch of swag during your time at the conference. Also, bring a notebook and pen. You will want to take notes and exchange info with other bloggers. You are going to learn after all so that notepad will come in handy! We have stickers with our logo/website on them that we wrote our handles on the back of. They were a great way to pass our info on to other people. If you have business cards or something similar you want to bring those along too!
- Expect to have a multitude of guest speakers at the event. For example, we attend an informational SEO discussion with a panel of accomplished bloggers. We also checked out the social media discussion as well. There were bloggers that we knew and others we didn’t but every single one had something profound to say and an array of tips that we found very usual for our blog strategy.
- Don’t be surprised if there will be celebrity guest speakers as well. Alyssa Milano was a head speaker at BlogHer 2019 and she was hands down our favorite! Massy Arias, Jameela Jamil, Jamie King, and Zuri Hall among many others were all in attendance and spoke during the event. It was very inspiring to hear stories from other successful women and be able to relate and learn from them. Prepare to be inspired and motivated!
- You will be free to roam around as much as you want and we never felt once that we were trapped in our seats. A blogger event is meant to be social so make sure to introduce yourself and interact with other bloggers. It’s not every day that you are in a room full of people and have something in common with each and every one of them.
- Expect to be spoiled. From endless drinks and snack option to all kinds of fun loot to collect from the vendor booths we guarantee you will be packing your suitcase with way more than you came with. So make sure to spare some room so you can take your goodies home with you!
The panel of more guest speakers!
Are you Inspired yet?!
We hope this article inspired you to seek out your next blogger conference! If you are serious about your blog and growing your skills and audience then we cannot recommend this experience enough! Please let us know if you are thinking about attending!! Also, let us know of any events we should attend too. We would love to hear about your experience!
ng the way. We decided to take our sharing to the next level with the hopes of connecting to others who share similar passions and also with those that see and view things differently.
maybe even some talks about the bond I have with my cats (it’s a special bond). Fitness and health is also a guarantee. Adventurous travel experiences, skin care, money and budgeting, food stories, and recipes. I promise there will also be times that we will bitch about things (or people) that are just plain annoying, detesting or rude. You know the things people bitch about to themselves but don’t ever say to anyone else? Yeah, those are things we are not going to be timid to discuss. Long story short, life. You can expect to find honest, real, entertaining posts about life that will sometimes be sprinkled with raw exposed emotion.
king industry and Raynita has a full-time career in the education field. Between climbing the corporate ladder, catching up on shows with my husband, perfecting my standing split in yoga class & deciding if becoming a homeowner is something that I’m ready for, this blog seemed like something that I needed to start. I called my bestie up and told her that I had the mouse hovering over the “purchase now” button for our domain and when she replied, without hesitation, “Let’s do it Bestie, I’m ready!” I knew this was something that we were meant to do. What’s the worst that could happen? We won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, and that’s ok. What’s the best that could happen? We create a blog that allows us to learn new things about ourselves and others. But more importantly, we create something that we are proud of. For me, that’s worth all the “what if’s” and looming questions that incessantly cloud my brain.
Our goal is to reach and engage with other people, which is why we always welcome comments and thoughts from anyone who wants to share. If you have made it this far, thanks for reading! We hope this is the start of a long-lasting relationship! We got lots of shit to say and things we need to get off our chest. BestieTalks is here, and we are ready to talk our little hearts out!