That’s right, I am all registered and booked for my FIRST ever blog conference!!
I decided like 6 months ago that #BlogHerFood15 was going to be my first blog conference, but at the time I wasn’t ready to pull the trigger. The conference is in November, so in April November seems really far away. I rarely commit to anything 6 months in advance, so I told myself that I would wait until later to book. Then came the end of September, and I was scrambling to get registered, book a hotel room, and find a reasonable plan ticket. Procrastination at its finest!
Since booking, I have been counting down the days until the conference- 1 more day to go! I feel as excited as a kid getting to go on a summer vacation.
The conference is November 6th & 7th downtown Chicago. I plan to fly in tomorrow morning, and fly out Sunday morning, which means unfortunately no extra time in Chicago- a city that I heart so much. Quick in and out trip. I am flying, because although it is driving distance from Minneapolis, I personally can’t handle driving that far by myself. I get so bored, and so tired on car rides. Ask The Hubby, I fall asleep in a car ride longer than a hour, every.single.time.
Now back why this conference. There is a laundry list of reasons why, but there are some that stand out more than others.
First, and foremost, I want to build my blog network. It can seem easy to make blog friends virtually, by posting, liking, commenting, and being an over all constant in their blog business, but there is something about that face to face, shake your hand, have a laugh together relationship building that I really want to find. Being in business and negotiations for my “day job” relationships are the cornerstone of everything I do. You never will be successful in what you do unless you create connections. A network. People you can call upon when you need something, or want to learn something, or even when you want to have a partner in crime. During the conference I am arming myself with my biggest smile, and a healthy stack of business cards. Hoping to walk away with some new friends, and most importantly mentors.
Second, I really want to become a better blogger. I am committed to taking this blog-ity blog of mine and turning if from a hobby into a business. I want to hear from the pros on how they moved the needle. How they created their audiences that supports them so strongly. How to create more engaging content. I plan on just being a sponge! The conference is offering a whole host of excellent names in the blog game, some I have heard of, and some I look forward to learning about. Remember when I told your that I met one of my favorite bloggers at a local event? I am really looking forward to hearing from another of my favorites, Ree from The Pioneer Woman. I have been following her for almost 7 years, far before she had her Food Network show, and a cookware line at Walmart. She will be speaking at the closing night event. Its like a {planned} celebrity citing for me. Who knows, maybe I can even try to get a selfie with her. Now that would be a great way to grow my blogger selfie collection {2 photos counts as a collection– I only have one right now}.
Third, I really look forward to meeting the sponsors for the event. Free swag is always fun, but creating relationships with these brands will benefit this blog and you guys, my readers. I have created a few connections already and have had a few good partnerships that have been successful, but I would love to create more. Some free giveaways for you great readers would be really great too! 🙂
Last, well not last, but the last on this list. I am looking forward to taking 2 days out of my normal schedule to focus in specifically on blogging. Currently, I spend sporadic amounts of time blogging. I go in phases and waves that have no rhyme or reason to my schedule. During these two days, I want to take in as much as I can, but also spend time putting together a plan for my business going forward. I want to create a cadence that my readers can rely on, focus my social media strategy, and set goals for future growth. I know all these could be accomplish at other times, or I could have already done them. Since, I haven’t done them yet, and know they will be critical to my success, this coming conference is going to be the prime time for me to reflect and “get some work done”.
I know this post won’t mean much to most my regular readers, I still thought it was an important one to write. Maybe just important for me to type out. And then over share, because that is all I do on here sometimes.
Oh- I forgot one more exciting thing about this conference. The Hubby bought me a new computer to blog on and made sure I had it in time to take with me to the conference! He sure is a keeper 😉
I can’t wait to share my weekend with you all, and make this blog something great!
Make sure you are following me on Facebook and Instragram to see how the weekend unfolds!
XoXo,
Rachel