Tips for Attending a Blog Conference

This weekend, I was lucky enough to attend (and speak at) The Blog Connect conference here in Philly. I’ve been to tons of conferences before, but this was the first that was solely dedicated to blogging. And it was amazing!

If you haven’t attended a blogging conference before, I highly recommend putting some on your radar. I’m working on compiling a list, by city, of upcoming conferences that will be up in the next 2 weeks!

Blogging conferences are a great chance to network with likeminded creatives, ask those questions that you just can’t google, get advice from people who have been there, done that and make connections that can grow into collaborations or offline friendships. I met so many awesome ladies (and a few gents, too) who I was able to connect with and learn from.

Today, I’m sharing my tips for what to bring, wear and do at your next blogging conference. Whether it’s your first go round or you’re a seasoned vet, I hope this tips make you feel prepared!

What to wear

I went back and forth over this one morning of. There will likely be lots of pictures taken through the day, so I wanted to go with something that was comfortable and that made me feel confident. I opted for a black dress, denim top and cognac booties.

I was also lugging around a huge bag of props for the workshop I ran, so I had a pair of flats in my bag, just in case.

What to bring

I was speaking that day, so I had my full line up of tech gear in my bag. Laptop, iPad, iPhone plus all of the chargers. I’d recommend bringing your phone, a portable charger and regular charger. You’ll be tweeting, snapping pics and taking phone numbers all day so you’ll want all the battery power available.

I loved having my iPhone and iPad because I could dedicate one to social media and the other as the day’s camera. I also had a notebook and pens to take notes and write down questions throughout the day.

I kept a water bottle with me (I rarely leave the house without one) so that if I needed a drink during a session, I didn’t have to get up and distract the speaker.

The most essential item that I brought along with me was definitely my business cards. I used moo to design them with my branding so that they stood out. Having business cards on hand makes it easy for people to find you later, without having to spout off your name, email or social profiles to everyone you meet. You’re essentially there to network, so having some branded takeaways is key.

Things to know beforehand

Most conferences will make some key info available prior to your ticket purchase, but there are some things you’ll want to make sure you have on your radar.

• Who is speaking? Take note of which sessions are being run by people you really want to meet or learn from!
• Who’s attending? Anyone that you’ve wanted to collaborate with? Be sure to meet them and get their card!
• Any official hashtags or accounts to follow.
• Will there be wifi? This might influence the gadgets you pack day of.
• Are any brands being represented there? If brands are also attending, take note of which ones and be prepared to met and connect with ones you’re interested in working with.

Ask lots of questions!

All of those questions you’ve been stressing over –like which social profiles you should really be on or a photographer recommendation. With so many creatives in one place, you’re bound to get all of your questions answered.

Write a small list of things you’re dying to know the night before that you can reference throughout the day.

Follow up

When the day (or weekend) is finally done, you’ll have met so many people and likely have a stack of business cards that you picked up.

Create a spreadsheet where you can log all of the names, contact info and any notes about the people you met. Then, send a quick note to as many people as you can. Even just saying “it was nice to meet you” has a huge impact. Once you’ve followed up, you’ve upped the chances of connecting with them on social or seeking you out first when they work towards their next collaboration.

Don’t let all of that networking go to waste!

Pin this post with the image above so you can save these tips for later!