So if you are a blogger and you do not know about the BlogHer conference I don’t know where you have been. This year was my first time attending the annual BlogHer conference, though I have attended BlogHer Food the past two years. While BlogHer and SheKnows Media are responsible for both conference as a first time attendee to the annual conference I was not disappointed.
Obviously, since I attended BlogHer Food on two separate occasions, I enjoyed the conference. While I am not a food blogger, the information shared at BlogHer Food was invaluable and it allowed me to learn a great deal more about the craft of blogging in a smaller setting than the annual conference. As a newbie to the annual conference I was amazed that the workshops for the annual conference were at standing room capacity! Not only were the worship sessions at capacity, there were an overwhelming number of people in attendance at the general sessions, which people often skip at some conferences.
Maybe it was the speakers that drew people in, when you have Carla Hall, Cato Cora, Tai Beauchamp, Chelsea Clinton and the incomparable Serena Williams on stage, you are most certainly compelled to hear what they have to say. When you have bi-partisan political discussions with Joi Reid and Ana Navarro, and humorous and engaging dialogue with Luvvie Ajayi, you most definitely want a seat in the room, or as Solange puts it “A Seat at the Table”. And we were most certainly in the room and at the table.
There was so much information shared during this weekend it was almost mind-blowing and overwhelming. I am an avid not taker so being prepared with paper and pen was a definite must. Also knowing people in the other sessions who were live tweeting or taking notes was a tremendous help with being able to get all of the information that was available during the conference. So having friends or networking is the greatest tool you can take into this weekend. There are also tons of groups on social media where you can connect with other bloggers and within this group there was a person willing to share all of their notes and it was a God send.
If you are looking for tips, tools or techniques to take your blog and/or business to the next level, this is definitely the conference for you. If you did not attend the sessions and simply networked with others in attendance, the conference would be worth the investment. The ability to attend the sponsored events that take place throughout the conference are also definitely worth the investment. This is a great conference for those in the blogging world no matter where you find yourself along your blogging journey.
For those who have been on the fence about attending this conference, I would highly recommend it. It is most definitely worth the investment. For those who have been before, I hope to see you at the next one.