There is an explosion of blogger conferences and I want to go to all of them! Attending blogger conferences is addicting. Don't say I didn't warn you. My first blogger conference was BlogHer '11 in San Diego. I went on a whim and had no idea what to expect. It just made sense to go since it was in my state and I figured, if I didn't learn anything, it wouldn't be a big loss. I walked away with some sense of what I wanted to do, what I needed to do to get there and I wanted to learn so much more.
I finally narrowed down the list of conferences I want to attend next year. It was rough. I made a list of pros and cons for each one - cost, location, dates, sessions, speakers, brands, parties and friends!
If you have your goals in mind, ask yourself these questions: Are these sessions for me? (Especially if you are a beginner or advanced) What do I need to learn? Will this take me to the next level? Do I like these brands? Do I know who these speakers are? Am I a people person? Let's face it, you need to work a room. Make friends with bloggers just like you. Can you woo the socks off brands?
Make a list of questions that works for you.
My advice: You need to spend money to make money. This is what I tell myself and my husband. This not only goes for conferences but your brand. This goes for investing in your own domain and business cards. Every conference I've attended has been an investment and has definitely helped me grow.
My Christmas gift was a trip to
SoFabCon! I knew I had to make it to this one but the flights are pricey but because the rooms aren't going to kill my bank account and the early-bird price was only $149, I made magic happen. I can't wait! I love working with Social Fabric. I know I'm going to leave this conference with a notebook full of ideas and inspiration!
Here is a list of cool conferences that I would love to attend - In order by date.
What conferences are you attending this year?