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I spent last weekend at Blissdom. For those of you who aren’t super nerdy bloggers like me, that’s a blog conference. Yes, we have conferences. And believe it or not, it’s not just a bunch of people sitting in pajamas with their laptops.

The more I talk to people about conferences, the more I hear about how they get nervous or stressed out about them. Or afterwards they’re exhausted and overwhelmed because they never took a break. But I think I’ve mastered the low-key approach to rocking a conference and staying sane and having tons of fun all at the same time.

 

 

The Social

• Connect in advance. Join the conference Facebook group and check it regularly. Follow the Twitter lists. Talk to people. It makes a huge difference.
• Get a roommate. This should be obvious, but if you don’t know anyone going you may not know how to go about it. (This is why you joined that Facebook group. I-need-a-roomie threads are a dime a dozen.)
• Get more roommates. Even if you want to room with someone you know, get more roommates that you don’t know or haven’t met in person. They’ll be tapped in to social circles you may not be. They’ll introduce you to people you don’t know. You’ll always have people to eat lunch with. And they’ll bring more people with them.
• When you go to a meal or a session with open seating, sit down at a table where you don’t know anyone and introduce yourself. It’s even better if it’s a table of kind of random people who didn’t all sit together. If you’re an introvert this may feel painfully awkward, but you’ll be glad you did it when you’re walking down the hall the next day and you see someone you recognize that you can say hi to.
• Hang out with people who may not be in your niche. We tend to be too insular in the blogging world. But you’ll find that other niches have insights you don’t, especially when you start talking plug-ins or social media or monetization.
• Connect people. If a friend comes up while you’re chatting with another friend, introduce them to each other. Plus this will make everyone think you know everyone even when you don’t.

 

The Anti-Social

• Take time alone. It’s not as hard as you think. Don’t be afraid to say goodbye to people and head back to your room. Take a nap, watch TV, read a book, write a blog post, take a bath. Whatever you want to do, do it. I did this a few times a day at Blissdom and it helped me feel refreshed and centered. (Plus it means you can drop whatever random swag you’ve picked up so your arms get a rest.)
• It’s okay to sit alone, to wander the expo by yourself, to have a meal without a crowd if that’s what you feel like. Let your introvert self out to breathe. (The pics on this post are from my solo photo walk of the Gaylord Texan while everyone else was doing other stuff.)

 

The Style

• Blog conferences are somewhat notorious for ladies all decked out in their cutest outfits. It can be intimidating for those of us who spend the day in yoga pants and still have the remnants of a baby belly. Make sure you’re comfortable (IMO, heels are a no-no) and don’t be afraid to dress down.
• Have one dress up day. Wear a dress, do your hair, put on your makeup, go all out. And then you can feel like you’ve done your part the next day when you get back to your tee and yoga pants and messy hair. I did it this time and it was great.

 

The Sponsors

• I’m not going to stop you from going to every booth, talking to every sponsor, entering every contest and picking up every piece of swag. But it’s not my preferred method. (Plus your Twitter, Facebook and Instagram followers might get annoyed.) It also means your bags get very heavy if you have to fly home.
• When things are crowded it’s a good time to make your rounds. See what’s going on at different booths, see what kind of goodies are being offered, etc. Take note of where you want to go when things get a little more quiet.
• For the brands you really want to meet and potentially establish a relationship with, go by when things are quiet. You’ll want a chance to have a conversation, especially if you want to know what kind of work they’re interested in doing with bloggers.
• Take advantage of the fun perks. Know who has coffee, candy, alcohol, etc. When you want a pick-me-up, it’s always good to know where to go. (At Blissdom I was the first person who knew that there was a coffee/espresso machine in the One2One suite.)
• Don’t feel like you have to hit every perk. Sure, I got my nails done and my hair done, but I skipped out on the ice cream sundae bar. It’s okay, you’ll live. Plus those things can get crowded. It’s okay to say, “No thanks,” when someone offers you another goodie bag.

 

The Sincerity 

• Be yourself. Don’t feel like you have to apologize if you’re the kind of person who’s going to go to bed early or wake up super early for the fitness session.
• Let yourself go. Even if you hate parties and crowds and music and concerts… go anyway. At least do one thing that’s outside your comfort zone. Pretend you’re still 25 for a night. (You can still go to bed at 11:30. I won’t tell.)
• Burn the evidence. Or post it on the internet. And make sure you keep some blackmail on your buddies.

 

The Social Media

• Sponsors and sessions will give you hashtags to tweet and contests to enter. But try not to overdo it. It gets a little old for your followers, especially if they follow other bloggers at the same conference.
• Use your Instagram wisely. I can’t tell you how many pics in a row I saw of posed Me-standing-next-to-so-and-so pics. There’s nothing wrong with them, but you can post them later on and you don’t want to IG a bunch of them in a row. Snoozefest.
• Post updates that are interesting or useful for your followers instead of live-tweeting whatever session you happen to be watching. For example, I was thrilled to see a group of my followers pick up the #childhunger hashtag from End Child Hunger, our philanthropic sponsor. For a period every tweet with the hashtag donated 5 meals and I loved seeing them take the ball and run with it.
• It’s totally okay to ignore social media completely. You’ve got a lot on your plate. Do what comes naturally.

 

The Sessions

• It’s okay to skip a session or a keynote. It’s a great time for a nap or a quiet walk around the sponsor booths or some chatter with your new friends.
• It’s okay to leave a session. Some say this isn’t polite, but you’re the one paying to be there. Sometimes session descriptions aren’t accurate. Or a presenter is boring. There’s no reason to spend your valuable time listening to a presentation that won’t help or inspire you. It’s okay to go into another session late. You’re there to learn, don’t sweat it.

 

The Takeaway

• You never know when inspiration is going to strike. I didn’t go to very many sessions at Blissdom or BlogHer but both times I left with my mind full of ideas to try and pitches to send. I’ve got some great stuff to work on and I’m really pumped to do it.
• Come with clear goals. They may have nothing to do with the direction you’re going when everything’s said and done, but when you’re not sure what you want to do for the next 3 hours it’ll give you some priorities.
• Write an awesome recap post.
• Go home and sleep for a few days.