I LOVE meeting new people. One of the best things I could have done in terms of meeting new bloggers was attending Go Blog Social. It was their 2nd event ever, and I’m looking forward to future meet ups because I was introduced to some fabulous bloggers and took away great ideas!! I especially loved meeting other working mom’s in my niche who love decorating their home!
Go Blog Social was comprised of classes, taught in a group based setting with networking in between. It was held at the Berg Event Space in downtown Kansas City.
On the first day of the event, there were some awesome people that I met while mingling. This is me and Kari of of This Too, Is Found Here. Her business cards were super cute (I wish I had a pic), and it was accessorized little berets (which I’m totally taking off her card, sorry Kari, and putting on my little girls’ hair because they are sooo cute).
They also had a cool the Photo Bus where it was set up as a photobooth!! How they got the bus in there, I have no idea.
Go Blog Social proved that this is a small world because I saw one of my sorority sisters of Alpha Chi Omega there! She runs Simply Paperie and has some to die for invitations! Check her out!
In addition to meeting people, there was some awesome content:
Jessica Merchant of How Sweet It Is talked about her passion for food, writing about it, and building a following all because she LOVED doing it.
Sarah Beeskow of Share A Sale taught us how we could monetize our blog through using the content we already love sharing.
Kelly Snyder of Kansas City Mama’s was just awe inspiring the way she presented. She reminds me a little of myself. She’s short, to the point, and real. She taught us the importance social media kit and how to market it.
Amanda Marie Lackey, a photographer/stylist, gave us tips on how to stylize our images on our blog to capture audience attention. She mentioned the importance of images on the blog. Readers come for the images, but stay for the content.
Nicole Regan of Cedar and Rush taught us how to, in her words, “network like a boss”. She said, smile because no one wants to approach a grumpy person hanging out by themselves. So true.
Jessie Artigue, seen below with me, of Style and Pepper was the keynote for Friday. She is so naturally bubbly. I watched her make her way around the room after her keynote – the woman just has tons of energy. It is pretty obvious why she has been so successful, including appearances on the View!!
Here’s a pose of some of the lovely ladies I hung out with: Meg, Erin, Sandy, and Gretchen.
That night, they held a social event where there were vendors that were there to help us mingle. Colors Macarons was there to give us a little taste of their yumminess (okay okay, I admit it. I did take five “samples”).
After a whirlwind of meeting people, I did it again the next day! On Saturday, I posed for photos for some of my favorite ladies I met or already knew. Cassandra, Sandy, Gretchen, and Erin!
I decided to try out being a fashion blogger by taking a photo of my outfit. Um, not made out to be a fashion blogger. Firstly, I hate my outfit now that I look at it. Secondly, why did I think a moo-moo with tights would look good?
Here’s me posing with my lovely book club ladies: Cassandra and Alea.
Okay, these girls I need to get to know better: Mandy of SugarBee Crafts and Ariean of One Krieger Chick. One does crafts and the other does home decor – and both are moms. I loved meeting them!!! I’m pretty sure we have a lot in common.
Lauren Felix of LaPetiteFashionista started the morning off explaining the importance of branding yourself online and making sure you have a cohesive brand across all social platforms. Great reminder! She made me laugh when she talked about how she got into blogging initially, and having her dad take pictures of her outfits she wore to high school!
I missed out on some of the other speakers between her and lunch because I had to tend to some calls. I didn’t miss lunch though.
Here’s a picture of Erin and Gretchen with me as we try to find a restaurant to eat at. After a trip to one restaurant that only took cash (don’t we live in a plastic society?), a second one that had an hour wait, and a third one that was closed on a Saturday (see image below) – we ended up at the Consentino’s grocery store for food.
After lunch, Emily Walters of Emmy Ray talked about the importance of creating original content and using your creativity. Her husband, an attorney, spoke about the legal aspects of blogging, which totally opened my eyes to the legal world of blogging. For example, how to be honest about a product review and steering clear of defamation.
Erin Souder of House of Earnest is a DIY blogger, who I was definitely looking forward to hearing speak. She told us her setup at her home to do photos, which made me feel a lot better because she has an area dedicated for creating stunning photos. All this time, I thought she had it staged that way throughout her house – and that she just picked up a camera and shot the image. Nope.
Kaelin Zawilinski of Better Homes and Gardens also spoke on the last day as the keynote, but I unfortunately had to leave to pick up my sweet babies. I’ll just need to steal notes from my new blogger friends.
All in all, it was a great event! Go Blog Social just announced their next event will be held on February 22, 2015 at the River Market Event Space. Pretty sure that I’m going to have a blast there with Planter’s Seed Company near by.
Are you planning on coming?
Great recap! So fun to meet you!