What I’m Expecting from My First BlogHer Conference

“To blog is to share, to connect, to create, and to inspire.”

“The key to success in blogging (as in many areas of life) is small but regular and consistent actions over a long period of time.” -Darren Rowse

Can I just say that I’m super excited about attending my first BlogHer Conference? And can I just add that I’m literally freaking out at the fan-freaking-tastic line-up of speakers and panelists? And can I also add that I’m excited that this year’s conference is in Los Angeles, California — a city and state that I’ve never been to?

When I happened upon the BlogHer website and news of the BlogHer Conference, which was in New York City last year, I knew I had to find out more about this conference.

BlogHer is part of SheKnows Media, which is the “#1 women’s lifestyle digital media company with 79 million unique visitors per month and 292 million social medial fans and followers. The company operates a family of leading media properties that include SheKnows.com, BlogHer.com, HelloFlo.com, and STYLECASTER.com.” (Source: SheKnows Media)

I have been planning this trip since December 2015. I have the BlogHer app downloaded onto my android phone, and have already put together my conference agenda. I will be running from sun up to sun down. I have read up on all the panelists and speakers of the sessions that I have on my agenda. I have researched the hotel and the neighboring areas around the hotel.

So what am I expecting from this BlogHer Conference? EVERYTHING!!!

My Expectation:

I expect to meet a lot of the bloggers I have discovered through the BlogHer community. I expect to learn how to take my little-known blog to a whole new level. I expect to be educated, informed, and entertained. I expect to engage with people, learn from other bloggers, and gain some insights on how to increase traffic to my blog and gain loyal followers. I also expect to get some tips and tricks on how to better utilize WordPress. I expect to take a lot of photos. I expect to experience new things. And I expect to be be a little disappointed.

Why do I expect to be disappointed? Because I have built this imaginary world in my head of how the conference should play out, but the reality of it is that it will most likely not play out like I’m expecting. But trust and believe… that disappointment won’t last for very long!

First of all, I’ll be in Los Angeles. It will be my first time in LA (as well as my first time in the state of California). The line-up of celebrity keynote speakers is awesome. Mayim Bialik. Sarah Michelle Gellar. Sheryl Crow. Aisha Tyler. Kim Kardashian West. Need I say more? But wait… the closing party will be in The Conga Room with DJ Fulano spinning some tunes that I plan to shake my groove thang to until my feet hurt!

Secondly, if I decided not to attend an evening event, I could probably walk over to the Staples Center and purchase a ticket for the Adele concert. Yes, I said ADELE!!! (Actually, the concert is sold out, but could you just imagine me singing at the top of my lungs, “Set Fire to the Rain”?) Or I could sit outside around the Staples Center and the conference hotel and people-watch.

I’ve read posts from other BlogHer newbies about how it’s hard to break into some of the cliques that repeat BlogHer attendees have formed. As a newbie, not knowing anyone attending the conference personally, I’m a little scared. I’m not shy, per se, but I feel I may have moments where I will be intimidated by all these other bloggers.

I may not have hundreds or thousands of followers, but that doesn’t make my blog any less interesting than someone else’s blog that has sponsors or thousands of followers. There may not be a lot of people who view or care about my blog as much as I do, but that won’t stop me from creating quality content for my blog.

You see, I’ve been blogging since January 2012 and on May 8, 2016, I changed the name of my blog from “My Life This Year” to “Green Acres Meets Paris.” (You can read more about the name change HERE.) Along with the name change, I moved my blog from a free WordPress.com blog to a self-hosted WordPress.org blog and bought my domain name (www.vanessahwood.com). I’m still trying to figure out all the behind-the-scenes tricks that WordPress has to offer.

So am I expecting too much, or not enough from this conference? I’m not sure how to answer that just yet. I guess we’ll just have to wait until after the conference to see if I was expecting too much or if this conference blew my expectations out the window!

Have you attended a BlogHer Conference? Did it meet or exceed your expectations? Or will this be your first BlogHer Conference? What are you expecting from this year’s conference? And if you’re attending this year’s conference, look me up! I’ll the the curly-headed East Tennessee girl with the biggest smile on my face, bright stars in my eyes, and a boisterous and infectious laugh!

Yours Truly,
Vanessa

Photo Sources: Mayim Bialik at Ranker; Sarah Michelle Gellar at BlogHer; Sheryl Crow at STL Today; Aisha Tyler at Entertainment Weekly; Kim Kardashian West at Byrdie UK; and DJ Fulano at BizBash.