10 Things I Enjoyed About My First BlogHer Conference

I can’t believe that it’s been a month since I attended the BlogHer 16 Conference in Los Angeles, California. I absolutely loved my time in LA, and the best part of the conference, for me, was getting to meet so many wonderful female bloggers.

You see, I blog from a small city in East Tennessee and I haven’t gone to any “blogger meet-ups”, although I really think I’m going to change that! I WANT to meet other bloggers and I want to expand my blog outside of the confines of my little area in East Tennessee. I want hundreds, if not thousands, of people to read my blog (not just my friends and family). Heck, I’m even thinking about starting my own YouTube Channel, thanks to the advice of Chloe Spencer and Pamela Valentine.

I learned a lot from this conference, including what I want my blog to be and how I’m going to brand my blog. I actually enjoyed my time at the BlogHer 16 conference. I’m not going to lie, the first night I sat in the middle of the hotel bed and actually had some negative thoughts and they were starting to bring me down.

“What am I doing here?”

“Why do I think this is going to be a big waste of my money and my time?”

“Am I actually going to (a) enjoy myself, (b) meet other bloggers that I can relate to, and (c) make some connections with other bloggers and brands that I can actually collaborate with?”

But here’s the good news! I did enjoy myself. I did meet other bloggers that I could relate to. No, it was not a big waste of my money or my time. And YES, I did make some connections with other bloggers and brands, ones that I honestly feel like I can and will collaborate with in the future!

So here’s 10 things I enjoyed about my first BlogHer Conference:

1. I met some new friends – Pamela Valentine, Rupinder Kahlon, and Dawn Hill Priebe. I met these three ladies on the Wednesday evening I arrived in LA. We ate dinner at Wolfgang Puck’s restaurant in Microsoft Square L.A. Live. From that point, the four of us would make sure that we saved seats for each other at keynote speaker lunches. We discovered a mutual respect for each other and were each other’s sounding board. We encouraged each other, and have already made a plan to attend next year’s conference. Pamela and Rupinder were roommates, while Dawn and I literally were next door neighbors. We had a good laugh about that!

I met some of the women I follow on Instagram (Alli with Life as Allison, Joules of Pocketful of Joules) and YouTube and Facebook (Shuggilippo).

The keynote speakers were awesome! Sarah Michelle Gellar, Sheryl Crow, Kim Kardashian West, and Mayim Bialik were all so engaging, humble, and honest. I can’t wait to see who they get for the next BlogHer conference!!

The sponsors in the Expo Hall were friendly. I didn’t get to stop by every booth or take cool photos like other attendees did, but that will be my goal for next year.

The BlogHer app helped me with managing my time and my agenda. The sessions were eye-opening and extremely helpful. I only attended three sessions, two in person and the third I watched on Facebook Live (SEO: Get Your Content Discovered in Search with Stephan Spencer and Lindsay Valdez; DIY Vlogging: Tips an Tricks for Quick Video Blogging Results with Lynn Chen and Jess Sanfilippo; and Best Practices for Visual Storytelling in Social Media with Dorothea Bozicolona-Volpe, Jenn Fishkind, Rachel Matos, Heidi Nazarudin, and Evelyn Ngugi, which I watched on Facebook Live).

The swag bags were awesome! I showed up in L.A. with a mostly empty suitcase and left with a jam-packed suitcase full of swag from some of the most amazing sponsors!

I got to meet and have my picture taken with the handsome Freddie Prinze, Jr., and I got a signed copy of his cookbook!

I was invited by Mixbook to attend a pre-conference event. They invited me, along with about 20 other bloggers, on a walking tour of L.A., and even though it was just about a 20-block circle to the northeast of the J.W. Marriott (where the conference was held), it was a beautiful and fun tour. Thank you to Mixbook, Discover LA, Red Line Tours, and Kyle Huber!

I snagged a quick photo with the stunningly beautiful Aisha Tyler. I totally missed the VOTY awards where she served as the Emcee. I passed her in the hallway by the elevators and she was so kind to pose for a photo with me. Can I just say, she is so beautiful in person? I mean, like crazy beautiful!!

A 13-year-old DJ prodigy brought the house down at The Conga Room. I was a little worried about whether DJ Fulano could make me shake my groove thang, but I’m here to say, HE WAS AWESOME!!! Me and my new friends danced until we were sweating!

At the Young Living Essential Oils room, I made my own essential oil sugar scrub and picked up some recipe cards. Herbalife Nutrition handed out super nice journals as well as samples of their shakes and protein bars. Herbalife also sponsored a keynote lunch and I picked up a fruit-infusion water bottle.

Friday morning, I attended a breakfast sponsored by Vega, a plant-based nutrition company, and they gave us a full-size container of their protein powder as well as other samples of their energy drinks and shakes. Vichy masks were in the swag bag and are super nice.

I found a Garnier swag bag in my room after I got back from dinner on Friday night and I can’t wait to try this Garnier Whole Blends shampoo and conditioner. I’m already using the micellar water and I’m loving it!

TNT sponsored a booth for the premier of their new original series, Good Behavior, starring Michelle Dockery (of Downton Abbey), and premiers November 15th.

Chocotelegram makes personalized chocolate gifts. SPECIAL OFFER #1: If you’re interested in sending someone a personalized chocotelegram, then use the code BloggersROCK and get 20% off your first order (offer valid through October 15, 2016).

Mixbook gave us this cute little pink flamingo drink holder. SPECIAL OFFER #2: Mixbook is offering $50 off your first order, with the code LAX50 (offer valid through October 6, 2016, with a minimum of a $50 order).

Other sponsors/vendors in the Expo Hall included Gorjana (where I purchased a few pieces of jewelry), Starletta, Bare and Me, blossom squared, Nan Gates designs, Knock Knock, Smarty Pants vitamins, DreamHost, More to Migraine, Velcro, Go Rving, and Bush’s Hummus Made Easy (I had already purchased the hummus pack before I knew Bush’s would be at the conference).

Some of the other sponsors included: The Artisan Group, Fruitocracy, Dorco (their razors are amazing!), StartUpBox, Love with Food, CLR, and Embassy Suites.

I don’t know where BlogHer 17 will be, but I’m crossing my fingers that it will be in Nashville, Tennessee. It’s only a couple of hours away from me! But it doesn’t matter where the conference will be, I know one thing is for sure — I’LL BE THERE! In fact, I may even volunteer for the conference!

Have you been to a BlogHer conference? If so, I’d love to connect with you. Just drop me a message in the comments below!

Yours Truly,
Vanessa