I am back from my first BlogHer, and let me tell you…it was quite an experience. It had to be, if I haven’t blogged for a whole week because I’ve been so busy. I never thought that I could so enjoy spending nearly 5 days with more than 1000 women, but I loved every second of it.
I got to meet women from all walks of life, but the common denominator was that all of us have something to say — something that we are passionate about. I learned about connecting with my “tribes” — other bloggers who I share a common attribute with — and I met a room full of green bloggers and others as passionate about our health and the environment as I am, and I even met a couple of celebrities, including Paula Deen, the Food Network’s Dave Lieberman and my eco hero, Danny Seo.
But more than all of that, I had an opportunity to connect, in real life, with all the women who I spend so much time with online. I got to spend a lot of time with my fellow ElevenMoms (top photo), and I got to meet ladies like Denene Millner from MyBrownBaby (above, left) and the rest of the BlogRollers, Sommer Poquette from Green & Clean Mom, Naomi from Superdumb Supervillain (above, right), and Kathleen from Katydid & Kid. I got to show them that, in real life, I really am a self-depricating, mildly funny introvert who who doesn’t drink, ever (even with free alcohol flowing in abundance) and that I’m really just a human being writing about what I love, and I learned similar tidbits about many of them. That is what I will remember most, even years from now, about my first BlogHer.
Yes, I handed out tons of business cards, went to too many parties, and connected with brands that I’d one day like to work with. But that wasn’t the point for me. Neither was the tons of swag that people trampled each other to get (I’m not kidding). I love the way my girl Katja over at Skimbaco Lifestyle described her BlogHer “mistakes.” Read her post. It really puts the whole experience in perspective.
And if you’d like to see more of what I saw and did for the past 5 days, check out my Flickr photo set. There’s some really great stuff (and beautiful women) in there!
I do have to hand out some thank yous, though. My first BlogHer would not have been possible without my awesome sponsors: Walmart, which handled the conference fees and hotel & travel expenses for me and the rest of the ElevenMoms, Green with Glamour, which provided me with a beautiul eco-friendly cocktail dress by Beau Soleil and, and HP, which provided a ENERGY STAR rated DV2 laptop
SUBSCRIBE
I’m Jennae Petersen, and I’m a lot of things. A mother, a graphic artist, a connosieur of beautiful interiors and a purveyor of all things design. Green Your Decor was borne of frustration in my attempts to find eco-friendly housewares that were also beautiful, and inspiration to do something to reduce my own carbon footprint and help others do the same in a beautiful way.
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
This sounds so awesome. Can you tell me how you find out about the next Blogher? It would be so cool to meet some of our favorite bloggers (including YOU!)
@Lynn Absolutely! Here’s where you can find out about BlogHer 2010, which will be in N.Y.: http://www.blogher.com/announcing-blogher-10-and-blogher-business-10
And to keep up with all the BlogHer conference happenings, visit http://www.blogher.com/blogher_conference/conf
I’m already looking forward to next year!
Thanks so much Jennae. Will have to see if we can make it. Meantime, keep up the GREAT work.
I just adore you and you know that, right? Hopefully the BlogHer10 is even more green focused than this year. Hope to see you before that though!
Baby, it literally warmed my heart to finally meet you in person. You’re someone I’ve long admired—for your honestly, your helpfulness, your intelligence, and your kindness—but you never know if folks are just fronting online and monsters in real life. It was so great to connect with you and see that it’s all genuine. I got out of BlogHer exactly what I wanted: to meet my online people IRL, to learn how to make my blog a better place for ALL moms, and to make connections with new people. Mission accomplished on all fronts. I thank you for being a part of that!
Dinner is coming your way soon. Let’s get the crazies (i.e. kids) back to school, then we’ll do something nice—cool?
It was so nice to meet you as well. I had a fabulous time and loved connecting and seeing people face to face.
@Katja I’m sure we will see each other again this year, one way or another
@Denene Meeting and spending time with you really was one of the highlights of my BlogHer experience. You are a woman I truly admire and appreciate, and I’m happy to hear the feeling is mutual! I can’t wait to connect with you again in real life
Dinner is on!
@Sommer You ladies made the green panel another highlight of my trip. Seeing your passion up close and personal reinvigorated my reason for starting this blog, and I thank you for that from the bottom of my heart.
What a fabulous post. And a great idea to meet other bloggers in person! I need to do that. But I am really here because your fantastic site was show-cased on Thesis and I’d love to switch over to the Theme. I trust you love it?
I am one of those you handed out your business card to. I can’t remember for sure when I met you, but I do recognize you. I am sure you feel the same with most of the business cards you are probably holding too! LOL It was a great first BlogHer experience for me. I just had to laugh at some of the “swag” stories. To think that ladies can get so crazy over a pair of Crocs or some coloring books. Although I have to admit it was fun getting the swag…it would actually be nice if it were decreased next year.