photo credit: Andrea Updyke of LilKidThings.com
BlogHer 12 is now over. Many of you probably still need naps and buckets of coffee to recover. It was estimated that over 5,000 bloggers, reps, etc. were in attendance. FIVE THOUSAND. That’s a lotta bloggers! Now even though it’s named BlogHER, I did spot some boys in attendance. Dad Bloggers. Once only thought of as a myth, now they have cautiously entered the the world of estrogen that is BlogHer. I’m pretty sure the Dad Bloggers are still recovering from the swarm of females that surrounded them like they were zoo animals on display while they figured out these elusive creatures.
Recovery. That seems to be the theme when you talk to someone post conference. There was a lot to recovery from! Opening with a live satellite feed from the President himself and ending with a Unicorn cake meeting it’s untimely demise at Sparklecorn. There was so much in between I’m not sure I can properly cover it all so at the end, I’ll give you links to posts from others who were in attendance and if you have written a post about BlogHer, feel free to link up below!
Before the conference even began, there was rumblings of super exclusive off-site parties and people wanting to bring suitcases into the expo hall for all the swag. I love me some free stuff, but a suitcase full of stress balls, pens and flash drives is not what I come to BlogHer for. While I did attend some meetings and events off-site during my time in New York, the conference had so much going on, most people never had to leave the hotel unless they had a craving for the Halal “street meet” cart across the way.
The keynotes this year were pretty fabulous. Katie Couric? Martha Stewart? Those aren’t just some women who stumbled into fame and now talk about how awesome they are. These are powerful business women who recognized that the majority in attendance here who work hard to hope for just a sliver of the knowledge these powerhouses have.
photo credit: Andrea Updyke of LilKidThings.com
The sessions were mostly geared towards newer bloggers, but there were quite a few that could appeal to everyone. I didn’t get to make it in to the Vlogging session, but neither did a lot of others as it was so packed they had to start turning people away. Other sessions were also packed or above capacity. They had the geek bar sessions too short but thankfully most of the speakers/teachers for those are following up with attendee’s to continue to answer questions. BlogHer also has some fabulous networking events like speed-dating (well, speed pitching really) and of course, the parties.
With so much going on I can’t possibly do this conference justice, so take a look at the following posts for more wrap-ups and thoughts on the conference! Be sure to check out Jo White’s (@MediaMum) post first as it was incredibly powerful and actually changed my whole perspective on the conference.
MediaMum – How to evaluate your BlogHer 2012 experience
Mommy Reporter – BlogHer 2012: A Recap
The Centsible Life – BlogHer 2012, It’s Complicated
A Parenting Production – How to make new friends but keep the old
Lori Lavender Luz
I really enjoyed the sessions this time around.
And maybe instead of Sparklecorn, next year's party needs to be around the not-so-mythical SparkleDad. Could make for an interesting cake.
The Maven
Now how did I miss the flash pens and stress balls?? I kid!! Thanks for the linky, and great post
Alexandra
I read this at another blog and I'd love for it to be part of future BlogHer: a place, full of chairs and sofas to sit and talk as an alternative to the parties. SO HARD TO talk and get to meet new people at the parties.