Ahhh, BlogHer…how I love you. It’s a grown up love though. I know you are not perfect. I’m not perfect, but I enjoy being with you and I think you enjoy me. The one aspect of the BlogHer conference that seems to ring true (both times I’ve attended) is the feeling of friendliness and openness. Now this may be because I’m a naturally outgoing person. It could be because I’ve finally reached that age where I don’t give a shit anymore, but I never feel as though I’m being snubbed by anyone. I feel comfortable enough to talk to whoever might be sitting or standing next to me.
Again, that might be a personality thing or just a mindset thing, but a great example of this openness occurred at lunch. I was sitting alone at a table when a total stranger saw me and invited me to have lunch with her. How awesome is that? As sweet as this gesture was, I declined because I wasn’t alone. My table mate (aka Paul) was just in the restroom at that moment.
I also realized why I’m a little hesitant about the sessions. Part of it is me. I’m not a fan of classes. I don’t want t
o be lectured to. I want to converse. I want to interact. I want dialogue. Part of it is when someone brings their fussy infant into the session, that’s not cool. That happened in 2011, so I’m a little gun shy about sessions.
The great thing about BlogHer is that it can be whatever you make it. I spent most of my Friday and some of my Saturday in the Expo. It was great. I didn’t go to every single booth because not every sponsor appealed or pertained to me. I did try to pitch my bloggy self and not just grab swag and run. It’s not easy because my shyness likes to come out and make me run away.
But, I forced myself to be charming and there were a few sponsors I thoroughly enjoyed: Folgers, Daily’s Cocktails, Love with Food, Trojan Lubricants, Refresh by Turning Leaf… heck, I even won a Keurig for a tweet I sent out after having a delicious iced tea in the Brew Over Ice booth.
By the way, I thoroughly enjoyed a breakfast sponsored by Coffeemate. They had us blind taste 10 different creamers. It was odd but after the 5th one, it was like my taste buds shut down. They all tasted the same! I did learn that I like the Creme Brulee flavor. It’s kind of buttery and delicious.
My only real complaint was about breakfast on Friday. Why so early?!? I’m an early riser anyway, but starting at 7:30 and ending at 8:30 is too short. I got there at 8:15 and they were starting to shut down most of the food stations. Now that might be a McCormick snafu or something, I don’t know, but can we have breakfasts run from 7:30 to 9:00? Some of us do go to parties or just stay up late chatting and catching up with old and new friends.
Want to hear more about the parties? To be continued!