How I Survived Blogher

By now I'm sure you've heard that one of the largest blogging conferences was in New York a few weeks ago. When I started blogging last year, all the social media outlets were a buzz with talk about Blogher. I couldn't attend last year but when I heard it was going to be in my city, I knew I had to be there.
I just knew I was going to buy my tickets early on so I get the discounted rates but somehow I never got to do that. Nor did I consider the vacation time I would have to use from work. So I ended up buying the Expo/Parties ticket instead. The 2 days were so busy with events and meeting brands that I'm still trying to catch up on life. I had just come back from vacation when I had to throw myself into the midst of the blogging world. I learned a lot even if I didn't attend any sessions that I will remember for next year's Blogher in Chicago.
Here are my tips for preparing for the BIGGEST blogging event ever:

• Have plenty of business cards on hand. I placed them behind my ID badge for easy access. Everyone will ask for your card. Make sure they have your pertinent info on there such as url, twitter handle & phone number.
• When accepting business cards from brand reps, make sure you write down what company they represent. I didn't do this and now as I peruse through the piles of business cards I have gathered, I have no clue who is from where! It's such a rookie mistake.
• Don't take every free piece of swag offered. Do you really need 25 reusable shopping bags? I tried to take things that I knew I would use or can be shared with family members. I still have tons of stuff to sift through. The only benefit I had was that I live in NYC so I didn't have to worry about flying with the extra stuff but I know for next year I need to be precise in what I want or need.
• Do wear comfy shoes and clothing. I saw so many women in heels that I couldn't fathom how they were walking around all day. You definitely walk around tons going from place to place that you need to think of comfort. 
• Create a spreadsheet to make an organized schedule of your session times and events. I did this and it really helped keep me on track. I had a bunch of events to attend to that were all over the place so seeing it on paper was a reminder of where I had to be.

CheeseburgHers with @MommysMingle

 My most important tip of all is to remember to have FUN!! I didn't get to attend any parties the first two nights because I was simply exhausted. I just couldn't push myself to do it and I'm a NYer. So I made sure my butt went on the last night & I had a blast! The music was on point. They kept the crowd going. The photo booths were so much fun! I haven't danced like that in awhile. Every blogger, male and female, were just enjoying themselves. It was rooms of bloggers gone wild!