So you’re going to BlogHer?

{BlogHer 2011}

My sweet friend, Jamie, wrote a post, “This is everything I have ever wanted to say about going to Blogher: you have the power” yesterday. It is anything and everything I think you need to know before you go to BlogHer.

This will be my 2nd year attending BlogHer and I’m feeling a lot more prepared (mentally) this year. Last year I was nervous… unsure of how things would be.

I knew I would have friends to hang with (jenni and torie)… plus maaaany other ladies I had chatted online with. BUT, really: I was entering a whole new world (anyone else just get the Aladdin song in their head? no, ok) and it was scary. Jenni, Torie and I all said we had wished we stepped outside of our comfort zones more… and said hello and wandered around with more people. We kept ourselves safely together (our celebrity name is Torjensey) and didn’t really take the chance to spend time with too many other bloggers.  

For my BlogHer 2011 San Diego prep, like Jamie, I wandered to Sooooo sooooo SOOOo many blog posts looking for advice and tips of what I should expect. Hoping this would help me look less like a blogging conference newbie…. Well, I read all those posts and still managed to be completely awkward and say super nerdy things (it’s who I am. I embrace that now).

Ok, this post is about to be a BlogHer advice post. I’m going to repeat a lot of what Jamie already said (because she was so right) and add my little bits. Are you ready? Ok, let’s go.

What are you going to pack?

I can’t help myself. I want to buy and find all the pretty clothes. BUUuuuut, remember you want to be comfortable. Last year I was actually pretty happy with my clothing choices. I only brought items I had already worn previously (shop that closet you already have). I knew what to expect (example: will I flash people when I bend over? nope).

I managed to wrangle my shoe obsession and only brought 4 pairs of shoes. I am still impressed with myself. When I actually got to BlogHer…. I only wore 3 pairs: super comfy sandals, cute sparkly sandals, and my glittered out heels (actually, I only wore those to Sparklecorn…. and, I kicked them off my feet 30 minutes into the party). Make sure you try out your shoes beforehand… break them in. Here’s my necessary packing list:

– Mole skin. Ewww… gross. Ok, not real mole skin. Here’s a link (you can find them at Target), basically it’s a cushy soft material that has a sticky backing. You cut little pieces off and tape it to “ouchie” spot in your shoe. Anywhere it’s rubbing. I keep sections of this in my purse when I go out.

– Tiny little square bandaids. Again… for those ouchie shoes. You’re going to be walking A LOT. Keep these in my purse too.

– Ibuprofen. I always carry this.

– Phone charger… there will be a LOT of tweeting happening from your poor ‘ol phone.

– Business cards. Probably obvious.

– Clothes: an outfit for each night and during the day. I plan to also wear many of the pieces more than once.

– Dry shampoo. Can you say sweaty humidity? Yeah…. not my friend. BUT, dry shampoo will help.

– Snacks. Yeeeah… you are going to get hungry. I like to pack granola bars and slim jims (yup) in my purse for my snacks. Ha!

{BlogHer 2011}

Randoms:

– Make sure you grab any information (like phone numbers) from your favorite bloggers before you go… Everyone will be so busy, it will be hard to contact anyone through Twitter.

– There will be awkward moments. Oh yes. It will be you, someone else, or both… It will happen. We are all going to have them.

– You will forget names. Ok, maybe that’s just me. I forget everyone’s names… almost right away. This is a serious issue for me…. I have a terrible time with names. I can remember your face… names: no way. I apologize in advance. If you meet me and I say your name out loud 5 times… you now no why. Ha!

– Jamie mentioned the elevator pitch… oh man. I did not take that one seriously last year. Too bad, because everyone and their mom asked me what my blog was about. I never had a real answer. “I write about myself. Blah blah blah.” What is your blog really about? What do you write about? What the heck do you do?

– I have a really busy schedule this year. I have it all planned out. But, I’m not too worried if I miss something. I have about 5 things that I have to/need to do. Everything else is a maybe. If life gets too busy and I need a break: I’m taking it.

– It’s easier said than done, but don’t be afraid to say, “Hi!” to a blogger you recognize. The truth is, they may be just as nervous/awkward/anxious as you are.

The final word(sss):

People are gonna hate. I almost deleted this point off my list about 40 times. 98% of the people headed to BlogHer are amazing and truly beautiful inside and out. Truly. BUT, there are 4,500 billion gazzillion women (and, like 2 guys) gathering into a small space in NY. There will be idle gossip. Aaaand, there will be assumptions of what people think someone is really like (based on their blogs).

My advice: don’t participate in the gossip. There’s many mucho wine/alcohol everywhere you go and you might end up saying something you don’t actually mean. Let’s not hate on each other. I can honestly tell you my nerves and overwhelmed feelings made it hard to be 100% me… and I bet I sounded like a complete idiot much of the time (awkward girl right here). Let’s give everyone the benefit of the doubt. All these computer nerds are now out from behind their computers… wearing heels and drinking lots. It can get weird. Hee.

ENJOY yourself. This whole trip will be what you make of it. If you think you will have a bad time: you will. If you know you will have fun no matter who/what/where you are… it will be an amazing trip.

– Chelsey

P.S. My BlogHer trip is sponsored by,

Sponsored posts are purely editorial content that we are pleased to have presented by a participating sponsor. Advertisers do not produce the content. I was compensated, but the content is all my own.