#1. Don’t be afraid to socialize!
I will admit that I am not the most social and outgoing person out there, and that I tend to feel more comfortable in small and familiar groups. I really don’t know what type of personality I tend to fall under; whether it be type A, B, or C, but I know that I not the only person in the world that feels this way. I was hoping my initial shyness wasn’t going to be an issue, but it really was! I am thankful for the many people I met that welcomed me without reservation into their online world; I met many wonderful Bloggers and I look forward to broadening my relationships with them.
#2. Wear comfortable shoes.
This comes in handy especially when you are not staying in the hotel where the conference is being held and you have to walk a very LONG block to get there. I thought about donning walking sneakers while wearing my semi-casual business attire, then slipping on something more appropriate once I arrived there. But I didn’t, so I spent my time visiting the hotel gift shop buying overpriced Band-Aids for my aching feet.
#3. Bring a laptop or iPad – especially if your handwriting sucks!
I'm a victim of illegible handwriting, and I am so thankful that I had my computer with me for taking notes - because I took a lot of them and I had to take them fast. The presentations tended to go at pretty good pace, so for me it was easier to just type away and trust that spell check would take care of the hiccups for me. It did, and I was able to go back and edit everything later in order to ensure the information I captured will serve me in the future.
#4. Bring your own shipping box, or be prepared to check your suitcase on your flight home.
Can you say \"tons of swag?!\" I can’t tell you how many vendors were present at the conference, and I was surprised by the amount of free booty I had available to take home. I managed to fit a few items into my carry-on bag for the flight home, but I probably could have collected twice the amount of free stuff if I'd had an alternative method of bringing it home. Apparently FEDEX and UPS were at the conference for shipping support, but I was not aware of them being there until it was too late.
(photo by Becka)
#5. Bring business cards to hand out.
If I regret one thing, it’s that I did not have my own business cards to hand out to the people and sponsors I met at BlogPaws. I probably received 75 business cards from new friends and didn’t have any of my own to hand out. If business cards aren’t your thing, then having something that represents your blog (like these cool buttons from 'Its A Weinerful Life') will do the trick.
(photo from It's a Weinerful Life)
#6. Stuff your smallest dog in your luggage- just do it.
The next time I attend BlogPaws I plan to bring Penny. Dogs are such wonderful ice-breakers - and I would have benefitted from that in two ways: 1) Penny is so sweet and friendly, and I'm sure plenty of people would have stopped to chat after catching a glimpse of her, and 2) There are way more pics of the dogs than of me on my blog, and I think that seeing Penny (or Luna) would help trigger people's memory if they'd seen the blog before. All of that, and the simple fact that I really I missed having my lap dog with me!
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After attending one of the most powerful social media conferences in the nation for pets, bloggers and anyone in the animal industry, you might expect me to bring something back to the table – like having a contest and give a favorite product away, or giving my readers a behind-the-scene look at a favorite brand that I encountered at BlogPaws. And while all of that sounds good, what I want to share with you is the most important thing you will be able to take away from me– or that I will be able to give you- and that is Elizabeth’s survival guide to attending BlogPaws; and don't worry, I'll refresh this before next year's conference.
#1. Don’t be afraid to socialize!
I will admit that I am not the most social and outgoing person out there, and that I tend to feel more comfortable in small and familiar groups. I really don’t know what type of personality I tend to fall under; whether it be type A, B, or C, but I know that I not the only person in the world that feels this way. I was hoping my initial shyness wasn’t going to be an issue, but it really was! I am thankful for the many people I met that welcomed me without reservation into their online world; I met many wonderful Bloggers and I look forward to broadening my relationships with them.
#2. Wear comfortable shoes.
This comes in handy especially when you are not staying in the hotel where the conference is being held and you have to walk a very LONG block to get there. I thought about donning walking sneakers while wearing my semi-casual business attire, then slipping on something more appropriate once I arrived there. But I didn’t, so I spent my time visiting the hotel gift shop buying overpriced Band-Aids for my aching feet.
#3. Bring a laptop or iPad – especially if your handwriting sucks!
I'm a victim of illegible handwriting, and I am so thankful that I had my computer with me for taking notes - because I took a lot of them and I had to take them fast. The presentations tended to go at pretty good pace, so for me it was easier to just type away and trust that spell check would take care of the hiccups for me. It did, and I was able to go back and edit everything later in order to ensure the information I captured will serve me in the future.
#4. Bring your own shipping box, or be prepared to check your suitcase on your flight home.
Can you say "tons of swag?!" I can’t tell you how many vendors were present at the conference, and I was surprised by the amount of free booty I had available to take home. I managed to fit a few items into my carry-on bag for the flight home, but I probably could have collected twice the amount of free stuff if I'd had an alternative method of bringing it home. Apparently FEDEX and UPS were at the conference for shipping support, but I was not aware of them being there until it was too late.
(photo by Becka)
#5. Bring business cards to hand out.
If I regret one thing, it’s that I did not have my own business cards to hand out to the people and sponsors I met at BlogPaws. I probably received 75 business cards from new friends and didn’t have any of my own to hand out. If business cards aren’t your thing, then having something that represents your blog (like these cool buttons from 'Its A Weinerful Life') will do the trick.
(photo from It's a Weinerful Life)
#6. Stuff your smallest dog in your luggage- just do it.
The next time I attend BlogPaws I plan to bring Penny. Dogs are such wonderful ice-breakers - and I would have benefitted from that in two ways: 1) Penny is so sweet and friendly, and I'm sure plenty of people would have stopped to chat after catching a glimpse of her, and 2) There are way more pics of the dogs than of me on my blog, and I think that seeing Penny (or Luna) would help trigger people's memory if they'd seen the blog before. All of that, and the simple fact that I really I missed having my lap dog with me!
