Attending conferences, regardless of what field you are in is part of doing business. Even in fields that you genuinely live and love what you’re working with, conferences are business. Granted some of that business is very fun and social, but at the end of the day, it’s about your business and what you want it to be come. Blogging conferences, like Type-A Parent Conference in Atlanta are no different. Here are a couple things that make sense for any blogger attending.
The conference
There is the Type-A Parent 7th Annual Conference (Atlanta, October 8-10, 2015) and the Type A Parent New York City Bootcamp (Focus: Brand-Blogger Relations) on August 1, 2015 with a focus on brand-blogger relationships. Founded in 2007 it hosts some of the biggest mom and dad bloggers who come together to learn, share, network and have fun. They also have some of biggest brands that work with bloggers and that face to face time is priceless. You can register for the Bootcamp in NYC and the annual Type-A Parent Conference now.
*Bonus: use code “PARTNERSPECIAL” to get 20% off for one day only, so chop chop.
What I like about Type-A is that everyone is accessible. At another conference I approached a blogger, told them that I loved their stuff and was met with a curt response and them running down the hallway. Type-A doesn’t do a cool test to attend, but is sure seems like it from all of the people I’ve met there.
Have a game plan
The game plan consists of many things like knowing the sponsors, following them on their social channels and talking with them before and during the conference. Are you going to attend the main speaker sessions, dig into the break outs, catch up with old friends or spend most of your time in the marketplace?
There is not right or wrong answer to this, but have a plan as to what you will do. Don’t just walk around aimlessly or that’s exactly the results you’ll end up receiving.
Subscribe to the emails
As soon as you get your ticket to attend you must sign up for the emails. You don’t have to, but a wealth of information is in them every time. Especially so closer to conference time because some of the events might have capacity limits, which go back to our first tip on having a game plan.
Don’t go for the swag
If you go to a social media conference just for the swag then you’re doing it wrong. Yes, stuff will be given out. However, would you rather learn to fish or simply be given one fish? By engaging folks at the conference you’ll learn how to fish, which is much cooler than any swag.
Bring a power strip and portable smart phone batteries
Computer power will die and your cell phone will tap out. Bring a power strip, write the name of your blog on it extra networking points and be power secure. Ditto the portable smart phone battery, if you don’t have one; get one because you’ll need it.
There are so many more tips that I’ll think of, but these are the top 4 off the top of my head. If you’re thinking about going to any of the Type-A Parent Conferences I can certainly recommend it.
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