Excited to share my experience from my first blogger conference. What started off as a Facebook post about a conference application and a girls trip turned into reality last weekend. Myself and a few of my Dallas Fitness Ambassadors were accepted to attend Blogfest and IDEA world in LA and we all came away with so much. IDEA World is the largest fitness expo and convention for fitness professionals. It attracts tons of fit pros to learn about new workout formats, business and marketing smarts, bask in the overload of inspiration and of course, SWEAT! Blogfest was a small, but special part of that and catered to all things blogger. Hundreds of fitness bloggers came from all over to learn as much as they could from industry professionals and finally put a face to the name of that instagrammer! It’s an incredible learning experience on so many different levels.
Blogfest took up all of Thursday and Friday and was jam packed with informational sessions, tweet breaks, workouts, and more. It was also largely sponsored by Siggi’s, Vital Protein, Gymgo, General Mills, and Propel Hydration. Here’s a sample of the sessions we got to take:
Some of my favorite sessions would be learning about brands, food photography, and content marketing. It’s all about working smarter, not harder. I most definitely enjoyed hearing from Melissa Hartwig of Whole30 and how to establish yourself as a thought leader. Her story was so compelling! I also enjoyed hearing from Amanda Tress, a biz coach for female entrepreneurs about the wonders of building a business and her new favorite platform: Facebook Live. So much good information.
I was absolutely thrilled to go on this trip to learn as much as I could and have fun doing it. I spent Thursday and Friday soaking up as much as possible from all the sessions. Here’s what I took away.
Always be a student: No matter how much I read online or research for myself, I know never to think that I know it all. Because, frankly I don’t. Things are changing so rapidly that even the rules are becoming obsolete (ahem… Instagram). There were still some really eye opening lessons learned from the sessions. It was great to be able to set a benchmark based on what the experts said and gauge where I was in that learning curve. I couldn’t help but feel excited all over again in a classroom setting nerding out over what brands are looking for and why Snapchat is important. Not only were the sessions helpful, but also chatting with the blogger friends I made about what they were up to. The knowledge sharing is invaluable. And so was the support and encouragement.
Loved this outfit from SIX02. Reflex and Nike.
You grow outside your comfort zones:Â This trip was an amazing learning experience on both a personal and professional level. I never thought I’d actually take a leap to attend a blogger conference and sit in a room with 200 other inspiring (and sort of intimidating) bloggers. On a personal level, I am usually very private. But for whatever reason, magic happened on this trip and I was able to bring my walls down a bit with women I have come to admire over Instagram and really form stronger relationships. It felt good!
Pretending to be Katniss after a Propel workout.
Outfit details: top from Forever21, Puma tights from SIX02, and Nike’s from SIX02
It’s all about making connections: Gosh, if I could have cloned myself, that would’ve been amazing. I could’ve covered more ground! For my first conference ever, I wish I had spent more time talking to more people instead of being wrapped up in the sessions. I totally got nervous. The whole thing was overwhelming. Ha! As someone who considers herself outgoing, I definitely got the jitters approaching different brands and talking about myself. It was great practice for me and exciting to see that blog partnerships aren’t as uncommon as I formerly thought. People know what we are and what we are capable of!
It’s all about perspective: Doubt will alway be gnawing at the back of your mind, but instead of letting it cripple you, channel it into something more. There are no dreams too big if you want it badly enough. Plus, in the blogosphere, you really make up your own rules. If you change your perspective to test your limits, there’s nothing you can’t do.
Always have fun:Â Don’t take it too seriously. I’ve seen so many successful bloggers do great because they worked hard and had fun. I headed into this weekend with an open mind and went with the flow. I’m glad I was able to find balance in both work and fun. In addition to learning a ton, doing all the things I really wanted at the conference, I also made plenty of time to explore LA with my friends, eat at different restaurants, hike up to see the Hollywood sign and more. I even met up my people’s for a last night of dancing! I had one of the most memorable weekends and I’m still giggly from the high of it all.
Holla to TakeyaUSA for my awesome ThermaFlask! Kept my water super cold during my entire hike!
Would I come back next year? Definitely. It’s a great conference with lots of opportunities to learn, connect, and grow. In addition to the sessions, there was also a huge expo with hundreds of brand reps eager to share their products was a great way to put into action what you just learned. Plus, we got to wear workout clothes all weekend long. Who isn’t in love with that idea?
You can also read Blogfest recaps from my friends at Eat Love Plank, The Ginger Marie Blog, Fit x Brit, , and The H is For. They had some great takeaways too.
The next Blogfest is going to be in VEGAS! I can already picture all of the debauchery if a larger group of Dallas Fitness Ambassadors decide to go. It’s going to be SO fun.
Comments
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i havent attended a fitness or food conference per say…but i did go to dietitians conference which has a little bit of both. i had a blast there too and got to connect with so many people on a personal level. i followed you guys on social media…seems like it was so much fun.
Best Trip EVERRRRRR! haha. Vegas is going to be a riot. I can NOT wait! All i’m saying is we all need to take up the “free drinking” section of the plane to that trip! lmfao
Done and done. I just need those applications to open up so I can apply again.
I love this and had so much fun! I loved the ” Always Be A Student” aspect because it is important to always be willing to grow.
Agreed. Plus, no one likes a know it all haha. Never stop learning!
Clearly I need to start saving up some coins so I can get to Vegas with the DFA crew! Great lessons and it looks like you learned a lot while still having fun. Cheers!
Sure did. Great place for bloggers of all levels. Lots of great nuggets of info. SHould look into it next year.
I am saving now so I can go to Vegas with y;all. I had major FOMO!! This was a great review. I can’t wait to read the others. 🙂
DO ITTTT!! You have to come with us. It’ll be SO fun.
Great takeaways! I was def outside my comfort zone. Can’t wait till next year!
Me too!!!! I hope you can bring the family and make it a fam vacation. It’ll be so fun
I totally wish I could have cloned myself, too! So glad you had fun, too!
Thanks so much! Definitely an amazing experience!
Wow! Sounds like a great experiwnce.It was my first time at Idea world Blog fest too and I was wrapped up in the conference. Intimidated by the people next year going to do things differently. It was still an amazing experience and I hope to meet you next year in person.
Glad to know I wasnt the only one feeling really overwhelmed. I’ll try to get out of my shell more at the next one. let’s definitely connect next year!
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Ahhh, all of your photos from the weekend are amazing, I’m so glad you came – it was wonderful to meet you especially since we always interact on insta! 🙂
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I just found out about this conference and am planning to apply for the Vegas 2017 conference! I attended one small blogging conference a week ago (my first!) I would love to attend something like this! It looks amazing!
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