This weekend saw me travel to the bright lights of Bracknell in Berkshire to attend my sixth BlogOn conference.
BlogOn is the brainchild of (and result of much hard work from) Laura, a slightly mad person who I have a lot of time for.
As it’s a conference and not just a jolly, there are a load of sessions – the majority run by other bloggers – so you can learn new things and write notes and feel knowledgeable, if you’re so inclined. There’s a brand den where you can meet PR people and make connections, the legendary raffle, the epic goody bag, and of course a sizeable chunk of socialising (I believe it’s called ‘networking with colleagues’) alongside a bit of being childfree for the weekend which is generally appealing.
Having been to a lot of blogging conferences, I can honestly say that BlogOn is the tits.
This year for some stupid reason I – together with my blogging buddy James* from You Have to Laugh – volunteered to share my years of experience and knowledge and natural wisdom with the BlogOn newbies in the welcome speech; hopefully by sharing it here I can encourage some others to make the trip to BlogOn Toys next year!
It seemed funny when I did it.
It wasn’t.
Thanks Jenny for the picture.
*I’ll be honest, he did most of the work and I took most of the glory. That’s just how our blogging relationship works.
How to have the perfect BlogOn: Tips for newbies
1) Be recognisable
When introducing yourself to people try to look as much like your social media profile photo as possible to aid recognition.
To help with this you may need to bring along:
- Cats ears
- A posh frock
- A cocktail in a fancy glass
- Some way of looking ten years younger than you actually are.
If you’re really nervous about meeting some of the more well-known bloggers, a good tip is to picture them naked so as to help reduce your fears.
I’ve personally been using this technique with some bloggers for the past 3 years and can confirm it works really well…
2) Nod and smile
If you’ve never heard of someone’s blog, just wing it.
Nod, smile and say you liked their post on potty training or sleep deprivation and that their writing moves you (and hope they’re not a food blogger).
Top tip: When making new friends try not to become too close, as you may need to elbow them or trample them underfoot when you’re jostling for the best prizes in the raffle later in the day.
3) Plan ahead for the conference
Spend time meticulously planning and colour coding which sessions you wish to attend based on your knowledge levels and skills gaps.
…And then get sidetracked talking to a blogging celebrity/drinking/getting lost/taking photos of your lunch/nipping back to your room for a quick nana nap and go to whichever sessions you stumble upon instead…or maybe even none at all.
4) Bring power
Remember to bring a power bank or two for your phone.
If you’re nervous in social situations, you can then sit next to someone and chat to them on Messenger all day and can even use emojis and GIFS.
Much better than real conversation!
5) Take pictures
Ensure you take a photo of your dinner, the cake, an elf and the outside of the hotel for social media purposes.
Oh, and if you can find a lift, take a fun group photo in there too. No more than six people in the lift though, or you’ll get in trouble.
6) Make sure you say hi to Laura
If you see Laura during the day looking stressed and running around like a woman possessed, make sure you stop her to ask as many mundane questions as possible and give her a big sweaty hug.
She loves those.
(Or if you’re feeling kind there are always care packs in the toilets so you can give yourself a quick spray beforehand, or get painkillers, or wipe yourself down. Handy AF).
7) Connect with brands
Leave your details with brands you’d like to work with.
You’ll either get loads of offers over the coming weeks which is great for the confidence or you’ll get no offers at all which I’ve found really helps build character.
PS Ideally this ‘connecting’ shouldn’t involve throwing up on their shoes at the after party or attempting to cop off with the young attractive one from the Paladone stall.
8) The BlogOn party!
It’s obligatory to wear elaborate fancy dress to the disco if it’s your first time – everyone will be wearing it and you’ll look silly if you don’t. Honestly.
Given a lot of bloggers don’t have normal 9-5 office jobs why not treat the BlogOn party as your Christmas work social? Photocopiers to print out pictures of your arse and mistletoe to snog old, ugly colleagues are available on request.
And my personal top tip for the party (thanks to my mate Gerard for this one) – always carry two glasses. That way, if you are cornered by someone a bit dull, you can pretend you have to go find your friend to give them their drink. And if you don’t, you have two drinks. WIN WIN.
9) Check out the goody bags
Make sure you have a good rummage through your goody bags before you get home so that your pesky children don’t nick all the best bits.
What they don’t know won’t hurt them…
10) Have fun!
Most importantly go out there and have the best time EVER.
Eat, drink, learn some stuff maybe… make friends with people who actually love blogging, win loads of prizes and spend the next few days splattering your photos across social media until your non-blogging friends can’t take it any longer!
If you fancy coming along to the next BlogOn (and you SHOULD), keep your eye on the Facebook page and website, or join the attendees group on Facebook where all the insider info gets shared.
That’s it! I’ve made up my mind! Im going next year! As a newbie blogger I’m slightly nervous about attending my first conference, i guess I feel a bit like an imposter, but hopefully by then I’ll have more than 21 posts on my blog 🙂 Just got to decide what fancy dress costume to wear 😉