Elevate Blog Conference 2014 Recap
This winter I made a decision that was a little bit scary at the time…I decided I was going to attend a blogging conference. Specifically, I decided to attend Elevate. There were a couple of reasons I chose Elevate as my first conference…
*The conference was being held in Newport Beach, CA, which is literally down the street from where I live…meant no traveling!
*The conference is designed to stay small (only about 75 attendees) and since this was my first blogging conference I thought a smaller conference might be less intimidating.
*I had seen wonderful things about the conference on social media and it looked like a lot of fun!
(Picture by Stephanie and Chrissy)
Now that I’ve had a few weeks to process this amazing day I wanted to share what I loved about the day, what I learned and what advice I’d give to anyone attending their first blogging conference…
My biggest regret is that I didn’t reach out to all of the amazing people that I had been following since I saw the attendee list. I reached out to some, but not nearly as many as I wanted to…but the lesson is learned and next year I will be making a much better effort! If you are going to be attending your first blogging conference, or conference of any kind, reach out to people. Life, not just blogging, is all about building relationships and reaching out to people can be the start of great relationships.
(Picture by Stephanie and Chrissy)
I absolutely adored all of the speakers but two in particular really stood out to me…
Lisa Leonard – I could probably write three blog posts on what I took away from Lisa but since that is probably a little excessive I’ll just share what impacted me the most. The first was Lisa’s genuine kindness. When I talked to her during the day she had a way of making you feel like you were the only person in the room…a quality I truly appreciate in people. The second is how she encouraged us to be brave. Being brave can be really difficult but Lisa’s story reminded me of the beauty that can result from being brave.
(Picture by Stephanie and Chrissy)
Desiree from The 36th Avenue – As I listened to Desiree share I laughed, I took notes, I was inspired, encouraged, and motivated. Truly a delight to hear Desiree’s story and learn from her!
We also received some wonderful swag throughout the day and I loved getting to discover new products, businesses, and people and can’t wait to share some of my favorites with you in the coming months!
(Dessert courtesy of Sweet and Saucy…and y’all know how much I love them!)
I walked away from my day at Elevate feeling encouraged, inspired, re-energized, and so grateful that I decided to attend…and now I can’t wait for next year!
Head over to the Elevate page to see other attendee recaps! And if you’ve ever been to a blogging conference, what advice would you offer?
14 Comments
Pamela
It was a lot of fun meeting you, Julie. You have such a sweet spirit and it was hilarious being on the same team at the end of the day, too. I’m so glad we met 🙂
jmdenouden@gmail.com
Our Minute to Win It challenges were definitely fun!
Preslaysa
Sounds like you had a great time. I haven’t attended a blogging conference, I’ve been to writer’s conferences however. I’d like to go to a blog conference and so it’s on my ‘things to do’ list.
jmdenouden@gmail.com
I would definitely recommend attending a blogging conference!
Renee "Nay" Soriano
Great recap, lovey. I, too, want to make sure I reach out more and step out of my comfort zone next year. Because there will definitely be Next Year!
jmdenouden@gmail.com
There will definitely be next year!
Shelly
Julie, it was so great meeting you! I’m glad we got to connect for a little bit as you were the only business card I handed out! I wonder if my trick of just buying an Elevate ticket and then asking my husband will work next year? Although we had an amazing time in Newport Beach so maybe I will not need to do any convincing!
jmdenouden@gmail.com
I think you should do that again next year! And I am really trying to get a trip to Chicago on my calendar for this Fall, so I’ll keep you posted!
Kendra @ www.joyinourhome.com
I’ve never attended a blogging conf either! You’re lucky you’re so close to one! Elevate sounds wonderful! I’d love for you to link this and/or any other DIY at our link party Motivational Monday… it’s on my blog now. Look forward to looking around your blog 🙂
jmdenouden@gmail.com
I do feel very fortunate to live so close to a blogging conference! I’m heading over to your blog now!
Pam
This looks like so much fun! I should add “attend a blog conference” to my bucket list! Thanks so much for sharing – maybe I can attend in the future. 🙂
jmdenouden@gmail.com
Definitely add “attend a blog conference” to your bucket list…in fact you should come to Elevate with me next spring!!!
Carrie This Home
This conference sounds amazing! I’d love to attend one but I live in a somewhat rural area so going to one would mean a lot of travel and expense. I’m hoping to go to one someday!
jmdenouden@gmail.com
Conferences can be a time and financial commitment, but if you are able to go, I would highly recommend it!