When I checked into the grand Opryland Resort, my hands were (slightly) trembling when I slid my key into the door; nerves started to catch up with me. Although I had a roommate and had met one other blogger, my fears were beginning to surface. (If you have ever gone to a new school and known the fear of the cafeteria, you know the story. My family moved my junior year of high school, so this is a scenario that has actually played out in my reality.)
Okay, okay, back to the hands. (Slightly) trembling hands. And the conclusion that I had a couple hours to burn before my workshop. In the single-most introverted move of the trip, I ordered room service, watched a little t.v., then took a shower. Coming out of my shell was inevitable, but I had to buy a few more minutes of confidence-inspiring solitude.
After strengthening my reserves, I slid on some cute flats and walked 4,000 miles to the convention center. From the first encounter, or the first smile, it felt like “belonged.” Alli and Barbara go to great lengths to promote and preserve the warmth and inclusion that Blissdom is known for.
Throughout the weekend, I had to push myself out of my comfort zone. Sometimes this meant going downstairs for breakfast without a companion. Sometimes it was walking up to my mentor bloggers and introducing myself. But, I knew it was the next step for me. Growth could not be forged; friendships could not be made if I was unwilling to strike up conversations with total strangers.
It was a remarkable weekend because there were great sessions, with plenty of breaks so that you didn’t get too tired just sitting in a chair taking notes. Most of the breaks were catered with popcorn, ice cream, coffee or something equally delicious. The meals throughout the weekend were outstanding! Then at night, Blissdom threw cocktail parties (surely you heard that Harry Connick Jr. played for us, right?), then there were private parties that lasted into the night.
Blissdom offered plenty of learning opportunities. Here are some lessons I learned from my first blogging conference:
1. Talk to bloggers you admire. Even better, introduce yourself and talk about a specific post that impacted you. I didn’t plan this, but I ended up with a couple very emotional encounters with bloggers I LOVE by doing this.
2. Go out as much as you can. You can sleep when you get home, but nothing replaces the face-to-face interactions.
3. Assume that everyone loves you. This is a little goofy, but just pretending that people already have a favorable impression makes it easier to encounter new social situations.
4. Stay with a roommate. It is so much fun to have someone to get ready with and to decompress with after a full day. My slightly introverted self wanted to stay alone so that I could come back to quiet and simply relax, but now I realize that would have been a mistake.
5. Bring business cards. Everyone knows this, but I can’t stress how important it was when making introductions. It
provided you with something to comment on or question from your new friend.
Friends, I can’t wait to go back! Will I see you at Blissdom 2011?
© 2010, Amy. All rights reserved.
{ 6 comments }
Thanks for your update! I sure hope that I will be at Blissdom 2011. I’m praying about it, and we’ll see where the year leads!
I want to go next year! And I will only live 45 minutes away so it is something I might be able to actually do!!!
Great to read your experience
I’m so glad you ventured out of your comfort zone and came to breakfast that first day by yourself! It was great meeting you, and nice to see another friendly face throughout the rest of the conference. All your lessons were spot on!
That is a GREAT list, Amy and so true!
I will be going to my very first conference in August (BlogHer). I am so nervous, it seemed like you wrote this just for me! I think your list is so spot-on. I feel like if I take this list with me, I’ll be able to make it through! And I’m definitely not as scared after reading it. It’s so nice to know that other people have been there and came out on the other side, anxious for the next chance to meet with these wonderful blogging friends.
Thank you so much for your kind comment. I am so excited about your upcoming blog conference. After you wrote me, I thought of a couple other things I would do before a conference that I forgot to mention. If you don’t have any blogger friends going to Blogher, try to make a few solid connections before you leave. Stay in contact through commenting on their site or through twitter. There were a few people that I exchanged cell phone number/arrival info with in order to have those smiling, welcoming faces when I arrived. I still could have done A LOT better at this. Also, I am sure there is a Twitter stream for Blogeher and I would start following that and interacting with other bloggers. It makes communicating in person a lot easier when you’ve connected at least once.
You will have an awesome time! I look forward to hearing all about it!
Warmly,
Amy
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