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The One Thing To Do Before A Blogging Conference

by Megan

It’s the year of blogging conferences for me! I’ve already been to three this year, with two more scheduled. #junkie

one-thing-before-blogging-conference

I like to attend different conferences so I can get a wide range of experiences and then decide which ones I want to go back to in the future. I’m lucky because one of my favorite conferences is right here in Phoenix! I attended Blended Conference for the first time last fall, and since then I’ve been excited to attend again.

blended-friends
#Asha! #awesomeface #dangImissthathair

I love Blended because of many reasons. First, because it’s local I know a lot of the people who attend, but I still meet new people every time. Second, the speakers are always top-notch and the sessions informative. Third, the sponsors are really fun, and there are little surprises throughout the conference.

sea-life-shark
Like sharks. Shark surprises.

Wendy O’Neal, Blended Founder and Owner, does an awesome job of putting this conference on each year. Awesome enough that last year I made this video to try to win a ticket. I was unsuccessful (#sadface), but the video legacy lives on.

So since I have quite a bit of blogging conference experience under my belt, today I wanted to share the ONE thing you need to do before attending a conference.

Okay, there’s several things to do. You have to buy a ticket…pack…probably order some business cards…and I don’t know, use the restroom?

But other than those things, the one thing you need to do is SET A GOAL.

And it shouldn’t be my usual goal of “DO ALL THE THINGS.”

If you get a chance to do all the things, then more power to you. But think about this for a second- why are you going to this conference? It’s easy to get caught up in the fact that you want to go, and it’s fun, and maybe you get to travel for it, but what will you do or learn there that will help you improve your business when you return?

Maybe there is one speaker that you are excited to hear. Maybe you want to learn more about a specific topic. Or maybe there is a sponsor you really want to work with. What is it?

disney-sponsor

Once you decide, make that your priority. Show up early for that speaker’s session. Seek out an expert in the area where you need help. Plan some questions to ask. Make a beeline for that sponsor’s booth.

Then, everything else is gravy! Swag, networking, parties, other speakers, other sponsors, sightseeing…

So what will my goal be for this year’s Blended Conference? Well, I am actually presenting on Friday night. I’ll be running a table where I will be doing blog consultations and maybe some mini lessons on various things. So I think my goal will be to gain two clients, either for WordPress transfers, or other blog assistance.

Then I can just sit back and listen to the speakers and soak in whatever else I can gain from the experience.

If you’re interested in attending a fantastic blogging conference, definitely consider Blended Conference in Phoenix. Tickets are on sale now!

Which conferences are you attending this year? If you have any tips to share, leave them in the comments!

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2 comments

Asha Butterflys June 14, 2015 - 6:14am

Nice to see my name is a Hashtag now. LOL, Do you realize that in less than 2 weeks we will be in #NOLA for #iRetreat !! I am so excited but I love your thoughts on conferences, I would make say make sure you have a business card with your info on it. It does no good to connect at a conference and then they can’t find you.

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Megan June 14, 2015 - 10:07am

#Asha! I know, I’m so excited for iRetreat and NOLA!! I need to decide what I want to do with our free time, and see if you want to do the same things! ;) Definitely true about the business cards. I’ve got mine ready!

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