BlogHer ’11 – San Diego: An Amazing Experience

Last Thursday I went to San Diego for a 3-day social media conference.  Leaving the 100+degree weather here in New Orleans was a gift for this 4 month pregnant chica.  The low to mid 70s weather was incredible!  Ok, ok… I won’t rub it in for the rest of you left behind.

I met many people I talk to online, mostly on Twitter, and got face time with brand executives I normally would not have access to.  My hotel was 6 blocks away, a nice walk welcomed in the morning 60s weather but definitely not anticipated at the end of a long day standing on my feet.  Note to self: beg or bribe someone to include me in their room at the conference hotel for next year.

Back to the conference.  The people I met were second to none.  With over 3,000 attendees and six different tracks offered, it was difficult to track down specific people.  Thank goodness for twitter and smart phones!  I should mention that a phone plug for a mid-day charge was essential.  Among my many networking encounters, here are some of my favorites in no particular order:

• Renee Keats:  @windycitymomma & @SchoolBagMom.  I swear I met another long lost sister.  Follow her, she’s got some amazing new projects in the works with www.fillmybackpack.com!
• The School Bags For Kids team:  Kalon, Luis, Miles & Maria are incredible!  Their ultra-cute and functional schoolbags are going to be a HUGE success.  They will be featured on this site very soon and in the MOMables™ photo shoot as well. @SchoolBags4Kids
• Ted Rubin:  I lack words to describe how authentic this man is in real life.  He’s a power networker and someone who goes above and beyond to connect the people he knows.  A sincere thanks for some of the introductions.  Follow him @TedRubin on twitter.
• Ellie Cachette.  I met her at MOM2Summit back in April but never got a chance to sit and talk to her.  She is a brilliant young woman and CEO of Consumerbell.com.  Someone I must stay in touch with for sure!
• Mellisa Rock: @MellisaRock. She was my roommate and I couldn’t be happier!  Her blog, Getting All My Ducks In a Row was one of the first ‘mommy-blogs’ I subscribed to. I’m still a loyal reader.
• Adam Keats: @aKeats   I met Adam, at Mom2Summit as well.  He is an amazing guy who has a knack for women (well, Renee is his wife… shall I say more?). He bravely took 6 of us (all women) out to dinner and not once did any of our embarrassing conversations faze him! Gotta love that.
• Mrs. Q: @FedUpWithLunch. This brave mom ate school lunches every day for an entire year! She blogged about it and it became quite controversial! She’s got a passion for healthy school lunches… can you blame her?? She spotted me at our hotel lobby and I was floored bc she was no longer in her annonymous disguise! She’s super nice and I can’t wait to get to know her better.
• Molly Gold: @mygomom. I met Molly during the speed dating networking session.  It was hard to get to know her in 90 seconds.  Seriously. This woman is an organization and efficiency expert.  Lucky for me I sat next to her for fifteen minutes at the airport’s boarding gate and she gave me some fantastic tips.  I’m seriously considering using some of her services this fall.
• Elise Jones & Mae Hacking:  This sweet team collaborate together for Here In This House.  Elise also heads Baby Bites – a social and educational community for moms & moms-to-be.  Another reunion from Mom2Summit and I couldn’t be happier.  They are a delight to know. @babybites @HereInThisHouse
• Collective Bias Team:  Thanks to Ted, I had the pleasure of meeting Courtney Velasquez @courtneydetroit, Sandy Jenn @OrganizerSandy, and Kim Janocko @craftyMammaof4.  These women were fantastic and I appreciate them taking the time to hear about MOMables™!
• Ayo & Nigel Hart: This couple started Dolphin Organics.  A true organic bath line I will be using on my kids!  They have revolutionized how we, consumers, decipher cosmetic ingredients and created a whole new label that is easy to read!  I’ll be featuring them very soon on this site!

There are a lot more people that meeting them alone made my trip worth it.  I just know you wouldn’t stay tuned to find out what many of you have asked… what ‘stuff’ did you bring home?  The vendor expo area was HUGE and I can’t even begin to mention all the free stuff, or “swag” they were giving away.  I barely took any of the swag and still managed to get home with an extra carry-on filled with stuff (my roommate brought an entire suitcase plus a carry-on just for this). Since you are dying to know what kinds of free stuff I came home with, here are some of things that made it in my bag:

• 3M office supplies: post its, pens, and new products they are launching this back-to-school.
• a couple ZoneBars from my friend Anastasia (their Abbott representative) who brought some from the office just for me knowing I would need a snack.
• Coupons galore.
• Boiron Pharmaceuticals: LOTS of full sized stuff from them! Among them: Arnicare gel, Camilia gel, Oscillococcinum, and Calendula cream.
• Dr. Scholls stuff: flats in a bag, customized comfort insoles, a few gel insoles, and a coupon for 25% off my purchase of their new shoe line.
• A black bag with some ‘fun’ stuff from an online adult supply store.
• Philosophy cosmetic samples (my favorite)!

A sincere thanks to the many who heard me talk about MOMables.  I have my elevator speech down and I couldn’t be more grateful. The site launched last night… so if you are wondering what the buzz is all about… go check it out!