One of my big blogging goals this year was to attend a blog conference. I knew with a new baby that this might be tricky. Thank goodness for my fabulous mom (her babysitting skills & encouragement) because I was able to head on down to Orlando for this year’s BlogHer17 conference, with Annie in tow! We turned a 3-day conference into a long and leisurely trip to Florida by maxing out all of our down time and adding on a few extra days for fun. (See our stay at Animal Kingdom here.) In today’s post, I’m chatting all about the conference, what I wore (naturally) and why The Waldorf Astoria makes the most fabbbbulous conference location of all time.
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I’ve attended several conferences in the past, (Thrive, RewardStyle, Texas Style Council & The Blog Societies.) What makes BlogHer different from the rest is that this one is geared towards ALL types of female bloggers, not just fashion & lifestyle. There were political bloggers, gaming bloggers, mommy bloggers, fitness bloggers, tech bloggers and fashion bloggers roaming the halls of the Waldorf & Hilton Bonnet Creek all joining together for community and to hone their crafts.
We were treated to wonderful sessions, workshops, and seriously amazing speakers. Hillary Clinton is snapped above! Serena Williams also spoke along with Laurie Hernandez, Joy Reed and many many more. Aside from seeing these larger than life public figures in person, my favorite part of the conference was attending the workshops and digging deeper into what goes on behind this blog of mine. From photography tips, brand networking, to SEO tools, BlogHer sessions and speakers filled my notebook with tips & tricks that I can’t wait to implement on Lone Star Looking Glass.
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Now that I work from home and spend my days with just Annie, it was so nice to be back in a “business-like” setting once more at the BlogHer Conference. I tucked my laptop & notebook in my tote bag and dressed for the occasion! I used to LOVE getting dressed up for work each and every morning and at the conference, I kind of felt that same feeling again, donning my “business/blogger professional” type of clothing! (With a little bit of Florida-vacation style thrown into the mix, of course!)
Like I mentioned above, BlogHer is geared towards all types of bloggers, and the events surrounding the conference really reflected that. There were yoga sessions, cooking demonstrations, speakers touching on serious health topics and even mixers with cruise lines. (PS: Getting a behind the scenes look at what’s new from Princess Cruises was such a treat! Now to add a cruise to my 2018 travel itinerary … if only!) One event that I was able to attend was dinner & a show at Orlando’s Medieval Times. My mom & Annie were invited too, so we simply couldn’t resist!
I’m a huge history buff and I can not get enough of historical fiction books & television shows. (My biggest guilty pleasure by far!) Being able to immerse ourselves into a medieval tournament just for a night was like my own taste of time travel! I carried Annie in her baby carrier and she slept through almost the entire show. My mom and I sipped on lemonade while we ate our turkey legs & potatoes with our hands. I’d love to come back again one day with Patrick, I’m sure he’d get a kick out of the experience just as much as I did. Luckily there is a Medieval Times in Dallas, just a hop, skip & a jump away!
While the conference was what drew us down to Florida in the first place, I’d be lying if I said one of the highlights of our trip wasn’t our stay at The Waldorf Astoria Orlando. I mean….just the pool alone was pure paradise!
As soon as my workshops would end, I would slip into my swimsuit & join my mom and Annie at the pool. We laid under our umbrellas while sipping on fruity drinks & snacking on chips & guacamole. It certainly was bliss!
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Attending a conference in a resort setting like Orlando’s Waldorf was seriously so much fun! Can all conferences be held in hotels like this one, pretty please!? I took advantage of the tropical setting and pulled out every floral/beachy like number that I could get away with. I loved this outfit above from Ann Taylor. (All of which is currently on sale!) It was so much fun to get all dressed up and chat with like-minded ladies at the conference each evening. Again, I’m so thankful that my mom offered to come along and that I was able to attend this conference with Annie too!
The trip went so well, that the three of us are already day-dreaming of where we’re going to be off to next. Any suggestions!? 😉
As always, thanks so much for stopping by the blog!
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xo, alice
