I attended BlogHer 2010 this weekend at the Hilton New York in Midtown Manhattan. There were 2,400 other (mostly women) bloggers and it was AMAZING! From the moment I landed until the moment I left, it was go-go-go. I got to meet some bloggers I had known online and some bloggers I hadn’t heard of but whose blogs I can’t wait to follow. I was particularly thrilled to see 2 of my fave bloggy buddies, Karen from Koupon Karen and Keri Lyn from She Saved again!
Before I move along to tell you what I did, I want to take a minute to thank my sponsor, Bumble Bee Foods. They sponsored Bee Squad members and threw an awesome party on Thursday night. They are a true class act and I am honored and proud to be part of their Bee Squad. They took care of everything, and for that I am truly thankful!
Thursday
I arrived at JFK (and used my awesome new Lands End carry-on duffel bag!) and was picked up in a super nice car by a friendly driver (the first of many!). I was whisked away to the hotel and had a few minutes to check in and unpack before I hit the Kodak Bus Tour party! We had lunch at Caroline’s Comedy Club and then took a double decker tour bus around the city. It was a HOT day and while I loved taking pictures of the city with the Kodak EasyShare M580 camera they had sent us, there were a few moments where I think even the camera became overheated!
After a few minutes at the hotel, it was time to head to Simply Smart where we got to sample treats made with Simply Smart milk (like corn chowder and mini chicken pot pies) and even got to met Chris Evert! I loved the autographed tennis ball in my cute swag bag!
Our next stop was Social Luxe. I was a little disappointed to wait outside (HOT!) in a line for 45 minutes but happy to get into the a/c and the terrific party. I wish I had been able to stay longer to take advantage of the beauty treatments but was happy to grab the custom made Avery binder from Zazzle while I was there.
I hopped into a waiting car (that took some planning) and off I went to the Bumble Bee event which was hosted in the Viking Demo kitchen. Chef Scott from Hell’s Kitchen was there to prepare some fabulously creative and delicious recipes using Bumble Bee products – this isn’t your mother’s old tuna casserole recipe! The setting was elegant and the food and company were delightful. I was happy to meet my fellow Bee Squad members and finally place faces with names and voices from conference calls.
After Bumble Bee, we headed back towards the hotel and attended the CraziBeautiful party in the Warwick Hotel. We were able to get our makeup done using the Luminesse system and had some time to relax and get to know some other bloggers. Super tired and with arms laden with swag bags, I headed back to the hotel where I may have had $40 room service hamburgers with 2 of your favorite deal bloggers. Ah, not frugal at all but we were tired and hungry with aching feet. It was a yummy hamburger.
Friday
I woke up and went down to the beginning of the conference. I admit, I didn’t attend every session but really feel like I got so much from connecting with bloggers and brands. There were too many awesome things planned to miss and it was hard to find a free second in each day!
I was honored to be chosen by Shop at Home to participate in their shopping spree trip to the Garment District with The Elegant Tightwad. We got to see private showrooms close up and shopped our hearts out!
After heading back to the conference for some time, I went to the Mom Select Swag Suite and Getting Gorgeous. Both events were at the Warwick. Mom Select’s Swag Suite was a large room where you could connect with brands and get some goodies to try. Most items were baby oriented but I did get to try Extra’s new Dessert Delights gum in Key Lime Pie – yummy! Getting Gorgeous was a phenomenal event put on by 2 amazing bloggers. They had a fashion room where we got to visit with folks from Lia Sophia and Kmart among others. In the beauty room, we chatted with e.l.f. makeup and Remington.
I headed back to the conference and was able to check out the sponsor suites. I loved making s’mores in the Hershey’s suite and My Blog Spark had some tasty new treats from General Mills. The conference was still going strong too – see what I mean, so much to do!
Friday night I headed to Aiming Low’s EZPZ Party in a gorgeous restaurant high above Columbus Circle where we chilled with delicious drinks, yummy appetizers and an awesome vibe. I also attended the Mouthy Housewives party with LG as their main sponsor – yay LG vacuum! I ended the night at Hallmark’s Christmas party on the penthouse rooftop of a gorgeous boutique hotel. I had a great time decorating cookies and sitting outside on the rooftop terrace on a lovely night talking to a few great bloggers! My bad ankle had now officially had it and I literally hobbled back to the hotel.
Saturday
I woke up and couldn’t believe it was only Saturday! I went to the Bacon Eggs and Coupons breakfast by Team Inexpensively. It was a lovely breakfast and I enjoyed meeting some new frugal bloggers. After was a nice cab ride to SoHo for the Scholastic brunch. Having been a teacher and a voracious reader my whole life, literacy is important to me. Scholastic headquarters is an inspiring place and shopping in their store was so much fun.
I checked into the conference again and headed to the expo hall. I was interviewed by Pepsi and The Balancing Act and got to connect with some PR peeps I had previously only “known” over email. I could have spent days in the expo hall but just had a couple of hours – not enough time!
Friday evening I spent at Unilever’s penthouse event where I was able to get an amazing reflexology massage on my super swollen ankle. I enjoyed relaxing at this event and trying some of Unilever’s products. I was too tired to enjoy some of the official BlogHer parties that evening and went to bed at a decent hour for the first time on the trip.
Sunday
On Sunday morning I could barely walk (the reflexology massage wasn’t a miracle) and so I had to skip FlatOut Bread’s walking event. I was touched to see they had sent a box of FlatOut Bread products to my house when I was gone and can’t wait to try all of their fabulous products.
I made it to the SoyJoy brunch overlooking the city. The food was yummy and we got to listen to experts talking about nutrition and the importance of snacking and making good snack choices. I am loving SoyJoy’s 2 newest flavors – they’re not out in stores yet but I bet you’ll love them too!
I really enjoyed myself and can’t really comprehend how much I did, how fast the weekend went and how many bloggers I met. It was truly overwhelming and so much fun. And I can’t wait to go again next year.
