Happy Wednesday y’all! I hope everyone is having a good week! How is it already Wednesday, and where has August gone?! This month has flown by, and TBScon feels like forever ago. But I am super excited to share today’s post with y’all– I am sharing 6 reasons why you should attend a blog conference.
Before we dive in, I want to share my experience at the latest TBScon! First things first: what is TBScon? TBScon is an annual conference that is exclusive to The Blog Societies members. The Blog Societies is “a cultivated community for influencers to unlock the resources, connections and tools necessary to grow their blogs”. My dear friends, Cathy & Jessica founded TBS in 2013, and have been doing amazing things ever since. It is an amazing platform that allows you to learn & network, while offering some great opportunities. Interested in joining?!
This year’s TBScon was hosted Friday-Sunday at Barnsley Resort. If you saw my Instagram stories while at the conference (they’re saved to my TBScon highlight!), then you know just how crazy I was about the resort. It was beautiful, and having everything hosted in one area was so convenient. I also appreciated that the conference was only Friday-Sunday, I’ve been to several where it’s more than 3 days, and honestly it gets so exhausting after day 3. The weekend was full of networking with brands, workshops, yummy meals & gal pal time.
I was so impressed with how smoothly everything ran, how knowledgable the workshop leaders were and how much I learned throughout the weekend. Not to mention I got to meet so many amazing girls throughout the weekend.
Keep reading for my 6 reasons why you should attend a blog conference, but just remember, not all conferences are created equally. These 6 reasons pertain to TBScon.
Why Attend a Blog Conference:
- Network with Brands: This is a huge plus to attending a blog conference. It is one of the only ways you can meet so many of the PR contacts of brands face to face in one place. This is just a stepping stone to building a relationship with a brand, but it is a start!
- Meet Friends: One of my favorite parts about attending a blog conference is meeting other bloggers! So many of my blog friends were gals that I originally met at a blog conference. I actually met Cathy & Jess at the very first TBS brunch back in 2013. One of the other big takeaways I had from my time at TBScon this year was how dang sweet & welcoming all the girls were. It didn’t matter how many stupid Instagram followers you had, everyone was there trying to learn & grow just like you were.
- To Learn: Even after 7 years of blogging, I know there is so much more that I can be doing in my business. Especially since this influencer landscape is always changing. In order to grow my business I need to learn. Learning new tips & techniques and even entirely new ways to do something is such an asset to have in this business. By putting yourself in a situation where you can learn, you will be better for it. I promise you that. Sure you can take webinars, download online workshops, or just use the google machine, but I truly think by going to a conference & having those more intimate settings to learn will pay off. At least it does for me. I was always the girl that did better in class than an online course, so maybe some prefer to learn online, but I always encourage an opportunity when you can learn face to face. The workshops I took at TBScon were hands down some of the most informative & well done I’ve sat in on. The topics of the workshops actually left you with tangible tips you could set in motion upon leaving.
- Push yourself out of your comfort zone: I’ll admit, I quite like my comfort zone. It’s easy, comfortable, and as an introvert it is a safe place. However, it’s also an isolating place to be at times. I experienced that from experience. However, when I allow myself to put those walls down & put myself in situations where I am not 100% comfortable, I am always glad I did & I grow from it. My comfort zone easily faded away at TBScon because everyone was so kind & welcoming.
- Think of it an an investment in your business: Y’all know the saying, “you get out, what you put in”? I believe that 1000% when it comes to this influencer world we live in. By investing in your business, whether it be through hiring an assistant or photographer, outsourcing SEO, attending a blog conference, etc., you will most likely see a return on your investment. In this case, I invested in my business by going to TBScon. Attending the conference allowed me to learn from other bloggers, network with brands & learn from professionals across different fields that I wouldn’t otherwise have access to.
- You get to visit new places: This is an added bonus based on how much I loved my stay at Barnsley Resort. The resort was stunning, the staff was incredibly attentive & the food was delicious. I am dying to visit with Tyler!
That’s a wrap y’all! I hope this was helpful, and if you have any specific questions about TBScon, feel free to let me know! xo!
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As I was reflecting on this weekend as well, I agree with you. These were all of the reasons I liked the conference. Great post!
Thanks for sharing this! I attended a blog conference last year and it was fantastic! I met girls whom I connected right away and honestly, that made attending priceless. I hope to attend the TBS next year, it looked like so much fun but more importantly, I love the community. I hope your week is going well and happy Friday!
Maureen | http://www.littlemisscasual.com
Aw! This looks like such a fun and informative conference and I was bummed that I already had plans for a family trip during the weekend it was held. I definitely see your points about networking and meeting brands, as well as finally connecting with other online bloggers for the first time! Also, Cathy and Jessica are two extremely hardworking women and I KNOW they put a lot of effort into making this conference a success time and time again.
I hope next year is the year I will finally attend 😀
XO Amanda
Love that you came and learned so much! Meant the world to us. Thank you! See you in CHS next month!
xo Jessica
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