I just got back from a whole week in New York City! I went for BlogHer 2012, one of the biggest blogging conferences that gathers bloggers and marketers from around the entire world. Since my best friend Jen lives in New York, I was able to stay at her place and bring her along to a lot of the conference happenings.
BlogHer 2012: The Good
Jen and I had an absolute blast and I was so happy to see her (it’s been over a year since our last visit!).
I had the fantastic opportunity to meet brand representatives I’ve worked with closely on blogging campaigns as well as prospective sponsors, both through official BlogHer 2012 conference events and private meetings off-site.
At the BlogHer 2012 conference itself, I loved the suite setups. I dropped by to chat with OutMyWindow, who I first met in LA at the Warner Bros VIP Tour, and Hershey’s. Hershey’s always sets up a fun campfire-themed suite with s’mores stations for attendees to chat with each other or brand representatives.
Off-site, my friend Andrea Fellman helped hook me up with cool companies like CAbi clothing, Hansens Natural Sodas and Stokke at her Style Suite party in a gorgeous suite at the London hotel.
The blogger face of Avon, Romy Schorr, invited me to visit the Avon headquarters and check out their fall line of products including some really cute jewelry and even clothing! I’ve long been a fan of their cosmetics and lotions, but I had no idea Avon made clothes and accessories.
Amongst all the party food and hors d’oeuvres I managed to squeeze in a real, sit-down meal at Ruth’s Chris with Glamorous Moms and got to taste some culinary creations from chef Sam Talbot at a Lands’ End event at EZ Studios.
Nate’s super excited because I won motorcycle riding lessons at a party I went to for Harley Davidson. That’ll be my Christmastime treat to myself after I pop this baby out!
I also had the most incredible experience with GMC. They loaded a bunch of us up in new GMC Denalis and took us out to a locally-owned nursery to buy thousands of dollars worth of flowers, plants and garden supplies. We then drove our haul out to Covent Gardens in Harlem and donated them to the caretaker, Juliette “Miami” Davis, who was thrilled beyond measure. She adopted this garden years ago and it has slowly become a vibrant hub of community activity and a safe place for families and kids to play. I’ve done all the touristy New York stuff in the past, so it was amazing to get a glimpse of the real city and make a difference while we were at it.
BlogHer 2012: The Bad
As far as the conference event itself, I think that BlogHer packed the venue too full (5,000 attendees this time compared with 3,500 last year) and I was disappointed to see that a lot of companies sent promotion teams to just give out free stuff instead of actually developing relationships. Honestly, it’s a little hard to blame them after some of the behavior I saw from attendees (more on that below). It seems to me that from the PR/company perspective, the conference has become less about recruiting brand ambassadors to spread awareness to readers on a long-term scale, and more of a one-off media blitz to immediately boost social media numbers and “buzz.” I’m not sure how the conference might rectify that situation other than to put an end to all on-site giveaways. I did enjoy the booths that had fun activities and encouraged true engagement with the brand, and I’d love to see more of that in the future.
On a personal note, this is the longest I’ve ever been away from Nate and 15-month-old Some Boy. On top of that, I’m almost six months pregnant and in that dreaded hormonal phase. I bawled my damn eyes out several times because I missed them so much. So for me to leave my family behind, I have to be REALLY looking forward to an event. I’ve always heard good things about BlogHer in the past and had such an amazing experience last year, I was surprised to encounter a somewhat hectic and crowded atmosphere this year throughout the conference space. Almost every blogger I spoke with there had similar feelings.
BlogHer 2012: The Ugly
A cute display of products picked apart after-hours by swag-hungry people.
Hotel security told me that quite a few boxes were also stolen from the expo hall at night.
Some of the behavior I encountered from other BlogHer 2012 attendees was frankly appalling. This is meant to be a supportive community, and I felt unsafe and threatened several times throughout the event. A woman from Brooklyn said she would “throw down” (her words, not mine) when I accidentally brushed against her 12 swag bags as I tried to sit down at a party. Another person hoarding freebies berated me for resting against a wall and getting in her way as she tried to rush through to the next booth (seating seemed to be a serious issue for me, being pregnant/tired and herded into hours-long lines throughout the day).
That all being said, I probably won’t be attending BlogHer next year in Chicago. Blogging is my business and trips like these are a business expense to me. For it to be worth it, I have to be able to unequivocally say that any money spent on career development and time away from my family has a significant return in terms of blog growth. I had a blast seeing my friends and reconnecting with people I’ve worked with in the past, but I don’t think it should be THIS difficult to make new connections. Last year, the 2011 BlogHer conference was one of the highlights of my online career. I learned how to take my blog to the next level and the people I met helped me succeed in a way I didn’t even know was possible. It was one of the major factors that led to me quitting my day job and pursuing this dream full-time! I truly hope to see BlogHer help others succeed the way it helped me in the past, and I would love to see the event planners refocus on blogger-brand relationships in the future. I also hope that attendees will come to understand the real value of their investment, beyond a suitcase full of samples and freebies.
Did you go to the BlogHer 2012 conference? How was your experience?
Thank you for sharing a wide perspective from your experience.
Interesting, and great posts … I recognize Shannon as well as a few others :). The Glamorous Luncheon was fun, I don’t think I got to meet you there though.
This was my first BlogHer and I had fun, though I had some regrets as well. I felt like I did make a lot of new connections but I didn’t get to go to as many sessions as I wanted to – I went to about 1.5 (the .5 being Google Analytics, where there were no seats and I sat on the floor for a bit) and am hoping to see the rest online once BlogHer posts it. I live in Detroit and Chicago is fairly close, though, so I’m hoping to make it next year. :)
Bummer we didn’t get to meet! I did hear that the Google Analytics session was PACKED. I definitely plan to catch up on that one online.
I tried not to rush myself through the conference or expo or rooms or parties, and even as frustrating as it was with the number of attendees, it was always great to meet new faces. :-) We took it easy, had a good time and were pretty productive in the sense that I have some emails to send out re: brands. Hopefully the connections will last since everyone met SO MANY faces. :-/
Sounds like you’re on the ball! As long as you’re proactive and remind them of your blog qualities and what really makes you stand out, I bet those connections will go a long way.
This was my first time going. I loved meeting you and many others. I was disappointed in the lack of brand relationship talk at many of the booths..and some people working the booths were rude or ignored us. I had fun at ones like Samsung that did take me on an “experience tour”. It was definitely crowded and I almost missed out on a session because of lack of seating. A couple private events I left earlier than planned because there was little to see or do and I wasn’t after “stuff” I knew did not interest me. I think my favorite 2 gatherings were the baby/preggos ones! I felt lost and out of place at most of the cocktail ones. I did love the time at the Glam night out and was shocked there was a pampering bag to take home after all that was offered!
It was so wonderful seeing you, Darcy! I heard there was a lot of overcrowding at many of the sessions, so I’m thankful they’re putting them online for us to catch up. Glam was absolutely amazing. I actually recommended the Dashing Divas nail salon to an event planner I know in NYC because I was so impressed with the venue and the efficiency with which they handled all of us.
This was my 3rd Blogher and I was rather disappointed in things this year. I didn’t feel the sessions were as well rounded as they were in previous years and the crowds/swag was just too cut-throat for me. I managed to get there and home with just one carry-on suitcase – I didn’t have to ship swag home or check a bag at the airport. I wanted to connect with people not worry about free stuff.
That seems to be the general consensus: way too much crowding and swag-grabbing. I know it may not be a popular opinion among a lot of bloggers, but I truly think that BlogHer should limit attendees and ban on-site giveaways next year. I’m not sure how else they could go about managing the (at times unruly) crowd.
I share a lot of your sentiments about BlogHer ’12. I was actually a bit disappointed in it; I realize the brands helped keep the costs down for bloggers like us who had to pay our own way. However, I felt a little weird about all the stuff, and especially those bloggers who were territorial over their swag.
I also felt like there were too many people in too small of a space. Connecting with people was a little difficult too; I felt like I got ignored by brand reps and bloggers alike.
I probably won’t be going either because it was expensive and I’m not sure necessarily worth it. Maybe I expected more, but I was reading all these blog posts and tweets in preparation for BlogHer ’12 and I thought I’d get a lot more out of it.
I’m hoping this was just an off year, as 2011 was absolutely incredible and didn’t have any of the issues I saw this year. I also think it goes along with natural growing pains of the conference: they’re attracting a huge, diverse crowd. Instead of playing to the lowest common denominator, they need to really assess their goals and consider how to make everyone feel like their time spent at BlogHer is worthwhile. I understand that much of conferences is going to be what we make of it, but there shouldn’t be a ton of obstacles (ie swag, overcrowding, people who are just generally grumpy) in our way.
I have to agree with everything you said. Last year when I left San Diego, I felt like I really made some great connections with brands and other bloggers… things that actually panned out during the year. This year I just felt tired and disappointed. With the exception of less than a handful of PR reps, I didn’t get the feeling that anyone really wanted to hear about ME or was interested in talking about working together. The swag was interesting… some brands just brought a whole bunch of junk… other’s didn’t bring anything. Nobody was really making eye contact and the people I went up to talk to acted like I was bothering them. It was WAY too crowded and I felt like I was just part of the cattle drive. I’m seriously debating about going next year. It was an expensive trip to take without getting anything out of it but seeing some friends.
Exactly! It was very sad to me that nobody seemed interested in making true connections. I’m fortunate to have a lot of friends who were already at the conference and was thrilled to see them, but heard from a lot of people who went alone and felt isolated the entire time. Nobody should feel alone in a crowd of 5,000!
Oh gosh. Hearing everyone’s thoughts afterwards makes me hesitant to invest in Chicago next year especially as my first time experience at BlogHer. My hope was to go to make those connections to go to the next level, and to experience BlogHer for the first time. I need to really think about where my investment should be next year, and with what conference. Thanks for your review.
It is definitely difficult to pick and choose where to invest your time/money. If you haven’t been, I highly recommend Bloggy Boot Camp for everyone’s first conference experience. The organizer, Tiffany, does an amazing job of including everyone (it’s limited to 100 or so attendees, and held approximately 4 times per year in different cities all over the United States so it’s very convenient). For those with already established connections looking to take their blog to the “next level” at a bigger blogging event, I’m told that Mom 2.0 Summit is filled with real opportunities to connect with companies who truly understand bloggers. I’ll be there in Laguna Niguel next May. I also hear lots of creative/lifestyle bloggers rave about Alt Summit, held in Utah in January. I think I feel a follow-up post coming on…”Conferences You SHOULD Attend, and How to Make the Most of Them.”
Hi – first time reader here! I had registered but wasn’t able to attend this year’s Blogher convention (would have been my first time) – I’ve been reading reviews of the experience to see what I missed, and it seems like many who attended the convention share your sentiments. I’m also near 6 months pregnant, and was feeling nervous about navigating the crowds with my big, buldging belly. Sounds like you did really well, especially for a pregnant mama, despite the crazy circumstances. I’d love to hear your input on which conferences are worth checking out for different types of bloggers – first timers, mommy bloggers, creative bloggers, etc., with descriptions of what the conferences are like. I feel like the annual Blogher converntion may be at the point where it has kind of outgrown its comfort zone, and it would be really valuable to know more about other worthwhile (smaller) blogger gatherings. Thanks so much! d
I was so lucky to have my best friend there to help get me anything I needed and just stop to take a breather with me. I’d definitely recommend Bloggy Boot Camp for new bloggers (it’s small, inexpensive and happens in multiple cities throughout the year) and there are a lot of niche conferences for travel bloggers, review bloggers, pet bloggers, toys, etc. BlogHer is just so HUGE and all-encompassing, it can get overwhelming! I’m hoping to squeeze in time this week to write a whole post on the many options out there, because it seems a LOT of people aren’t aware of the other ones.
Thanks for sharing your experience. I went when it was in San Diego and I left with a ton of great information and the start of amazing friendships. But I couldn’t go this year to NY (I’m only 15 weeks and I have no energy. I have no idea how you did it). I wanted to go to meet the people behind various baby brands, but it sounds like it was pretty difficult to form those relationships at this convention. Might be better to look into some other conventions to attend next year.
My first trimester was awful! No way I would’ve been able to pull it off then. I’m in that awesome midway, energy-filled part of pregnancy. This year, I did get the chance to meet with Summer Infant (who I’ve worked with in the past), Highlights, KneeBouncers and Stokke, but I worked hard to seek them out and am diligently following up to make sure that the new connections “stick,” so to speak. I had to put in a lot more effort than I did last year to make my time worthwhile. BBC Vegas should be fun, and I plan to go to Mom 2.0 in Laguna Niguel. You spoke at SheCon, right? I’d love to hear more about that one.
I like reading everyone’s perspective. As I live in NYC, I definitely wanted to go the conference to see how different it was from 2010 conference in NYC. Since I wasnt at the San Diego, I can only compare the two NY conferences. I completely agree on your point about the lack of enthusiasm about the brands in developing relattionships. Most of the booths are staffed with people who literally have no decision making power so I expected nothing from the brands this year.
I actually expected to see more company movers and shakers this year since so many of the businesses are located in NYC and it would be SO easy for them to drop in. Surprising.
I have never gone…or even wanted to. I am glad I don’t blog for companies : ) Just for me! I am so sorry about the unkind people. It makes me sad to know people are like that. For someone to say throw down seems a little excessive! Crazy!
Seriously, I thought she was going to punch me in the stomach! Good for you for keeping your priorities straight.
I’m really disappointed to hear about the ugly. I expected it a little, but that’s mostly why I didn’t go. I personally found 2011 to be a waste of resources, for me, outside of a SONY event I went to. It’s not really about the money so much, it’s time away from home that is exhausting to my husband, as it is to me when I’m alone for several days in a row. It’s rather use that sort of hall pass for something amazing. I think that our space is too competitive, immature at times, and a lot like a popularity contest. But that’s me having not gone and down glass of wine!
Exactly! Time spent away from family is a really big deal for me too, with a 15-month-old and another on the way. Having little time for business-related travel, I think it’s important for bloggers to attend conferences that will really take their blog to a new level. Swag and parties are fun if that’s what you’re after, but I was looking for long-lasting connections and sadly had a harder time finding that than I expected.
This was my 3rd BlogHer event and was very disappointed. This year’s event was disorganized, crowded (lunch dilemma) and not environmentally friendly. Where were the water bottles and water station? There were definitely too many people and the sessions were overcrowded. The vendors felt like they did not want to be there and treated me like I was invisible. I ended up leaving the 2nd floor thoroughly disgusted. I felt the vendors were only interested in me to blog about their brand or cause and did not care about me or getting to know who I am.
Last year the vendors were more interactive and I learned something! I am appalled at the attitudes and feelings of entitlement of some bloggers. The event is expensive and I am grateful to be able to afford it. But I felt that some bloggers were only there because they were being sponsored and felt the need to be rude and entitled to be invited to parties and grab the cool swag.
I guess that is what happens when you have over 4,000 women grabbing free stuff.
I have a gripe about the Geek Bar. Where was it that we needed to sign up at Event Brite? BlogHer please start at the time that is stated on the program, not 15 minutes later.
I don’t think I will attend next year’s BlogHer unless BlogHer gets their act together.
Yeah, at an event like this with so many back-to-back meetings, it’s REALLY important that things start on time!
I’m sad that I had the exact same title in 2009. I wish we would have evolved since then. My experience this year was better than in 2009, but I also don’t think I’m going to Chicago.
2011 was fantastic for me, but I have heard similar feedback on 2009 being an off year as well as this time around. I really hope that people provide honest feedback in the post-surveys and that BlogHer is able to grow and learn from this experience.
Very interesting post. I went to Blogher for one day last year as I was brand new and I loved it. I couldn’t justify the expense this year and it doesn’t look like I missed too much. I can’t believe the photo of that display where people ripped it up. For what? Toilet brushes? Really? I will be attending Bloggy Boot Camp in Vegas and am really looking forward to it.
I’ll be speaking at BBC in Vegas. Can’t wait to see you there!
Now I don’t feel like I missed out by not going!
I had a blast in San Diego! I was also very new to the world of blogging, swag, and VIP parties, so I was a wide eyed little doe.
I have learned a lot in the last year, from people that I connected with at BlogHer 11 as well as the awesome SD blogger group we have :)
It sounds like my money is better spent going to the ABC expo and other events that are baby and pregnancy specific.
Thanks again for your honest opinions, as always.
-Heather
Good point about ABC – thanks for bringing that up, Heather! Those niche conferences offer fantastic opportunities for bloggers who focus on a particular demographic.
I think your post is pretty darn accurate. My expectations were so high for the ’12 conference after attending the ’11 in San Diego. But, I flew home feeling like my biggest takeaway from BlogHer was a conversation I had with my roommate over dinner about a few plug-ins I should consider adding on my blog.
I went to drop off some swag in the exchange room and it had looked like a tornado had ripped through there. I couldn’t believe the disrespect and the swag-hungry bloggers who weaved in and out through the crowd hitting people with their arms filled with bags. Jesus, give me a second to get out of the way so you can grab a few yogurt.
And was it me or is every blogger a deal or coupon blogger? No disrespect to their blogging profession but it seems like that niche is there strictly for the expo and the expo for them. I really think BlogHer should consider a deal/coupon/frugal conference in the vein of the BlogHer Food conference. Am I wrong?
Last year, I made so many blogger-to-blogger connections. This year, just a few. Everyone was too busy getting somewhere fabulous to even stop and introduce themselves.
The highlights were definitely the scores BlogHer grabbed with Obama, Martha, and Katie. VOTY was great with the exception of the incredibly loud hotel staff. Sponsored parties were too loud, under staffed, and in rooms far too small for the number of attendees.
Finally, the sessions – which I honestly looked forward too – were such a hot mess. The first one was overcrowded, standing room only. BlogHer really needs to poll their attendees to assess which sessions will be more popular than others and be ready to accommodate the large numbers.
Sigh. Lots of money spent for very little in return.
I LOVE your idea to do a separate deal/coupon blogger conference. I know that Reviewer’s Retreat is really focused on that niche, and it would be cool to see something similar from BlogHer so that the expo hall could focus more on personal connections for all types of bloggers.
Thank you so much for attending The Glamorous Luncheon! I’m so glad I could have you
and baby attend;-) I do feel that this trip was quite hectic and crowded, I’m glad my event gave you the chance to sit down and relax for a couple of hours;-) Thank you so much for the great photo and the generous mention too! I look forward to keeping touch and staying connected!
It was wonderful getting to sit and actually eat a real meal in such a glamorous environment. And of course, seeing your beautiful face was a real treat! :)
Wow, I just love that you were involved in donating all of those garden supplies! What a wonderful thing to do!!
This was definitely my least “favorite” BlogHer (of 3) as far as venue and over all feeling. I felt like someone around me was complaining the majority of the time. I’m still glad I went also, to see my friends and make those connections.
Wow, I am really surprised that so many are unhappy with their experience.. I actually thought this conference was better, content wise, than 2010, which was the last one I attended. It definitely was crowded, but I thoroughly enjoyed the sessions I attended.
I’m glad to hear you had a good experience! I missed a lot of the sessions (I heard they were super-crowded and didn’t want to deal with being bumped and jostled while I’m this pregnant) but I’m so thankful that BlogHer records them and puts them online so I can catch up later. A couple friends have told me that the content in several of the sessions was helpful to them.
Thanks for this post. I loved hearing about the good.. the GMC garden makes me smile. The ugly well that make me sad. I think I am doing the every other year thing and I also think it helped me staying off sight. I avoided the chaos.
Wow. You couldn’t have hit the nail on it’s head any better. The swag grabbing was disgraceful, and I didn’t even get that annoyed until a woman standing behind me at the Hasbro party was an angry biotch. I was miserable, last year in SD was way better; more space, I made better connections and I wasn’t a crying mess.
I was surprised that so many people were just about the swag. I like getting fun, free things, but not at the expense of others. I thought it was strange that there were so few brand reps that thoroughly knew their products, but maybe like you said it was because they were just there to give out freebies. That is awesome that you got to be a part of the GMC event. There needs to be more of a focus on giving back than the getting!
That being said, I had a fabulous time at BNlogHer, but I kept my expectations low.
It was just kind of a mess.I think that IF I go, and that is a big, fat IF, next year, it will just be to the Party/Expo pass. It was my second blog conference, but first BlogHer, and I’m so glad BlogHer wasn’t my first impression of conferences.
I am so re-tweeting this. I’ve spent the last few days trying to absorb this whole experience and how I wanted to truly recap it, and you’ve taken the words right out of my mouth. This is incredibly well written and expresses my feelings in a well written nutshell. I too was shoved at a booth by two women who were apparently ‘in a rush’ had an offsite event and I heard when the person right behind the person behind me said ‘just push her out the way’. To make a long story short, the brand rep kicked them off the line because he witnessed it and also heard them as he was standing adjacent to me. They were proud of themselves because they went to their rooms’ changed clothes and got it anyway’. I had rumors of this behavior when I attended my first BlogHer in 2010, thankfully then I didn’t experience it. But this time I did, and I am absolutely disgusted. Also most brands wanted us to take a picture with our own devices and tweet them to get an entry at a chance to win something but the wifi was spotty (and by spotty I mean I could barely get a good connection). And if you didn’t have a smart device most brands said there was no alternative entry so you were SOL. Really? Wow! I didn’t feel valued from any direction, from the conference who crammed us into an overpacked venue, and had us eating on the floor like dogs because there weren’t enough seats, the brands wanting pictures at every booth when you could barely form a line because the vendors were one on top of the other, the swag hoarders being so effin violent, it was an all around poor experience for me, and much like you I’m not sure I could ever muster up the energy to repeat it! I will focus on smaller conferences where brands can truly interface with us in a way that’s meaningful and rewarding for BOTH sides!
Jiminy Crickets girl! You are so much braver than I. Seriously. BlogHer preggo! I’m in awe. That aside (lol) I’ve been hearing the same thing over and over again. I’m undecided if I ever want to go based on all the feedback. It would be nice if swag was approved by BlogHer on a case by case scenario. You know they could have just one gift bag customized to the blogger’s interest and that be it. I know it would be a lot of work to do. HOWEVER you know that’s what people go there for. BlogHer wants to make money. I can’t blame them but at the cost of what? Quality? I say go back to content and connections and make the sessions a R.S.V.P. only sort of thing so everyone has a seat. Maybe even make the BlogHer one more day so you can have multiple smaller sessions.
This was my fist BlogHer. I read so many post about the horrible behavior from some bloggers before I ever attended that I walked away surprised by how nice everyone seemed to be. I hate hearing that wasn’t the case for everyone.
I had two goals for attending. Meeting my other blogging friends and connecting with brands. I feel like it’s too early to say on the brand connection front – I know that I’m going to have to reach out to them since things were so crazy. As for meeting other bloggers? Yes, I met them. A ton of them. BUT it was so crowded, so busy, so hectic that there is a list a mile long of friends I never got a chance to meet. That makes me sad.
I’m still planning to attend next year. I had far too good of a time to stay home. I also still have far too many people I want to meet. Hopefully next year BlogHer planners will regroup, refocus and downsize. A smaller event will save everyone’s sanity.
It was so nice meeting you Chelsea! You were a champ to navigate everything while so pregnant! I’m appalled to hear that people actually threatened you for “being in their way”! SO ridiculous! I have to say that this was my first BlogHer and it was a letdown. I had heard so many great things about the conference and found it to be one huge rat race where it was hard to navigate and enjoy. Hopefully next year is better and they get some control over the people just coming for the freebies!