Last week, BlogHer ’09 was held at the Sheraton Chicago. More than 1,400 (mostly women) bloggers descended upon the Sheraton and took over the hotel, the lobby, the hotel bars, the elevators, and everything else. I’d never seen so many women in one place and honestly, it was a bit overwhelming. I am glad that I went and I finally have time to sit down and recap my trip.
The view from my room was gorgeous!
Wednesday, July 22
I was up and at the airport early. I had registered to attend BlogHer Business on Thursday and so I needed to fly out ahead of most of the other bloggers. Once I arrived at the airport, I shared a car ride to the hotel with AngellaD of Dutch Blitz and Gwen with Girls in Government. I was originally scheduled to ride in alone but the other two were at the airport so we shared a ride and I saved a little money. I was immediately thrust into a social situation that I hadn’t yet prepared myself for. Thankfully, the gals were nice and we had a nice chat on the way to the hotel.
Now I must say that I’m shy. Those that know me well will laugh at this because I am a chatty Cathy. However, initial social situations are extremely uncomfortable for me and I talk…a lot…because I get super nervous. I managed to overcome that and show up for a RideMakerZ event that evening. I met in the lobby with More Than Mommy (who was carrying cheesecake so easy to find) and then shortly after that, Pickel joined us.
This is where I got excited as Pickel and I had previously emailed one another about autism spectrum conditions and we’d posted on each other’s blogs in the past. So although I didn’t “know” her, I knew who she was.
We met up with MomSpark and along with a few others; we walked over to the restaurant for the event. From there, Marcie (Pickel), Amy (MomSpark) and I had a fun evening. We played with cars, took home cars and gift certificates, and then met in the hotel bar for a nightcap. I was instantly put at ease by these two and I’m thankful to have had the opportunity to hang out with them.
Thursday, July 23
I attended BlogHer Business and felt completely out of my element. I am the Technology Coordinator for Attachment Parenting International and I was hoping to gain some insight into our target audience. While I did learn a lot, most of what I learned was applicable to larger companies with marketing departments…and budgets. As a nonprofit, during these interesting financial times, budgets are hard to come by.
That evening, I got the nerve up to attend the BlogHer Business Cocktail Party. I found a quiet spot by the window and was quickly joined by other people. A bit later, Sprint (who was hosting the party) gave away several products. I won a new Palm Pre and three months of service. While I love, love, love, my iPhone, I’m going to check out the Pre to see if it truly is an iPhone killer.
After the BlogHer Business party, I went upstairs and changed into a dress and some fun pumps. I haven’t worn a dress in over a year but I was bound and determined to dress up for the People’s Party. I spent almost two hours at the People’s Party and it was fun – I spoke to many, many different people and learned more about kiwi than I ever thought I would.
Evidently there was some drama at the People’s Party but there were so many people that I missed it.
Friday, July 24
The main BlogHer conference began on Friday, July 24. I went to the newbie breakfast then headed over to the opening keynote address and speed dating, BlogHer style.
During speed dating, I met up with Ellen who blogs at To The Max. We instantly connected, as we’re both moms of a child with special needs. Ellen and I ended up running into each other before the cocktail party that evening and so had snacks together.
After speed dating, I went to a Business of You session to discuss branding ourselves as bloggers in a post-employee world. There I met up with Siel, aka Green LA Girl, who is one of my co-bloggers at the Mother Nature Network. She was an absolute gem and helped put me at ease. She was the first person that I planned to meet with at the conference, that I actually had the opportunity to meet.
At lunch, I sat at the Attachment Parenting flock table and had a great time chatting with Amy (Crunchy Domestic Goddess), Annie (PhD in Parenting), Allie (No Time for Flash Cards), and Cate (Eco Childs Play). We had a nice lunch and a great chat. I ended up spending more time with several of these women for the remainder of the conference than anyone else. They were very gracious in allowing me to tag along. *wink*
After lunch, I went to a Room of Your Own event discussing how to get people to read your blog (and come back to read more). Annie (PhD in Parenting), Jennifer Miner (Traveling Mamas and a co-writer at Suite 101), and Jessica (Jessica Knows) moderated this very packed event. I met up with Lee from My Sentiment ExactLee at this discussion and we ended up running into each other several other times during the event.
I wasn’t interested in any of the topics for Break Out Session #3 so I decided to hit the Expo floor. After getting a hand massage (thanks Hanes!), I made a beeline for the GM table. I wanted to get behind the wheel of the Camaro and rather enjoyed myself as I took a tour of downtown Chicago. I know the car isn’t the epitome of green-ness, but it does get 29mpg on the highway. However, I’ve always been a sports car lover so I had to bypass the green aspect and have a little fun.
Oh, I also came back to my room to find 7 roses in a vase on the table. Evidently, BlogHer attendees were treated to flowers. Unfortunately, I didn’t save the card and I don’t recall the name of the company. *blush*
Saturday, July 25
Saturday was a blur for me. I attended several sessions but my favorite of the entire event was the Leadership – Green Bloggers discussion. I’m going to be dedicating a separate post to that session because it deserves it. I went to bed early that night as I had a super early flight out the next day so Saturday was pretty uneventful.
Recap
I am glad that I went to BlogHer ’09 and am most likely going to attend BlogHer ’10. The amount of stuff that was there was a bit overwhelming for a first-time attendee but I managed. I had to deal with several uncomfortable (for me) social situations but everyone that I met was very warm and outgoing and helped to put me at ease.
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What a wonderful BlogHer recap. This was my first time attending too and I was far more overwhelmed than I expected to be. And I didn’t do as well as you in connecting in real life, so felt a little let down. I think it was a good experience, but if I could have pushed myself to meet people more, that would have been an improvement – glad you see yourself going again in 2010, I’m going to have to think long and hard before deciding about that!
Wow, you had an amazing view from you room!
Glad to hear you had a good time. I enjoyed meeting you and getting to know you a bit better. I hope to see you at BH’10. 
Also, my recap post title is very similar to yours. hehe. 
It was a pleasure to meet and hang out with you as well!
Really great meeting you IRL! Glad we got to hang out a bit, albeit briefly
Hi there. Looking forward to hearing more about your experience of Blogher and the green session. What did you think about the greening of Blogher overall? Did it live up to expectations?
Beth, aka Fake Plastic Fish
How did the information presented during BlogHer Business compare to that of BlogHer BlogHer? It was my first time at BlogHer and wanted more in depth information in several of the sessions I attended, while others, like the Green panel were very informative. And I’m not saying that because I knew most of the panel on stage…