What to Expect from your 1st Blog Conference

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I have been blogging for a fair few years now and talk to quite a lot of bloggers all over the country online. I have only been to a few different blogger events in that time, my favourite being the event at Singhs Indian restaurant in Nottingham but I had never actually been to a blog conference just for bloggers, all in the same room, until 2 years ago!

I had heard about various blog conferences and how amazing they could be for meeting up with ‘real’ people and talking everything blogger related but as someone who struggles to put themselves out of their comfort zone and someone who isn’t comfortable calling themselves a blogger, I had never considered going to one!

A couple of years ago I decided for my own mental health I would start to do things for myself that weren’t child related. I think I have suffered with post-natal depression since having Lottie and this was starting to affect my whole life in many different ways. I heard about a blogger conference that was a bit smaller than previous ones I had heard about and also a little bit cheaper, focusing on the content of the day and the fun of getting to know other bloggers.

Blog On is held every year as a way for brands to showcase their newest products and services ready for Christmas. One day I just decided to book a ticket, a 2-night hotel stay (at the hotel it was at!) and go for it! What drove me was my desire to try something new, do something for myself and also the overnight hotel stay was a huge plus! I have never stayed in a hotel on my own, so this was so exciting! I was so nervous, as the day drew near, but I realised that my main worry was the 3hr late-night drive to get to the hotel and coming down in the morning for breakfast!

If you’ve never been to a blog conference before, Blog On is probably a great place to start! Everyone is so friendly, they really are and if you do find yourself on your own, you aren’t there for long before someone comes over for a chat! The day starts with breakfast and a chance to chat to people, as well as the opportunity to pick up your goody bags! I had heard these goody bags were amazing and they were not wrong! 2 bags absolutely full of toys! Not just little plastic things but calendars, toys (Mia’s favourite was the Ryans World car!), baby shoes, snacks, bookmarks, pens, literally everything you can think of!

Then there is a welcome meeting and you get your 3^rd goody bag which is full of really useful stuff for the day ahead. There are workshops all day and if I’m honest, I could have gone to them all! I really struggled to pick and choose which ones to go to. Each session I went to (4 in all) was so good and full of information about creating content, taking photographs using your phone, going live on Facebook and much more! With breaks for lunch and a meal in the evening, you are well fed too! Remember to take your business cards to hand out in the toy brand den! If you haven’t got any business cards yet, have a read of tales of belle, who has a great post about the benefits of having them!

In the afternoon, the last thing of the day is a huge raffle! When I say huge, I’m talking about hundreds of toys available to win! I bought £10 worth of tickets and won a prize perfect for Mia worth £15. Next time I will definitely buy more! In the evening there is a huge party, with games and drinks and a great opportunity to catch up with everyone and just have fun!

The whole weekend cost about £120 and that was a whole day full of informative sessions, food and fun, an evening meal, a party, 3 goody bags full of stuff and 2 night’s stay in the hotel + spa! The Blog On conference is on again this October, my ticket is booked and I’m so excited to attend again! It will be lovely to see all the lovely bloggers I met last year again and now I know what to expect, I will be able to join in even more!

Have you ever been to a blog conference? If not, what holds you back?