A Dozen Random Musings on BlogPodium 2013

Happy Monday! Hope you had a great weekend.

BlogPodium happened this past Saturday and what a day it was! BlogPodium is a conference for design and lifestyle bloggers and brands to connect and collaborate. In fact, their tag line is “Connection, Conversation, Collaboration.” I have been to a number of blogger events in the past and always leave feeling energized. This day was no exception.

The day started with a presentation by none other than Sarah Richardson herself.  I had met her at her offices a few years ago and what is apparent to anyone who meets her/listens to her, is how down to earth she is. I loved what she shared with us.

Throughout the day, there were some specific take aways and also many truths that resonated with me (you know when your head is constantly nodding – that.)  Here are just a few plus some photos of the day.

1) “Simple is good”  with respect to design. ~ Sarah Richardson

2)  “You should be known for something. Have a signature style that reflects you.”  ~ Sarah Richardson

3) Speaking of signature style, Sarah’s new fabric collection with Kravet is exactly what you would expect from her – so pretty!  PS She has a line of cards and paper goods coming out next year with Hallmark.

 

4) On the other hand, you have to love Tonic Living’s vibrant patterns and colours:

5) Bloggers are an inspiring group and there were over 250 in this room! (oh there I am far, far away in the upper left corner catching up with some blogging friends.) I was able to connect with a number of bloggers I hadn’t met in person before but knew everything about them via Instagram, Twitter etc. Do you recognize any bloggers in the crowd?

6) “Have eye-catching headlines on your blog like “Secret Europe” (if you have a travel blog) – readers will feel like they are in on something special.”  ~ Corinna Vangerwen on What Bloggers Can Learn from Magazines

7)  “If aesthetics match up, more likely that we would partner with a blogger. They have to fit the brand.”  ~ Margot Austin, House & Home, Keynote panel on Traditional Media, New Media & Social Media.

 

8) Some brands have been so amazing to work with in the past and hopefully going forward into the future. And of course they would have a presence at BlogPodium – Home Depot, Para and Delta :

 

 

Delta’s booth was a favourite – I wonder why?

 

9) “Talk to one to reach many” is how brands see blogs.  Your audience and authority is key. ~ Environics on How to Get Noticed

10) Karen Bertelsen is hiliarious, smart and with 500,000 –800,000 page views per month, you can definitely say she is a successful blogger. She shared this with us on Saturday during her talk on The Art of Monetization.   Pretty cool, right?

 

11) This girl is a bundle of energy, creativity and smarts wrapped up into this cute package.  Jennifer Flores is the mastermind behind BlogPodium and although she had a team of people working with her, it was her vision and hard work that resulted in this extraordinary day.

12) Blog friends are the best – they really “get” you! 

(To see more photos from the Photobooth, go here.  All other photos by Anna With Love.)

Did you go? What was a key learning for you? And if you are a blogger or thinking about blogging, you MUST attend next year. I hear it may be 2 days.

If you require design advice, please contact me at vanessa(at)vanessafrancis.com.