Today I am deviating a bit from my normal toddler crafts and activities posts to share a little bit about a cool blogger event I got to attend a few weeks ago- Disney Social Media Moms Celebration "On the Road" in San Francisco.
In my post today I am going to share a few of the mom tips I learned from the Disney Social Media Moms conference along with a few of the highlights.
Are you a fan of Disney? I totally am (though we've never actually been to Disneyland or Disney World as a family yet...). Hopefully we get to go this Fall, after our budget recovers from our recent home remodel.
This year one of the Disney Social Media Moms On the Road Celebrations was held in Berkeley, which isn't too far away from where I live... so I was so excited! The stars aligned and my awesome and supportive husband said he'd take the day off of work to hang out with the kiddos... so I planned my wardrobe (which ended up being super boring, boo!) and made plans to meet up with some blogger friends at the conference. Yay!
The conference was held at the beautiful Claremont Resort in Berkeley. I'm kind of a little bummed that I didn't think about staying overnight there. It is gorgeous. Make sure you click on this link and watch the slideshow... you'll be sad I didn't stay there too.
When I got to the conference I checked in and got a Disney Social Media Moms Celebration On the Road swag bag. Totally unexpected and lovely. I've been using the bag ever since... it is the perfect pool bag.
I've been blogging for almost four years... and yet, the only blogger I've ever met in real life is Katie at Playing with Words 365 (who is fabulous, by the way). So, entering a room filled with bloggers I've never met was intimidating... I was so stoked that Chrissy The Outlaw Mom came right up and gave me a hug and invited me to come sit with her! We've been online friends for over 2 years but have never met "in real life."
Me & The Outlaw Mom
Chrissy introduced me to several other people at our table while we mingled and had breakfast and waited for the conference to get started. I forgot to eat... I was too busy chatting, but it looked good.
I was pretty happy to discover this Disney rice crispy treat at my seat. Yum!
I brought my cute homemade paperclip notebook to take notes on...
During the conference we learned about some awesome things happening at Disney right now... like the Mickey and the Magical Map musical. Have you gone yet? We also got to meet Disney's social media manager/lead blogger Erin Glover and we were updated on all the ways that we can connect with Disney. Did you know that you can use @DisneylandToday (Disneyland) and @DCAToday (CA Adventure) on Twitter and get information LIVE and ask questions about things going on at the park... and actually get answers? I did not. I am filing away that info for when we go!
We also got to hear from several wonderful mom business owners & inventors...
- Maria Bailey of Mom Talk Radio
- Mindee Doney (Keynote speaker) co-creator of Boogie Wipes and CEO of Juice Box Consulting
- Romy Taormina creator of PSI Bands
- Alma Moussa creator of Babee Covee
- Erin Kelly inventor of the Hulabye Baby Changer
We ended the day hearing from Michelle Stepney, the Disney Parks Blog Style Content editor and a part of the Disney Global Content Development Team.
Mindee (our keynote speaker) was inspiring to listen to. She encouraged us (and all moms) to do three things...
1. Embrace who you are/what you do... and "rock your talents"
2. Empower yourself and others... "learn to say no" and "ask for help specifically and honestly"
3. Expect our journey to be happily ever after... "There is no pause button, rewind or fast forward when it comes to the journey. Be grateful for where you are. Choose daily to embrace life..."
After the conference we mingled and I met more fun people. Here are a few of the bloggers/blogs that were new to me that you might enjoy checking out...
San Diego Deals and Steals (great if you live in SD)
Me & Jaime from Polkadots on Parade
(we discovered we have a mutual friend!)
Then I drove home in a bit of a downpour with my cute husband and kids... and a crying babe. The toddler was in heaven eating my Disney rice crispy treat and getting it all over herself. She now loves Disney too 🙂
It was kind of fun to take off my "mom" hat for the day and attend a conference and get out of my typical mom uniform too. I loved being around such inspiring women and feeling supported by a company as amazing as Disney.
What would you do if you had a day off from your "mom" or "dad" (or caregiver/teacher/grandparent/etc) hat?
What is a talent that you want to rock this year?
From time to time I will share about other events I attend in the San Francisco Bay Area. You can find them in the tab above titled Kid-Approved Fun- San Francisco Bay Area.
Disclosure: Disney Social Media Moms invited me to attend this celebration for free. All opinions are mine!
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I'm so excited for you that you got to go! It's so great to see you meeting with Chrissy and meet a few more, off to go check out their sites! I wish there was an event closer to me so I could have gone too! Hopefully next year I'll get to go to the one at Disney World, fingers crossed! Can't wait for your family to be able to go to Disney, I'm positive they will love it!
This looks like a wonderful event! What cool people you got to meet.