Prepping for BlogHer is, for me, like prepping for a wedding. You hear of what all of your guests are doing, packing, wearing. And yet for you it's like being in a bubble, even among throngs of people. You have to make sure you are getting things done. It's utterly anti-social, which is challenging for a social being.
And there are so many things to plan.
- Speaking notes--check
- Press meeting schedule--check
- Sponsor engagements--check
- Special events before, during, and after--check
- Underwear--seriously, I have forgotten before
- Booking info
For me, BlogHer is like a wedding because it's a coming-together of some of the most disparate groups. I recall at my own wedding seeing my California buddies chatting with my brother (who had never been out of the Midwest) and my business partners and thinking, "Where will I ever see THIS again?" BlogHer can feel very similar. Of course, you have your blog peeps, but there are the blog peeps I first met because I was a hard-core blogger and met them through reading them, and there were some I met later, as BlogHer grew and developed, and whom I got to know through the business. There are the employees of BlogHer, many of whom have embraced the community but have entered it in a different way. There's my husband, who agrees every year to this surreal experience of being around many women and asking us, "What do you need?" There's my mother, a long-time member of this community, and my twin sister, an absolute newbie, who will be there. There will be old friends from traditional media who have begun to embrace blogging, press, and of course sponsors--a group you can divide many ways, from small start-ups dipping a toe in the space to larger companies bringing throngs of people to work their booth and be exposed to the event. There will be women that I don't know but who will know me and introduce themselves, and women I've met but can't remember when I met them--what year, which conference? There will be women I'm close to now but don't recall exactly why; just over time it worked out that way. There are offline friends who are going for the first time, and offline heroes who, now online, will be speaking. There will be investors and partners and hotel staff and celebrities and ... breathe.
You can't plan for all that. Like a wedding, you just have to know your lines, try your best to take it all in, and, if possible, remember to eat and not accidentally tuck your skirt in your panties when you come out of the bathroom.
A few years ago I realized there is only so much you can plan. Sure, you have to know your obligations, but if you try to plan too much at BlogHer, you will be disappointed. You have to see what carries you.
One year, I vowed to go to sessions, and I ended up in discussions with women I met in the hallway. It was time well-spent. For me, it was a needed catch-up with the community.
It's also important to have your own experience. I love "losing" Elisa and Lisa for a day. We often wander in our own directions and then have totally different stories to share with each other from the event, from conversations within panels to late night karaoke.
Some "Favorites" I've developed since the first BlogHer in 2005:
Favorite Day of the event: Saturday. Friday is usually spent running around and making sure everything is all set. Saturday I usually get to sit in sessions and have an extra glass of wine that night.
Things I never plan: meals
Things that get planned the weekend before: What I'm wearing, my schedule
Things that get planned a few days before: What Elisa, Lisa and I are going to say in the opening session.
Though once it was the day before. Never again.
Biggest regret: I never get to do any of the hands-on sessions, and as a result I'm still at the blog skill level I was at in 2005.
Biggest anxiety: I forget to thank someone.
Thing I promise to do every year: Party more; stay up, and yet somehow sleep more.
Thing I forget to include in my schedule: Seeing people and catching up; spontaneous interviews.
Thing I've stopped doing for sanity's sake: Trying to troubleshoot sponsors' tech issues.
Trying to memorize sponsor announcements without my notes; hold business meetings onsite.
Things we always promise to do better next year: Not run out of tickets, be even greener.
Things I always promise to do better next year. Bring more comfortable shoes; not overbook myself.
Thing I've finally done this year that I should have done in the past: Scheduled a few days off immediately afterward.