BlogHer 2010: The Recap

Hello, Hello fans and followers! So sorry I have been remiss about posting, but I have been caught up in the BlogHer frenzy and am finally feeling alert and present again (sorta). So what’s all this hype and talk about BlogHer you ask? What is BlogHer all about anyways? Well, lucky you, I am going to give you the down low on this annual event.

BlogHer is gathering of over 2000 female bloggers (with a few token males) and brands that covet them. They call it a conference, but in my opinion it is more of a networking, socializing schmoozing event rather than a sit down and learn something conference. In fact, most of the bloggers that I talked to don’t attend any of the sessions at BlogHer because they are not content rich enough, plus there are so many more enticing offers rather than sitting in a chair listening to a panel. I actually attended one session at BlogHer and IMO it was very weak on content, disorganized and the worst part was the panel members never really answered the questions asked–It was a total waste of time!

Now for the good stuff! Well what is totally amazing and enticing about BlogHer is that it is a fantastic way to meet and bond with your social media friends IRL and meet the icons in the blogging world. The networking was amazing and I made so many fab connections with inspiring, successful, genuine bloggers – that alone was worth it. Then add to that feeling like a celeb because I was invited to so many fabu parties and SWAG gifting suites, that it would make your head spin. The amount ot SWAG and the perseverance of brands to connect with bloggers was both encouraging and overwhelming at the same time. I never imagined what it would be like and although it was draining and exhausting, I loved it and will never forget my first time.

So here are some of the highlights:    

 The Expo Halls 

Two large conference halls were filled with booths representing a variety of lifestyle and female friendly brands all there hoping to make connections with a wide variety of bloggers and get them to buzz about their brand. This reminded me of the more typical lifestyle, beauty and business conferences that I have attended in the past, however it seemed kicked up a notch. Tons of giveaways, interactive experiences and the ability to schmooze with some key executives or PR reps for that brand. The highlights from the Expo floor were: demoing Wii’s Just Dance 2 game, getting a pair of Assests (Spanx new mass brand) Super Control Unbelievable Underwear, Visiting the JVC booth and shooting this fun video, smelling Play-Doh perfume, meeting the Pop-n-Fresh Dough Guy and the Jimmy Dean Sun and seeing Padma Lakshmi from Top Chef.

 Hershey’s S’mores Suite   

Hershey’s by far had the best BlogHer suite decked out to make you feel like you were camping in the woods, roasting marshmallows on mini grills and making yummy smores. So cute and fun! Oh and I got to meet super cutie Adam from season 4 of the next Food Network Star who has a great new show focused on all things sweet called Kid in a Candy Store.

Parties & Events Following is a list of every party or event I had the pleasure of attending during my 3 days at BlogHer and as you can see it was quite alot! And there were even about 4-6 more events that I was invited to but never had a chance to make it to. This is enough parties to last a girl for a year let alone three days, but being the diligent lifestyle maven that I am, I went, I dazzled, I networked and I had a blast (sleep is what I lacked!)  

“Seeds of Inspiration” Reception This was a lovely classy intimate reception at Aquavit Restaurant hosted by this green better for you beauty product brand. It was founded by a husband and wife duo who are ex-J&J employees and their mission is to bring better for you products to the masses. I left with a bag filled with all of their products to try and felt I was off to a good start.

Bloggers’ Night Out! @ Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia We were invited to Martha’s Stewart’s headquarters to meet the key staff members in each department (Martha was there for about 10 minutes but I missed her due to the long line to get in), drink some yummy cocktails and eat tasty morsels, try our hand at some crafts, enter raffles for some fab prizes and leave with a goodie bag of Martha products. I loved the Pipe Cleaner lady who made the most fab flower rings out of pipe cleaners and the mini pink whoopie pies were divine.

Nu Skin/CraziBeautiful “I Heart New York” Social This was an invite only suite where we got to get up close and personal with some coveted beauty brands (my favorite passion). I was excited  to learn all about the Age Loc and Galvanic system by Nu Skin and they are sending a system for me to try so stay tuned for that review. And then Luminess Air allowed us to try their new compact airbrush make-up kit and generously sent us each home with one. I schmoozed with the fun and fab hosts of the party who I adored, took in the wonderful city view from their patio and appreciated the easier cadence of this more quaint event- and they gave me a fab goodie bag filled with lots of beauty booty and a 1 day NYC sight seeing pass 😉  

Schick Kiss & Tell 

This was the perfect end of the night party with yummy girly cocktails and a live performance by the adorable Gavin De Graw and the hot Karina Smirnoff from Dancing With The Stars was there too. Such fun!   

Getting Gorgeous Event This was another of my fav BlogHer events because it was all about beauty and fashion. Remington was there showing us their new pearlized heat tools, Lia Sophia showed their latest jewelry collection and let us pick a fab piece, Sketchers Shape-Ups provided try-on’s, PowerMat educated us on the latest in Wireless device charging and gave us their whole system (my hubby was fond of this SWAG), and my fav part of the event was getting to try on the amazing Miraclebody Jeans by Miraclesuit (they make those great sveltifying bathing suits) and with the help of celebrity stylist Robert Verdi, I found my perfect fit and style and got to take them home. This event was totally up my alley!

Sweets in the City- Suite Event Yet another SWAG suite hosted by The Big Toy Book and Sharpie where we had a glass of wine and delicious cupcakes and left with some more fun goodies.   

Swanky After Hours BlogHer 2010  

One of my fav blogging gal pals Andrea of Savvy Sassy Moms hosted this classy swankified event at the Penthouse of the London Hotel. The event was sponsored by Ciao Bella Gelato and Zulily and it was by far the best party I attended at BlogHer. It was an amazing space, not too crowded had amazing girly drinks sponsored by Sky Vodka and the deelish Ciao Bella Gelato (I was a fan of Blackberry Cabernet mixed with Chocolate). And once most ot the party cleared out, a handful of us blogging babes climbed in the tub to toast the fabulous night (fully clothed of course :-))   

e.l.f & XBox Glamour & Gaming Event We were invited to the new e.l.f headquarters to see their latest make-up collections, get makeovers, test XBox’s new Kinect system, have a cocktail and some tasty appts and bond with other like minded women. We left with a bag of e.l.f goodies and even a pair of sunglasses.  

Tavern Direct UnWind Her Party Hosted by Romy Raves  

I wanted to host an intimate gathering of fab bloggers to unwind at the end of BlogHer, have a good meal, drink some divine wine and connect to a worthy cause. It was a perfect evening of honest sharing, learning about TavernDirect’s mission to help missing & exploited children, and of course I gave out some awesome goodies from some of my fav companies like Envirosax, Red Handed Bags, Kenneth J Lane Jewerly, Hard Candy, It Cosmetics, MOR Cosmetics, Rahua Beauty and Barista Bath and Body.

CheeseburgHer Another after hours stop hosted by McDonald’s with all the cheeseburgers you could eat and a hat decorating contest.    

I Left My Buns in New York City Sponsored by Flatout Bread I actually never made this fab AM walk through Central Park, but was delighted that when I returned home the company sent me a box full of their flatbread products and healthy recipes too–I am loving their peanut butter, jam and fresh strawberry and banana wrap-yummilicious! And they were kind enough to send a gift card so I could stock up on more healthy food post BlogHer.

Taste of Loews Brunch My last morning in NYC for BlogHer was spent at this elegant foodie brunch hosted by Loews. They shared with us their programs catering to upscale family travel and treated us to an amazing brunch of gourmet sushi, eggs and a cheese bar. I enjoyed every morsel! And they win the prize for the most meaningful giveaway because they gave us each a DonorsChoose.org $20 giftcard to make a donation to the charity of our choice, love that!

A Discussion on Healthy Eating hosted by SOYJOY I also made a quick stop at this event and caught the tale end of the presentation where leading health experts shared their tips for healthy living at the top of the Le Parker Meridian Hotel (amazing views). I loved hearing celeb train Harley Pasternack tell us that his celeb clients are totally human and do not workout more than 1 hour everyday, nice to know. We left with books from each of the experts and armed with some tips to get us back on track.  

Hope you enjoyed my blow-by-blow recap of BlogHer, kinda crazy I know! Gotta go now cause I am off to an advanced screening and event for Eat Pray Love  – such is the life of a lifestyle maven 😉