BlogHer '11 Recap

As usual, I marvel at how far BlogHer and the BlogHer conferences have come. From those two folding tables that hosted registration in 2006 to this year's takeover of the San Diego Convention Center--WOW.

The view from my hotel room

The San Diego Convention Center. It was a geeky thrill to wander the same halls as Comic-Con.

Venue

I loved the ease of the travel. The San Diego Convention Center is an effortless 10 minute drive from the airport. The conference hotel was next door to the convention center and it was an easy walk to the bay, a children's museum and 2 shopping centers.

That's right, even the hotel room keys were "BlogHerized."

All events in the hotel were official BlogHer parties and this year, you didn't need to RSVP. You just showed your badge and you were good. Excellent change.


Swag

It's funny to think that our swag bags back then had a bottle of vitamin-type water and a handful of other items. Over the years, it progressed to really nice but bulky giveaways. Now, sponsors are even savvier and give out excellent coupons and promise to send gear directly to your house.

I had a chance to talk to Elisa's husband, who is a SW developer. He expressed amazement at the swag bags at BlogHer: the toy truck, the movie, the electric netipot. He told me "the conferences I go to, there is usually a bag with a few flyers inside."

Giant Twizzler sculptures staffed all day by people handing out Twizzlers. Awesome.

Booths/ Vendors

Most of the vendors were very prepared and eager to make connections. My favorites:

- Pfizer had Advil and chapstick on hand. What's not to love? I also took home a children's Advil cold medicine which was smart. If it works well, I'll probably switch.

- Lindt was handing out full sized chocolate bars--I finally got to try the chili pepper chocolate. Nice.

- Skinny Cow was handing out pieces from their new candy line. The booth folks were very nice and made a strong impression on me

- Paper Culture, a personalized stationery company, also made a strong impression on me. Their CEO, Christopher Wu, worked the entire conference. Well done. Separate post on that coming!

- 3M hosted a lovely private party at Roy's the night before the party. It was very relaxed and I loved the atmosphere. The booth in the expo hall was also really nice. I confirmed that post-it notes can be recycled as mixed paper despite the adhesive.

- Egglands Best deserves a callout just for the adorable plush egg I received. I had a bit of a perplexing conversation with the rep about free range vs. cage-free but kudos for the passion

- Pepsico: the samples were great. I got to try the new Gatorade Fit series drinks (that were hocked on SYTYCD) and they were pretty decent. Less calories than the regular Gatorade.

I remember at 2008 BlogHer when Shutter Sisters rented a booth to get the word out and it was a few posters and giveaways. They progressed to a suite the next year in Chicago with gadget demos and beautifully packaged giveaways. It was a great way to get buzz for a smaller organization. I'm not sure what kinds of costs are involved now to purchase booths, etc. I'm guessing it takes much more serious funds. Are there "scholarships" to help small companies or non-profits?

Private parties abounded. In years past, there would be a roundup post of all the private parties so you could try to get invited to them. I didn't see anything like that this year. I'm guessing there were just so many of them that it was impossible.

BlogHer sculpture carved from Ivory Soap

Sessions

2006: I was squeezed into session that was moderated by Maggie Mason with Pim Techamuanvivit (Chez Pim), Gayla Trail (You Grow Girl), Marnie MacLean (Marnie Talks) and Andrea Scher (Superhero Journal). It was remarkable. People were sitting on the floor and the engagement and attention was very keen and single-threaded.

2011: Panelists were on a low stage and there was tons of space to sit. Far more comfortable, but I admit there was some intimacy lost. I also felt audience attention was more divided. Of course, twitter was not around in 2006, which contributed to the ability to have a single conversation.

I loved the Media Literacy panel which featured tools for dissecting media. I think a class like this should be in every high school. "Malcolm Gladwell is Missing The Point: Revolutions are happening on-line" was fascinating. Panelists talked about techniques used in the civil rights movement and then about how they enabled their own change. Great stuff.

I had a wonderful time and can't wait for NYC next year!