BlogHer Surprises from a BlogHer Virgin

First, the pictures..

Now, I’m just going to get right to the surprises…

Everyone was so nice!
I was scared to death to go because, well, we’ve all heard the stories. I didn’t meet one person who was mean to me or even gave me the cold shoulder. There were many that I really wanted to meet, but I was nervous. Not because I consider them celebrities, but because I respect them. Every one of them took a moment to shake my hand, exchange cards and chat. Not everyone knew who I was, but they still took a moment to find out who I was.

My feet hurt a LOT!
I have blisters in places I didn’t know I could get blisters. You rarely get a moment to sit down (even in the sessions, but that’s another blog post) so be sure you have comfy shoes. I’m still soaking my feet and I can not put on my running shoes because it feels like I’m stepping on needles.

It’s not all about the swag!
Everyone wants to meet their fellow bloggers and network and see what they look like outside a 1/2 inch box. And yes, have fun! Who said you can’t network, learn and have fun at the same time?

I did learn a LOT!
I learned more from my fellow bloggers than I did from my sessions. Some of the sessions were awesome, but the discussions that came out of the sessions were more valuable to me.

You need to take a break!
Go outside, get some sun and feel the fresh air. My hotel was about .5 mile from the conference hotel, so I was forced outside several times a day. I chose to walk the .5 mile during the day, but at night, when I was alone, I took a cab. It was fantastic to walk through the Chicago streets and take in the atmosphere. If you can fit in a quick nap or a bath, do so!

You won’t have time to eat. Bring a few healthy snacks for the hotel room.
I spent so much time talking and listening at all the parties and I rarely had time to eat. I was so worried about overeating, but it was really the opposite. I had to remind myself to eat.

It’s not all about the drinking!
Yes, we had drinks and I’m sure there were some who drank too much, but the parties were more about connecting and enjoying ourselves.

We are all more alike than we probably thought (or at least I thought).
We all struggle with the work/life balance and insecurities. We come from all parts of the world, but we’re not so different.

I had a really good time and I learned a lot and made some really good connections. It was definitely worth the trip and I already signed up for BlogHer 2010 in New York City. More BlogHer posts to come.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Announcing BlogHer ’10 and BlogHer Business ’10 (blogher.com)
• Blogher09 ~ update #1 (banteringblonde.com)
• BlogHer ’09 Recap: Liked It (momblognetwork.com)