CONNECTHER MEDIA CONFERENCE 2016
I have a feeling that most of you loyal INAM readers think that I already know everything there is to know about running an on-line magazine, but, being an intelligent person, I’m always happy to hear what others have to say. So, with “quest for knowledge” in mind, I got up super-early recently (on the last day of the Olympics, no less!,) and hightailed it over to the Manhattan Beach Country Club for the ConnectHER Media Conference.
Host Laura Filipowicz, welcoming the crowd.
It’s the brainchild of my little pal, Laura Filipowicz, one of the most popular bloggers in town. This is the second time I’ve attended this annual event, and, as fabulous as it was two years ago, it was even better now. Laura is the opposite of me—she’s always happy to change with the times. So, she adjusted this all-day conference to be more instructional for bloggers than for businesses, which is how it used to be. It was still beneficial for both, of course, because all businesses nowadays need websites, and also need to know how to use social media, etc. But the emphasis appeared to be on the world of blogging. There’s so much to learn in that arena! It’s actually sort-of mind-boggling. And this conference was the place to get clued-in on it all!
As soon as I entered and received my name-tag, I noticed right away that this conference was well thought-out. Since it was all females (hence ConnectHer,) they knew enough to put the tags on laniards instead of stickers, so we didn’t have to compromise our clothing. And I felt so Brazilian (I guess I still had Rio on my mind) by having our first names in big letters, above the teensy print of our last names. That made it easier to connect with each other.
Photo by Karen Salkin.
The ballroom of the club was beautifully decked-out in pink and white balloons and roses, with Laura (and her little gymnast daughter, Maddie,) being attired to match the décor. It was really a beautiful visual. And each table setting included a bottle of water, the detailed schedule for the day, big notepads, and my favorite item—a set of colored markers, which, of course, made my mouth water!
A lovely table centerpiece. Photo by Karen Salkin.
[One important note: I was impressed that most of these women were not wearing offensive perfume! As a matter of fact, out of all the people I interacted with that day, only one had on a fragrance that made me sick. That is really commendable.]
I was happy to see that one of the speakers on the opening panel was Chudney Ross. I’ve known her for several years, since we guested together on a radio show back in the day, talking about how to be—get ready for it—club chicks! She’s come a long way since then, with her life now as a mother and bookstore owner. (While yours truly has stayed totally the same. Hmm.) Chudney said she’s glad to be “bringing literacy into the lives of families,” which, as a former teacher myself, (and also a Screen Actors Guild volunteer reader,) I really appreciate.
The lunch buffet. Photo by Karen Salkin.
After the opening panel, we split into groups for “round-table sessions.” There with three of those throughout the day. We had a choice of about fifteen topics each session, featuring everything from how to make the most of social media to the legalities of blogging (which I didn’t even know there were!)
Then came my favorite part of the day, (of course)—lunch! Not only was it absolutely delicious, but it was comprised of all foods that I can eat! There was a very creative salad of arugula, peas, and asparagus with thyme dressing; striped sea bass; the most flavorful roasted chicken ever; and a healthful vegetable mix of corn, mushrooms, zucchini, and potatoes. I seriously can’t tell you how much heaven I was in! Dessert was cookies and brownies, but since those are out of my life these days, I was thrilled to see a beautiful array of colorful fresh fruit.
Part of the swag room. Photo by Karen Salkin.
Then we moved on to the “swag room.” We received all kinds of treats, from cookies to coconut oil to baby sunscreen to a pail and shovel for the beach!
After all that excitement, I was more than ready for a nap, but I joined the rest of the assemblage in continuing on to two more educational round-tables during the afternoon. Some of these speakers were soooo knowledgeable, and I really appreciated that they were willing to share their information.
We all left smarter, full, exhausted, and with bags of goodies, which are all signs of an excellent, satisfying conference.
For information on next year’s rendition, (which will be in Vegas!,) please check-out their website, here: www.connectherconference.com.
