We are about to embark on the inaugural Influence Conference with our inaugural group of women. Here is my (Hayley’s) list of the ways to get the most out of the conference/make the conference work for YOU.
1. If you want people to be able to find you easily, let them know how to recognize you! At Blissdom last year, my roommates and I took pictures of each other each morning…the purpose being to Instagram our outfits. I wanted people to be able to recognize what I was wearing THAT DAY and be able to say hi. Let’s be honest, we don’t always look like our little 100px by 100px avatar.
2. Know why you’re coming. Are you coming to soak up amazing wisdom from Emily Freeman? Make sure you’re really well rested and there early for her session. Are you wanting to connect with John Saddington outside of his talk? Maybe tweet him during the conference and see if you could say “Hi” in real life. Do you want to walk away with a few new business partnerships? Make sure to check out our sponsors and maybe even the women selling at the Market. Know why YOU are coming and plan your actions strategically.
3. Know that you may feel tender. I’ve been to several blog conferences and know that some women can get overwhelmed, both by the people and the amount of information. Plan for this. Think of how you reassure yourself and regroup. It’s more than okay to feel like this–and it helps to know your plan before you do. Our community leaders are more than wanting to help you walk through the weekend if you need someone to talk with.
4. PLEASE KNOW that there is NO ONE at the conference to be intimidated by. The other day when I wasn’t feeling “Jesus-y” enough, Jessi told me that “Jesus in you is at Jesus-y as it gets”…as in, I can’t add or take away from His great grace. And, in planning the conference, Jessi, Casey, Moriah and I have all had moments where we doubted ourselves professionally. Know that there will always be someone bigger and smaller than you…and most likely the girl you perceive behind the blog is a little different and a little more vulnerable in real life.
5. Talk to your new friends about next year. We want you to be with us as we grow. We’re going to be selling 20 “First Supporter” tickets AT the conference for a CRAZY low price–to bless women who are ready to get on board again for next year. Because we want to see new faces next year, too, we’re going to offer 10 online “First Supporter” tickets on the Monday after the conference for those of you who couldn’t make this year happen. We’ll announce the prices and dates then!
Head over to Naptime Diaries to hear Jessi’s top 5 list and Moriah Makes for hers. We are so excited to see you in just a few days!
Thank you so much for these great tips!!! There’s so much excitement building up to this week, I feel like my heart is going to explode before I get there!! :) Excited to hug YOU and be incredibly blessed by this weekend!
Thank you to all three of you for your awesome tips and ideas. I can’t wait to get there and meet you!
I can’t make it this year but I’ll be praying that His grace will be made known hugely!
Awesome words, thanks for speaking them. I know I’m feeling like I am not worthy enough to be attending this conference….points 3 and 4 speak to just that for me.
I love the idea of pictures to be able to recognize each other. Thanks for the tips. I’m getting more excited by the minute!
Love the idea of photos of outfits! Soooo excited for this!
Thank you for these suggestions! Question though: I don’t think anyone follows me on Instagram… what hashtag would help us find each other? (Obviously my “influence” is not on instagram or twitter!)
Awesome tips to log away for future reference. I can’t join y’all this weekend, but I’m very excited for everyone attending and I can’t wait to hear how God shows up and empowers His daughters. I’ll be checking Twitter often! :)
xoxo J
I think these are great tips! Thank you so much for sharing!
Great tips!! Thank you so much for this all you’ve done so far. Can’t wait to meet you… 3, 2, 1 here we come!
i have to be up at 5am for my flight thursday morning. how will i a) get up early b) fall asleep before then?
thanks for these tips. i really need to nail down the WHY of why i’m going…i struggle a bit with this because i want to make my blog my business and a source of income, but i hear everyone say “you shouldn’t blog because you want to make money.” it’s so of course not the only reason why i blog and want to blog, but i see other women successful in their blogs both spiritually AND monetarilly, and i would like the same. :-)
I love these tips! Love what Jessi said: “Jesus in you is as Jesus-y as it gets.” So true!
lovely tips — instagramming outfits for sure – genius!!!
i even thought about pre-posting my wardrobe — i am 5’10″ and several friends meeting me for the first time thought i was about 5′.. so, hoping i don’t shock anyone with how long my limbs are! HAHAHA!
looking forward to meeting you!!