Mom 2.0 Summit: The Bravos and Boos

This is my real post on Mom 2.0.

Caveat: Individual results may vary. Everybody comes to a conference with a different mindset, goals and expectations, and I think that colors what we each take away from the experience.

There were a TON of positives for me and some negatives too. Do I regret going? Absolutely not. Do I feel like it was a waste of money? Hell no. But that $15 glass of wine at the Ritz? Yeah, I’m bitter about that.

So here’s to the bravos and boos of Mom 2.0.

The Schedule and Logistics

Bravo… for having plenty of breaks scheduled, parties to which everyone was invited  and an easy registration process.

Boo…for packing the schedule so tight that there was no room for dinner on any night. I don’t count eating at 9 p.m. or having to skip a party to order  a proper dinner from room service! {Yes, I’m old}

Boo…for an absolutely frigid conference area and really spotty wi-fi.

The Programming

Bravo…for there being a really good array of topics to choose from. Most of the time I was torn because so many panels sounded great.

Bravo…for an outstanding closing keynote.

Bravo…for the emphasis on social good.

Bravo…for the GO sessions. I was initially bummed to not get session time, but it was a breath of fresh air and really met some of the most wonderful people on my tour.

Boo…to some of the panels having too many people. I’d rather see one or two people go in-depth on a topic than hear four or five speak in generalities.

Boo…to the round tables being cut short. There were about 18 round tables happening at one time and due to the compressed schedule, there were only two rotations. I had at least 4 I wanted to stop by.

The Food

Bravo…to the beignets, the Friday lunch and all of the sponsored snacks. They were great. A big thumbs up to the folks at Truvia as well, who sponsored a cocktail party with truly delicious desserts and yummy drinks.

Boo…to the lack of time for real meals and heavy emphasis on passed appetizers. {Do I sound like an AARP member yet?}

The Panelists

Bravo…to the panelists who answered questions thoughtfully and gave real, tangible tips and takeaways. And there were many.

Boo…to the ones who were  a little less focused on the audience, or let the audience sidetrack the discussion.

The Parties

Bravo…for the parties. I thought they were all fantastic and fun, and where I met a ton of people.

Boo…for the opening night cocktail party being way too short. And then suddenly, everyone disappeared, and my two friends and I (we collectively knew almost no one) were left alone.

The Sponsors

Bravo…to all the sponsors who really did take a genuine interest in me, my blog and in telling me about their product. This was more often the case than not.

Bravo…to the conference organizers for lining up what I felt was a fantastic, diverse and powerful group of companies. Best list I’ve seen.

Boo…to some of the sponsors being so tucked away in hidden rooms and upstairs that they didn’t get the attention they deserved.

The People

Bravo…to the more experienced bloggers and leaders who went out of their way to be nice to me, a little fish. They epitomized the art of paying it forward, one of my blogging mantras. So thank you to Carissa Rogers, Ciaran Blumenfeld, Wendi Aarons, Janice Croze, Rachael Herrscher, Jyl Johnson Pattee, Cat Lincoln, Holly Hamann, and Tiffany Romero. They were totally open and welcoming.

Bravo…to the other little fish who swam with me and managed to find their way. I made some great new connections.

Bravo…to the panel with Liz Gumbiner, Maggie Mason and Erin Loechner. I loved their positive approach to working with PR; that we as bloggers can choose to not spew venom about a bad pitch but instead, use our creativity to transform that bad pitch into one which is a winner…and showcases to PR firms what marketing forces we can be.

Boo…to the lack of humility I witnessed more times than I wish I had. It left a bitter taste in my mouth.  I’m not saying we  shouldn’t be proud of our accomplishments. But in the end? This is blogging and marketing, not the U.N.

Boo…to the constant thrashing of PR firms. I realize I don’t get 100 pitches per day. I haven’t walked in those shoes. And I realize there are more sucky pitches than good ones (vaginal dryness, anyone?).  Some of the joking is apropos and in good fun. Some? Was pretty venomous…with PR people in the room. I had to leave the session.

I think it was Cat Lincoln that said something in her panel about being gracious to the harangued 19 year-old tasked with doing blogger pitches for a PR firm. Someday, that 19 year-old may be a rising star with good accounts. Grace should be our hallmark, not the exception.

And a final bravo…to myself, for attending a conference where I knew very few people, putting myself out there, making some great new friends and having a much clearer direction for my blog. And for that, I’m grateful to the entire Mom 2.0 team for providing an environment to let those positive things happen!

Tagged as: blog conferences, Mom 2.0 Summit