Over the years I've learned the importance of attending blogger events and conferences. You will make connections that will last a lifetime and partnerships that could change your future. Today I'm sharing the best conferences to attend and why they are so important for your business!

There are hundreds of blogger conferences out there. Some are small, some are massive. Some are focused on a specific niche, such as Mom 2.0 geared towards moms or Haven which is geared towards home decor / DIY bloggers. My first blogger conference was the Texas Style Council Conference in 2012 when I was pregnant with Turner. I had recently moved to Austin and was looking to make friends and learn more about blogging. At this point I had only been blogging a year.  The conference was educational, inspiring, fun and many of the women I met I still talk to today!

If you are new to an area, trying to network or simply want to learn and grow your skillset you should 100% attend a conference. The last conference I went to I could have skipped every session and still benefited because of the connections I made and brands I met. There are dozens of opportunities to get in front of major brands and PR companies, so pay attention to who the sponsors are of a conference when you are signing up. Are there brands you want to work with? Do they fit your blog's style and topics you cover? Once you've bought your ticket most conferences have a private Facebook group you can join, which is a great place to find a roommate if you're traveling out of state.

Once you're at the conference this is not the time to be shy. As an extrovert, this does come easy for me but PUSH yourself to meet people. Walk right up and introduce yourself not only to brands but bloggers as well.


Haven Conference - 3 day DIY / Decorating Professional blogger conference in Atlanta, Georgia. There is no other conference out there like this for this specific niche, so if you like a good project this conference is for you! 2019 sponsors include Home Depot, Behr Paint, Rust-Oleum, Hoover and more.

Altitude Summit - The premiere conference for creative entrepreneurs and stylish social media influencers. Here you'll find classes and information for a broad range of skill levels. Alt Summit is well established and over a week long with informational sessions and lots of networking and parties!   It's held every year in Palm Springs, California and tickets for 2020 go on sale this July!

Mom 2.0 - An open conversation between Moms, Marketers and Media. Mom 2.0 is a gathering of influencers and leaders who create content online and on-air in parenting, entertainment, food, politics, business, marketing, technology, social change, travel and design. Every year the location changes, and I was lucky enough to speak at this year's conference in Austin. 2020's conference will be held in LA. Get your ticket here!

Megaphone Summit - Conference hosted by Soapbox Influence for bloggers, vloggers, podcasters, and social media rockstars.  This regional event held in Bentonville, Arkansas is entering it's 9th year and gathers influencers from every niche. This is a fairly small conference but it is growing, and I would love to attend!

Create & Cultivate - C & C is an online platform and offline conference for women looking to create and cultivate the career of their dreams. They host conferences all over the U.S. with different focuses such as self-care and style. Their conferences are usually only 1 day and don't include breakout sessions. They are more panel focused and bring in big names in to speak which makes the line very long to get in. I prefer 2-3 day conferences vs. a one day event, but it's fun to go with a girlfriend.
SXSW - South by Southwest is an annual conglomerate of film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences that take place in mid-March in Austin. It began in 1987 and has grown in both scope and size every year. Conference passes to SXSW are VERY expensive (in the thousands), but that doesn't mean you can't be a part of this great event. There are tons of free events during this two week conference, so basically just show up and there will be something for you to go to. Brands are everywhere so it's great time to network. Check out Eventbrite for events you might be interested, some free and some charge a small fee. I went to a lot of blogging and creative events during this time. TIP: If you are a local Austin blogger, make sure to start using hyperlocal hashtags a few weeks prior to SXSW as brands will be looking for bloggers to attend their events as well as promote their pop-ups.

BlogHer - BlogHer is a media company that hosts large blogger conferences around specific niches including food, health and general content creators. They bring BIG names in as their speakers, which honestly I'm not a huge fan of. I would prefer smaller speakers that have a very specific skill set I can learn from vs. an inspirational speech. I've never attended one, but if it's in the same city where you live I would definitely go! You never know who you will meet.

Thrive -  An online platform and offline conference for bloggers and social media influencers. This conference is great for newbies as well as experienced bloggers who are looking for inspiration. Thrive's mission is to help educate, inspire, and motivate bloggers to find their success. I attended my first Thrive conference three years ago (see my YouTube video here) in Houston and met so many wonderful women who I'm still friends with. The past two years the conference took place in Austin, so we'll see where 2020 takes them!

GirlBoss Rally - An empowering two day conference for women taking their careers, side hustles, and small businesses seriously. It includes skill building workshops, networking opportunities and inspiring conversation. Speakers include powerful and inspirational founders, leaders and fire-starters! General admission tickets start at $300, and this year's conference takes place in LA.

Social Media Week - One of the world's premier conferences for social media. The mission is to give professionals at the intersection of media, marketing and technology the insights, ideas and opportunities they need to advance themselves and their organizations in a globally connected world. I think it's important to not only attend blogger conferences but also events and conferences that focus on a specific skill. As a blogger, social media is a HUGE part of my business so attending a social media focused conference makes sense. Honestly, I feel a lot of blogger focused conferences don't go in to as much detail as we need sometimes. This conference will dive deep in to the technology and future of social and media in general. They host conferences all over the world! Tickets range from $600 - $1,200.

Last one which actually makes 11 is Current Conference founded by my friends Cristina Facunado and Sara Hussey. The sweetest sisters who are successful business owners and mothers. Their first conference sold it in only a few days! Current is a one-day event in Austin, TX for mothers, entrepreneurs, small business owners, and creative side-hustlers.

*Also if you are a fashion blogger and get invited to attend the INVITE ONLY Reward Style conference held in Dallas every year...GO! It does stink that you have to pay for your conference ticket even though you are one of their top earners, but it's still worth your time just for the networking alone.



I've always wanted to host a conference but I scaled it back and hosted the ATX Blogger Mixer (a much smaller event with a speaker) for 4 years. Honestly, I think it would be fun to host a mom bloggers retreat which would be more focused on relaxation, pampering, connection, and a little bit of learning.

I know conferences can be an investment, but believe me it will be worth your money! You've got to spend money, to make money honey : ). Do your research to find which conference will be worth the money for you and your blog. I would love to attend Alt Summit but I haven't bit the bullet on that one...probably should take my own advice.