My trip to NY last week was a total whirlwind!  Not only did I have a blast returning to my hometown, but I also had the opportunity to attend and enjoy my first Blogger Bash event! Best of all, I got to serve as an ambassador for the conference and meet several other really cool bloggers I hope to keep in touch with over the next few months! 

I’m gonna give you guys the full recap in a second, along with a few additional recaps in the days to come.  I’ll start by saying this:

Bloggers: If you’ve never attended, you MUST make plans to attend next year.  Opportunities and connections were endless and it is definitely the place to be to help catapult your business to the next level!

For my non-blogger friends, I can tell you that I’ve connected with a ton of brands and products that I can’t wait to share with you all! I’m talking about some really cool toys, games, electronics, foods, stuff for home, and much more! Stay tuned for my product guides coming up in the next few months…

Now to my recap of Blogger Bash 2016…

To start, I put together a little video of my experience:

BLOGGER BASH AGENDA – Day 1

Care Bears Brunch

We kicked off Blogger Bash 2016 with a Care Bears Brunch. Remember how much we loved those furry friends growing up? The brunch brought those feelings all back. Besides the amazing meal and the fact that we all swooned over getting a picture with Funshine Bear, we learned a little bit about the ShareyourCare initiative and the upcoming Share Your Care Day, September 9th. More on that soon!

Speed Pitching

If you were among the lucky ones, you were personally selected by certain brands to attend 1 on 1 pitching sessions with brands relevant to your niche, including home & garden, food & lifestyle, health & fitness, and home life and family.

Blogging Concentrated

While connecting with brands is super important at a blog conference, so are the sessions where you actually learn something to take your business and brand to the next level. The Blogging Concentrated session, led by Dan and Rachel, was just that. Regardless of your current level of expertise, there was lots to be learned and Dan and Rachel were also more than willing to take on specific topic requests.

The Ride

The Ride took place during the Blogging Concentrated session, so some folks had to leave early. I didn’t attend the Ride this time only because I was so caught up in Blogging Concentrated and I figured that there wouldn’t be much to see for a native New Yorker. However, from the reviews I’ve gotten from my peers, I’d definitely want to attend this next year!

Sweet Suite 2016

OMG! What an amazing night Sweet Suite was! Imagine hundreds of toy brands and representatives aboard a 3 story yacht! Sure it sounds like a dream come true for any kid, but I too loved seeing all of the latest toys on the market. I’ll be working with a lot of these brands to share these with you, but I can tell you 2 things parents will love: 1. You’ll find more and more toys entering the market with a strong emphasis on STEM learning and other educational elements. 2. You’ll also find a lot of toys we knew and loved as kids. Like, remember that game Simon where you follow the lights, it’s baaaack!

Besides being carried away with the awesome toy adventures, we also got to enjoy some delicious cuisine (with different offerings on each floor) and sip on cocktails if you were up for it.

I can also attribute Sweet Suite for making me a total rockstar in the eyes of my kids. I ran into a couple of their favorite celebrities like Peppa Pig and Mim-Mim and most of all, I found their absolute favorite YouTube stars from the Niah and Ellie Show. Now I’m officially the coolest mom in the world! lol

A special shout out to The Toy Insider for hosting an amazing event! Also, thank you to all of the sponsors for this event, notably the Title Sponsors, Jakks Pacific, Skylanders, and V-Tech.

BLOGGER BASH AGENDA – Day 2

Kate and Mim-Mim Breakfast

Did you know the popular show Kate and Mim-Mim was based on an actual little girl? We learned that as we got to hear from the actual creators of Kate and Mim-Mim during a special brunch that started off day 2.  Plus, we got a sneak peak at the upcoming special episode, “Kate in Oz” fans are sure to love.

Babypalooza presented by Maletzky Media

Babypalooza was actually a lot of fun for me and no, I’m not expecting baby # 3.  I got to see some of the latest in baby care brands and products.  For example, did you know that Fisher Price makes a dishwasher safe high chair?  Where was that when my kids were little?  On the plus side, thanks to Boudreaux’s Butt Paste, I was reminded of how fast I can change a baby’s diaper! I think it was around 9 seconds, but who’s counting?

New Product Events Expo

The new product events expo was the non-toy equivalent to Sweet Suite. Well, unless you count the Adam and Eve booth…although those aren’t the toys you offer your little ones.  🙂  Actually, there were a few more toy brands there, but also a lot of brands representing other categories.  Here are just a few of those highlights…

• Homedics showed off their aromatherapy products, diffusers, and essential oils
• Texas Instruments announced their partnership with Baltimore Ravens’ player AND published Mathematician John Urschel
• I finally got myself a fancy iphone case from Speck
• Speaking of specks, I showed off mine with some of the coolest shades from Soleurs
• I learned about the health benefits of eating crickets (yes, you read that right)
• Got a mid-day pick me up from Eight O’clock Coffee and sweet tooth fix from Sprinkles Cupcakes
• Thought about installing a granite top fire pit table in my backyard from FireEntertainment and a high efficiency toilet from Niagara Conservation…or even an LED remote controlled one from Kohler!
• And many, many more!

Peanuts Keynote Lunch featuring Ginger Zee

Good Morning America’s Ginger Zee joined the pint-sized cast from Peanuts for a fun q&a session and lunch. These were just the sweetest and smartest little kids ever and they’re truly bringing all of our favorite Peanuts characters to life!

Ginger Zee was also an amazing inspiration as she shared her experiences as a working mother and wife.  She shared a video of how she announced her pregnancy to her husband and the room teared up!

A few words with Snooki and JWoww

I’ll have to admit, I wasn’t the biggest Jersey Shore fan back in the day and don’t really keep up with these two, but it was pretty interesting hearing their perspectives on motherhood and being in the spotlight.

Shop Ireland

Shop Ireland was a new addition to Blogger Bash this year that featured 9 Irish companies showcasing their products. These included the free-form model building system by Arkit, Solvar Irish Jewelry, Lottie Dolls, and more!

Closing Party

We had an amazing time meeting and interacting with other bloggers and businesses. Then it was time to party! It rained for at least an hour before the closing party was scheduled to start, where we would actually get to set sail on the rooftop of The Majesty.  Then, literally minutes before start time, the rain stopped, the sun came out, and we got to celebrate a successful few days of work and play at Blogger Bash!  

If you get a chance to attend next year, you can certainly expect even more great brands, connections, and fun!   There’s so much more to share about Blogger Bash 2016 and it will all be rolling out in the upcoming weeks, so keep checking!  If you have any specific questions about the conference and what to expect for next year, please contact me!

Did you attend Blogger Bash 2016? Please feel free to share your recap posts in the linky below and/or share your thoughts in the comments section!

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