You know that I LOVE the SNAP Blog conference – if you’re a creative blogger, I highly recommend it as a must-attend. I haven’t missed a year yet. The classes are awesome, and the interaction that you have among all the other creative people is irreplaceable. I’ve already pre-purchased my ticket for 2016!
I wanted to cover a few areas of the conference that you as the reader will want to know about – let’s dive right in!
TRANSPORTATION: first up, transportation! It was SO NICE to have a rental car this year and I will be doing that again. I was able to try out a Mitsubishi Outlander through the DriveSTI program – such a fun way to get to know a vehicle. It was PERFECT for transportation at a blogger conference. First up, the hatch area provided a ton of room – and you know, women tend to travel with large baggage. It was no problem in the Outlander! I think it could hold even more than a minivan.
I was able to drive myself to and from the airport. Also, there were extra activities that I was attending in conjunction with the conference, like a Meet and Greet at the new Riley Blake facility. I was excited to attend but didn’t realize it was quite aways away from my hotel – luckily I had the Outlander and it made traveling to it super fun.
The other thing I LOVED about the Outlander was that it wasn’t huge to drive around, but it still held a TON of people – you can pile in 7, and we did! It gave me the freedom to take a big group of ladies out to eat around town, instead of being confined to our hotel. They all loved the vehicle (it even had push-button start – fancy!). I had never been in an Outlander before, and it’s definitely on my short-list of go-to vehicles. If you haven’t had a chance to check one out, you should!
FIELD TRIPS: SNAP offered field trips again this year – they’re extra, off-site classes in addition to conference classes. I was super excited to learn to make macroons, and it was one of the highlights of the conference for me. I just really loved trying something new.
SPONSORS: I LOVE the chance to connect with sponsors at the conference – I even feel like sometimes it’s more important than the classes and have been known to skip a class in order to visit sponsor booths. I worked with Elmer’s again this year, helping make and set up their booth, promoting their amazing products (my favorite might be the Painters paint pens – love them!!), and helping other bloggers to get to know their brand.
KEYNOTES: with classes there are several offered each hour, so you can pick and choose what best fits your needs and interests. With a Keynote, there’s only that class at that time. So some of the topics/speakers weren’t calling to me, but let me tell you – go anyways! They turned out to be some of my favorite classes! The keynotes were amazing.
CREATIVE CLASSES: SNAP offers hands-on creative classes along with the other classes – I know the other classes are super valuable, but every once in a while you need to take a brain break and pick a creative class. I really loved the sewing room for that reason!
PARTIES: there are several parties throughout the course of the conference – go to them, even if you’re not a party person. It’s a super fun chance to unwind and talk to everyone in a less-structured setting. (sometimes roomies dress alike without even planning ahead – oops!). The parties are amazing and every detail is covered – it’s something you won’t want to miss!
MAKE CONNECTIONS: finding downtime is a big deal at conferences – where you can go out with like-minded people, talk blogging and creating, and really connect with others. It’s what the conferences are all about!
And remember, it’s great to have a vehicle for just that! (Too bad it was pouring and dark for the picture!)
And a fun sidenote, I won a giftcard at the closing of the conference – I was so excited that I ran down the aisle screaming and made this ridiculous face….
And if you’re interested in learning more about the conference, here are my thoughts from year’s previous:
SNAP 2014 (why it’s like girls camp and why I love it)
SNAP 2012 Recap (I actually went all out and did a recap of each class that first year – but here’s the master list)