It’s hard to recap a conference like BlogHer especially when you spent three days meeting new people, listening to panels, being inspired by speakers and learning new information. I was impressed and inspired by Janet Mock, Serena Williams and Amy Ziering.
Here are some of my random thoughts from #BlogHer17.
- Ana Navarro is hilarious! CNN is being ridiculous if they don’t offer her a show of her own.
- Serena Williams has a soft voice, but her words are powerful. It’s great that she is supporting Purple Purse which helps women escape domestic violence.
- The lazy river at the Hilton Bonnet Creek is so much fun!
- The butterscotch pudding with toffee on the side at La Luce is sinfully delicious.
- Review your friend’s books on Amazon. It helps them with sales.
- Empathy is not enough. Do something.
Takeaway:
I heard conversations among attendees and panelists that were so similar to conversations I had seven years ago at #BlogHer10. Is BlogHer not growing or is the same old conference model with speakers and panels in need of disruption? I would suggest more unstructured events like a bar camp where anyone can sign up to speak on a topic. In addition, I think there should have been pop-up bookstore selling books authored by speakers and attendees. Other than networking, there should have been an opportunity for attendees to sell their products (maybe an artisan market). Attending BlogHer or any other women’s conference should be a more quantifiable step forward because the time and money spent attending a conference is time and money away from family, career and projects that are just as important if not more.