An Unbelievable UnConference

This past weekend, I attended Lavish, the first ever Unconference for lifestyle bloggers. And, let me just say it was fabulous!

 

 

  Concepted and hosted by the ever-talented, and super hero blogger, The Broker Socialite (aka Sheemeka Ayers), the conference was all I thought it would be and more.

Sheemeka expressed that she wanted this conference to be and Un-conference, where the typical conference rules were thrown out the door, a stuffy conference atmosphere was replaced by a social gathering of friends, and where lifestyle bloggers could come together and be explore the world of blogging.

In un-conference style, the venue for the event was the Mansion in Buckhead, one of Atlantas’ swankiest and posh hotels and condo residences.  Just walking into the venue, let me know that Lavish was going to be a special event.

Sokenbicha was the main sponsor for the UnConference, and treated all the attendees to unlimited bottles of their authentically brewed teas.

The weekend long conference was full of wonderful breakout sessions, giving novice and experienced bloggers alike great insight into the world of blogging. Session topics included The Business of Style:  Turning Your Blog Into Your Business.  This session was hosted by Kelley Moore and Cassandra LaValle, the talented bloggers behind the blogs KelleyMoore and CocoKelley.

  Brian Patrick Flynn of the dynamic blog Decor Demon presented a workshop entitled So Fresh & So Clean: The Editorial Approach To Design Blogging .  Brian shared a wealth of information about how to be write your blog with an editorial slant.

 

The photo above is from the session entitled Getting the Word Out: Tasteful Techniques For (&Personal Stories About) Promoting Your Business Online Through Social Media and Non-Traditional Social Media.  The uber talented Design Sponge team lead the discussion and gave me great insight on how to promote my blog and make it the best it can be. 

Grace Bonney, the founder of Design Sponge was wonderful and shared her the story of how Design Sponge went from a simple blog to a leader in the blogging community. 

 I really loved the session entitled, Why Can’t We Be Friends: Fostering Great Relationships Between Design Bloggers & Traditional Media.  This session was hosted by some real dynamos in the publishing and blogging community…Oma Blaise Ford, the Senior Deputy Editor of Better Homes and Gardens, Jillian St. Charles, the Site Director for HGTV.com, and Julie Holloway the author behind the blog Milk & Honey Home.  Keep your eyes on upcoming issues of BHG, where Julie’s kitchen will be featured in the magazine.

 

 

 I was really excited to sit in on the conference session that gave us a look into A Day In The Life of Rue Magazine.

  Anne Sage, Crystal Gentilello, Cassandra Lavalle and Bri Emery let us all in how Rue came to life, and what’s in store for the magazine down the road.   Be sure to check out each of the blogs these ladies write, in addition to running Rue. (City Sage, Plush Palate, CocoKelley & Design Love Fest)!

 

One of the last sessions I attended was conducted by The Broke Socialite herself, Shemeeka Ayers and New York times best-selling author and blogger Mary Kay Andrews.  The session was entitled For The Love Of Community: Building A Loyal Reader Base. Both ladies shared how they have developed their blogs over the years and gained a loyal following of readers. 

To end the conference, Shemeeka gave a wonderful speech about her love of blogging, the lifestyle blogging community, and then treated us all to yummy cupcakes. LaPlates gave each of us a stylish Lavish plate along with a few other goodies.  If you haven’t checked our the awesome melamine servicing pieces LaPlates offers, head over to their website.

All in all the Lavish, UnConference was a blast.  I met a lot of new blogging friends, filled my brian with lots of information to make my blog better and just plain had fun.

Make sure to follow Shemeeka’s blog for updates on the 2011 Lavish conference.  And, if you’re looking for other blog conferences to attend, check out my previous post with a full listing, here!