My husband and I loaded our tripawd pooch, Penny, into the car and made the four hour journey to Kansas City, Missouri. Not only was this to be our first BlogPaws, but it was their 10th Anniversary Conference as well. Penny did a fabulous job traveling. She slept most of the way there!
In the three days that followed, we had the privilege of meeting other pet parents and bloggers. We swapped stories and business cards and of course, snuggles with their fur babies! I loved getting to meet with representatives from the various brands that were present at the conference.
So much knowledge was contained within every breakout session. Speaker Elizabeth Keene taught attendees the ins and outs of using Facebook Ads. I had no idea that I could drill down and see what other pages my followers were viewing. My husband, Matt, learned about Blogging with Goals with the team from Dragon 360.
I learned how to use the Tailwind app to grow my followers on Instagram. Melissa Megginson's presentation was fantastic and provided step-by-step guidance along with other tricks to customizing Tailwind for maximum effect.
One of my favorite sessions was How to Use Instagram Stories to Boost Engagement and Connect with Your Pack. The speakers Meesha Kauffman, Marika Meeks, Tori Mistick, and Hannah Zulueta were outstanding. I had never used Instagram stories before attending their lecture. Now, I use it almost every day. Their tips were easily attainable and I wish that the session would have been longer. There is so much to learn!
On Friday, my husband attended The Art of Smartphone Photography. Being an avid photographer, he was eager to learn new ways to use his phone to capture amazing shots. Meanwhile, I was attending the Repurpose for Profit: How to Create a Content Calendar That Can Actually Make You Money given by Abagail Pumphrey and Emylee Williams. They had so many great ideas on how to multiple the use of my content to other social media channels.
My favorite event was the 1 on 1 sessions. Attendees could select one speaker to spend 10 minutes with asking any questions about his/her specialty. I selected Marika Meeks. She gave me invaluable tips for growing one of my Instagram accounts. Marika was very friendly and enthusiastic about sharing her knowledge with a fellow pet lover/blogger.
While we were unable to attend the Nose to Nose Awards due to a scheduling conflict with another conference, a BlogPaws worker was nice enough to let us snap a few pics on the red carpet before we had to depart and head to our next destination.
If you have never attended a BlogPaws conference, you are missing out! Not only do you get to meet passionate pet people, but you get to connect with the brands in a one-on-one environment. Plus, you will receive a ridiculous amount of swag! Our official BlogPaws swag bags were seriously heavy. Several brands also gave away free products such as the Comfort Zone Calming Vest and Lenny Pads, washable pee pads.
I'm officially hooked on BlogPaws! I can't wait to attend the conference next year in sunny Florida.