SoFab

This grant was  provided to me by Collective Bias, Inc. All opinions are mine alone. #SoFabUOTR #CollectiveBias
I have got to say ‘thank you’ to the stars or heavens or my ancestors watching over me because I have been extremely lucky lately. We bought our new home in Indy and sold our home in Champaign within a week. This past weekend I had the privilege of attending #SoFabUOTR (SoFab University On the Road) in Chicago. I’d only budgeted to attend one conference this year but had entered to win a ticket to the one day Chicago conference at The Wyndham Grand Riverfront Hotel, and won!

I am so grateful to have gone to #SoFabUOTR for so many reasons, but I want to share just five with you:

1. First and foremost, the people. I was the first one to register in the morning and was greeted with smiling faces and an easy check in. I sighed with relief when I walked into the conference room and saw only six tables with ten seats. I knew it would be a great number of attendees for a one day conference. The hotel provided a delicious spread and plenty of coffee for everyone to enjoy as they mingled. The first person I met was Beth Rosen of Chicagonista. Meeting Beth as my first conference buddy was awesome because she was so friendly, welcoming and genuine, little did I know that she was one of the speakers that day. I then met Sarah of Clever Pink Pirate (and SoFab), Jen of Me, Myself and Jen, Michelle of Honest and Truly and the list of inspiring women continued to grow throughout the day.

2. The speaker’s presentations. Beth and MJ of Chicagonista had a presentation on why videos are integral in blogging. They shared tips on making a great video and when to use them in your posts. I was inspired to make another vlog to see how you as readers respond to it. Jen of Me, Myself and Jen spoke  about making the shift from blogging as a hobby to monetizing and making it your small business.

3. Networking with fellow bloggers and brands. I wasn’t able to meet everyone at the conference but hit it off well with everyone I met. Most of the bloggers were parenting, lifestyle or DIY bloggers which made us automatically have something in common. We also had the commonality of wanting to be better at blogging. I met Diana of Diana Rambles, and found out that her son works for the same company my as my husband. I also met fellow Hoosier Britteny of The Pretty Plus who’s starting an Indy tribe that I’ll be joining. I’m so pleased with the camaraderie I shared with the many women I met throughout the day.The sponsors that made SoFabU happen were also represented at the conference. Josh from Mitsubishi brought selfie sticks for everyone and was fun to chat about cars with and their #drivemitsubishi program.

4. New experiences. This is my second blogging conference and I was extremely pleased with what I learned, the people I met and the length of the session. My day started out by picking up an apple pastry from the farmers market and catching a train to Chicago. I’d never been on a train alone and was nervous about missing the train or being late to the conference. Everything worked out perfectly on the way to and from Chicago though and now I feel confident in doing it more often!

5. Photography trolley tour. I have to admit, the tour by Chicago Trolley and Double Decker Co. was my favorite part of the day. It was raining and cold but that did not stop me from being in complete awe of the architecture and fun facts our guide shared. Whenever I visit downtown, I’m riding in a car stuck in traffic or walking on the sidewalks on my way to a show or shopping. I’ve never stopped to really look at the magnificent buildings Chicago has and the top deck of a double decker bus is the perfect view.

SoFab may have paid for my ticket to join their conference this year, but it is already in my budget for next year. I’m so thankful SoFab now has an OnTheRoad conference along with all of their amazing free blogging courses on SoFabUniversity. SoFabUOTR still has three conferences this year at Minneapolis, Atlanta and Bentonville. This week I’ll be packing our house but next week I have knocking out a few of their courses in my planner. What blogging conferences have you been to this year? Have you been on a bus tour of your city yet? You should check it out!