She's Connected Conference 2011

I was on the way to Toronto in my brother's vehicle, running everything through my head from 'Did I bring everything I needed?' to 'I'm so nervous. I hope I'm not sitting alone in the corner somewhere."

Something about being in a room with 199 other women that you've never met in real life, have similar goals as you do, and meeting top brands that you hope to connect with is sure to make even the most confident break a sweat.  I'm talking about the She's Connected Conference that I was humbly invited to on September 29th to September 30th  which took place in The Sheraton Centre on Queen St East in Toronto.

Upon check-in, I was warmly greeted by one of the ladies I chat with every now and then on Twitter who was also checking in and to be honest, that turned down my heartbeat notch a little bit.

I was pumped and ready to network and connect. Much like what we do online, but this time, face-to-face.

Sheraton Centre impressed by not only upgrading my room but also having one ready for me to settle into instead of having to wait another hour or so.

My room was cozy and my view was spectacular! And hello Starbucks coffee and Tazo tea! :)

As soon as I got myself settled in, I headed downstairs to the conference hall to register and start connecting.

It was fantastic. The exhibit hall was large and the different brands were strategically placed around the room. We were given a brand passport to keep track of all the brands that were present to ensure we didn't miss any. I met some great brands and was so excited to meet Christine Cushing, host of Fearless in the Kitchen. She was pleasant and personable and did I mention she was giving out her new EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil) and delicious pasta sauces? Yum! 

I also had the opportunity to learn more about our fantastic sponsor, Ford, and the new technology they have to offer in their vehicles. They had car-aoke! I didn't sing but I watched others do it and it was hilarious. I was able to park "hands-free" which was uber awesome! So cool and such  great features. Oh, and the navigation system they offer is one thing that hubby would definitely benefit from. Shh, don't tell him I said that. He seems to think he's got the directions thing down. 

We received custom conference shirts so we can identity one another better. They fit and felt comfortable and looked fab! Great way to remember the conference down the years, that's for sure.

Many of the great brands that were there were offering take-away swag to the attendee's which was fantastic. More-so because it offers us the opportunity to sample what their brand/name has to offer and of course to remember them by. I was also intrigued to learn more about LGFB.ca which stands for Look Good Feel Better. They believe that an improved self-image can help lift women that are fighting illnesses spirits and nurture hope with greater confidence. Look Good Feel Better is Canada’s only cancer charity dedicated to empowering women to manage the effects that cancer and its treatment have on their appearance, and often on their morale. Over 100,000 women have been helped through their workshop and services.

Once the conference started, I was lucky to be sitting at a table of smart and savvy women bloggers, all with very different backgrounds and careers. Two of which were brands, and the others were strictly bloggers, some with focused career, others SAHM's and WAHM's like me.
We had the opportunity to hear from Ford's Sheryl Connelly discuss Global Trends. It was very informative. We also had some fun taking part in some group work and exercises helping us connect with one another.
I promise to write a separate post on the amazing things I learned from the speakers.

Unfortunately, on top of me still recovering from a stomach bug and still feeling under the weather, my daughter who was graciously under the care of my mother for the night, was feeling very sick and wanting mommy, so I had to leave before lunch on Friday. But before I left, I was glad I was able to catch Elisa Camahort Page, COO and Co-Founder of Blogher, speak and learned a great wealth of information in relation to blogging, engaging bloggers/brands and utilizing social media effectively.  Also, thanks to twitter, I was always informed and caught up on what I was missing through my timeline.

Overall, being my first conference, I was very impressed and happy to have been able to experience such a great conference connecting me to other digital women and fantastic brands that understand the importance of social media marketing and building brand enthusiasm by working with their largest consumers -- women!

Oh, and did I mention I won two SCCTO giveaways? One from Purdy's Chocolate and a gift basket from PTPA! Woohoo! :)

Thank you to Donna Marie Antoniadis, Co-Founder & COO of She's Connected, and the team of She's Connected for the opportunity and organizing such a great event.

On a side note, check out my view at night from my room! AH-mazing!

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Inspiration is Contagious

Recently, a fellow twitter mom and writer of mumandchums.com, Sara Hodge, had called upon the help of fellow SCCTO attendee's to complete a mini survey to share their experience in the blogging and social media -world - how they got here and why? With all the responses she received she compiled a wonderful article, Inspiration is Contagious.  I was happy to take part and have my comments included in this article.

It's always refreshing to read what others have to say because we grow from learning.
It's a fantastic article for those that are quite new to blogging/writing and would like to hear from women that were in the same shoes not too long ago (me included!).
I'm still growing and absorbing all the wealth of information and advice I can get to better my content, all at the same time growing confident in my writing.
I wish you all a wonderful experience and please do share any tips, comments, questions you may have.

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I'm going to be CONNECTED at She's Connected!

The things that I admire and respect most about other women are their positive influences and their drive.
What is amazing about being a social media addict (for lack of a better word) and a blogger is that you can connect with so many women just like you and learn from one another. Also, have your thoughts and opinions voiced the way you want to.
Because face it, not many women (or people in general) are very comfortable in face-to-face interactions. Although they may not be the greatest in voicing their thoughts in person, they are AMAZING when doing it behind a laptop. :)
And there's nothing wrong with that.
In fact, many brands are recognizing that now. The power of the written word. The magic behind the woman's voice. Even more so, the oh-so-effectual Mother.

I began my blogging journey about 4 yrs ago actively, but mainly for personal reasons relating to family matters. It was private and nobody except close family & friends had access to it.
Recently, I came to notice other blogs and was inspired and touched by many articles I've read from other women like me.  Being a PCOS & Infertility ambassador and going through a rough rollercoaster trying to conceive, I thought instead of making my journey private, why not share it so that perhaps I may inspire and touch other women too?
Then, I started noticing the rewarding careers behind women bloggers in PR, enthusiastic and working with wonderful brands for marketing purposes, getting paid for it and all from home!
And I thought to myself, I can totally do this!

For most of you that do not know me well, I have a strong background in Entrepreneurship and Business. I am always looking for that perfect Work-from-home opportunity where I can balance work and life.
I love being a mom, but I can't sit still. I have to be doing something aside from my regular supermom duties.
I then also started getting hooked onto the convenience and inter-activeness of Facebook and Twitter.
What great platforms for communication and connecting! I quickly became addicted.

Which is why I was beyond excited and honored to be given an invite to the upcoming She's Connected Conference in Toronto on Sept 29-30!

A great opportunity for women interested in learning more about social media influence and connecting with brands and also to network with other digitally connected and influential women.

I am looking forward to attending and already booked my hotel at the Sheraton Centre. Thankfully because I'm such a newbie and don't really know anybody that will be attending (aside from some that I chat with frequently on twitter), my hubby will be staying at the hotel for the night as his office is just walking distance. :)
That's definitely reassuring to me. And I'm also thankful for my mom taking 2 days off work to care for 2 1/2 yr old while I'm gone. It's always good to have a great support system.

I can't wait to learn and network during this wonderful 1 1/2 day event! Thanks so much to Donna and the team at She's Connected for inviting me to this event and I hope to meet you all there!
For more info regarding this conference and She's Connected, visit:
www.shesconnected.com or shesconnectedconference.com.

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