Walking into a room wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with sassy cats and a pair of high waisted jeans was probably not what you’d expect from someone attending a conference. Luckily for me, this wasn’t a boring business conference, it was the ionFashionUK blogger conference. I was joined by other likeminded bloggers as well as brands and magazines, all of whom were hoping to gain a better insight into the world of blogging.
As this was my first blogger conference I was very eager to get started. I sat down with the lovely Sophie-Anne and Danielle, who were super friendly and kept me chatting until we were all asked to go upstairs. We were then joined by Adora who I attended the Burlesque event with a few weeks ago. It’s always lovely to see old friends and make new ones at the same time. We grabbed front row seats, which promised us that we’d be smack bang in the middle of all the action. My excitement was growing as we were read the line-up for the day; talks by Lela, Really Ree, Fashitects, Rosie Glow and Diary Directory. I loved hearing about blogging from their different perspectives, and how some people are making a living from it, but still enjoy it as much as they did when they first started. Later, we were paired with brands to answer questions on the best way to collaborate with bloggers. Being asked how I felt about certain PR moves, and how I prefer to be approached on a collaboration was something I haven’t really been asked before at events. One of the main topics of the day was how bloggers dislike ‘spam requests’. You know, the generic “Dear Blogger, I’ve been looking at your site…” (yeah, I deleted the email at “Dear Blogger”). So you can understand why I thought it was a smart and much needed move towards creating better relationships between bloggers and PRs.
The food also needs a shout-out as it was arguably the cutest I’d seen in a long time, and you know I love my food. I’m talking mini-burgers and pulled pork buns, alongside miniature salmon bagels and cornichons. All washed down with unlimited glasses of prosecco (I promise I only had one). The star of the lunch though was the mouthwatering chocolate brownie, which I still dream of today.
We were promised a day of networking, education and enlightenment, which were certainly fulfilled. My favourite talks of the day were from the very personable Really Ree, and Fashitects – who taught us a thing or two about male style bloggers. I went to learn and be inspired, and I did both, as well as make some new friends and contacts along the way. This may have been my first blogger conference, but it certainly won’t be my last. Who knows, one day it may even be me giving a talk up on that stage.
Thank you to Blueclaw for hosting the event, and to Bay for the photos.
