I know! I am so excited that I will get to see you twice this year! ;-)

Also can't wait for the party invitation frenzy to start – stressful but fun to try and RSVP before the best events book up. My first BlogHer was San Diego 11 and I had WAY too many events to go to so this year I'm going to plan better and be more selective about which parties I do. San Diego was nice because for the most part I was able to walk from the hotel & convention hall to the events I was invited to day and nite.

Amy, since you say NYC party schedule is a much for hectic place — and I've already got my ticket & hotel booked — wondering if you (or someone else in this form) can tell me if getting a cab to go to events all over the city? Or did they tend to keep things closer to "home" at the last BlogHer NY?

I can't wait to party either!!!!! I'm trying to remember when invitations started coming in. I actually found out about a lot of the parties on this forum and on Twitter. I'm getting so antsy..lol.

I really want the Big Toy Book party to come back. I went last year and thought it was awesome! I also thought the Cheap Sally party was lots of fun (I can't wait to wear my new flip flops I got). I think out of all the parties I went to, those two stick out. Of course there was Sparklecorn that exceeded my expectations. I had such a blast dancing..the DJ rocked it.

I really really want to attend Getting Gorgeous, Social Luxe (if it comes back) and the Social Soiree. Does anyone know if there is a hash tag or who I should follow to learn about invites to Getting Gorgeous?

glendasembree@gmail.com said

MusingsfromMe said

MommyBlogExpert said

Also can't wait for the party invitation frenzy to start – stressful but fun to try and RSVP before the best events book up. My first BlogHer was San Diego 11 and I had WAY too many events to go to so this year I'm going to plan better and be more selective about which parties I do. San Diego was nice because for the most part I was able to walk from the hotel & convention hall to the events I was invited to day and nite.

 

Amy, since you say NYC party schedule is a much for hectic place — and I've already got my ticket & hotel booked — wondering if you (or someone else in this form) can tell me if getting a cab to go to events all over the city? Or did they tend to keep things closer to "home" at the last BlogHer NY?

Like Amy said, it depends on the event. I downloaded HopStop — a kind of mapquest for city transportation — to my phone. I programmed in all my destinations, so that all I needed to do was pull one up and go. Early in the day I tried to walk to the events if they were close by, but didn't in the evening as it was too hot. I mostly caught cabs, sometimes with bloggers I met at an event.

On this thread last year, some of us talked about taking the subway. A much cheaper option, but probably the journey would bhe longer with connections and changing trains.

So, is it sponsors who throw the parties?  These are separate from the actual conference, right?

Yes that's correct. There are two basic types of parties. First there are those that come with a paid BlogHer ticket and that don't require signing up or making reservations. Then there are a variety of sponsored private parties off-site that you'll learn about in a variety of ways via invitation by email direct to your mailbox, via Twitter and via Facebook as well as in groups like Mom Spark. Of these, some like the Clever Girls Collective party last year have a number of brands sponsoring a single party and then there are parties and events that are sponsored by a single brand like the Dove Ice Cream Cruise last year in San Diego. Also, last year brands like P&G and McDonalds both had official on-site events that I went to. Invites for these and others were posted on the BlogHer conference site and only accepted a certain number of RSVPs before they were booked up.

Last year I attended a lot of private parties (some that I received because I already have some connection to them) but I also went to Sparklecorn, CheeseBurgHer, Aiming Low and some other official BlogHer events. My experience has been that they are equally fun and you'll have a great time, though I know bloggers who seem to think the private events are better and they don't go to any or very few BlogHer parties.

For sure, it's hard work getting your party schedule lined up but it is fun trying. In fact, I imagine the more years you attend BlogHer the easier it gets to confirm RSVPs with your choice of events — this from a BlogHer veteran, LOL, who attended my first BlogHer in 2011.

It's funny how you learn when you're thrown into the water without knowing how to swim, that's what going to BlogHer for the first time does to U. In my limited experience as a mom blogger now that I'll be attending my 2nd BlogHer in NY, I'd say the most sought after invitations don't necessarily come just because you're a member of something. But if you are particularly active in any group that might give you higher visibility for receiving an invite.

My feeling is that it seems that as BlogHer gets more sophisticated and bigger (both in number of attendees and brands involved) each year the way invitations are distributed is further refined. Last year the best invites were one-on-one and smaller exclusive parties — at least I'd say that's true of some of the invites I received in San Diego that were not broadcast widely. For those "elite" events they typically involve top tier women bloggers and those who have existing relationships with brands. It might help to look at it from the brand perspective – that number (and quality) of invitations offered have to make sense financially to the consumer companies hosting parties. My own prediction for this year is that I expect that brands might start getting more selective, rather than less particular, about who they invite to ensure their best ROI. As a social media strategist, if I end up having any clients going to BlogHer I would definitely recommend that they 1) handpick invitees based on matching their objectives with the most suitable bloggers, and  2) keep their event on the small side so lasting, more intimate relationships can be established between women bloggers and brands.

I guess we'll have to wait and be surprised about how things actually roll this year since brands are always thinking up new ways to connect with us each year ;-)