What a weekend it was! I spent two days at the fantastic BConnected Conference here in Ottawa last weekend. For those of you who are Bloggers or Brands, this was one of those “must attend” events. Here’s why:
Speakers & Topics: All conferences have their “keynote speakers” and speakers that (it seems) all attendees want to listen to. BConnected Conference was no different, however, EVERY speaker who spoke at BConnected Conference was interesting, informative and full of great information and tips. Topics ranged from working with brands and implementing creativity, to creating compelling content, and how to build your WordPress blog. The topics were wide ranging, and included something for everyone, whether you are a novice blogger, a seasoned professional blogger, a brand, or the owner of a business website that has a blog. For me, I found value in each and every presentation I heard.
Session Line Up: Speaking of presentations, at BConnected Conference, the format for both days was set so that all attendees could listen to every speaker presenting at the conference (except for a 45 minute period of micro sessions on Sunday). Why is this important? As a conference attendee of two previous social media and blogging conferences myself, I’ve often found it disappointing when a conferences is so jam-packed with speakers that everyone must break up into groups and choose which presentations you wish to attend. I’m not a big fan of that. I’m the type of person who wants to “see it all”. I always feel that I’ve missed something interesting and informative when I’ve had to choose “Session X” over “Session Y”. Micro sessions are great, and should be a part of these conferences but, I want to be able to see all other presentations from start to finish myself. BConnected Conference was great for that!
Sponsors: It wouldn’t B a blogging conference without mentioning the great brands that help to make these types of conferences so successful. BConnected Conference had some pretty amazing sponsors, many of whom personally attended the conference with us. Sponsors are an integral part of any large event, and they help to cover the huge cost of a conference such as BConnected Conference. Oasis Canada was our conference Breakfast Sponsor, for example, so each morning we started our day with a tasty selection of breakfast items, and pitchers full of Oasis Orange Juice at our tables. Those famous chicken ladies, Lisa & Elyse, from Chicken Farmers of Canada? They generously sponsored our “Be Social Evening Networking Party” on the Saturday night, providing what seemed like an endless supply of yummy chicken appetizers and other finger foods.
Friends: It goes without saying that the BConnected Conference was overflowing with friendships, both old and new, all weekend. Some of us had met before but, many had never met IRL,,,until now. Maybe it’s because we are all there for the same purpose, or maybe it’s because we all spend a great deal of time online with each other, but whatever the reason, in my opinion, you won’t find a more accepting, supportive and fun group of people gathered in any one spot than those that attend blogging and social media conferences. I walked into BConnected with many wonderful friends, and walked out of BConnected with so many more.
Sandy and Jen (photo courtesy of Jenn ~ 1 Heart 1 Family) ~ Sandy, Dino & Lyne
Location: I may be a wee bit biased here but, Ottawa is a great place for a conference. BConnected Conference was held at the National Arts Centre (NAC) in beautiful downtown Ottawa. For conference attendees looking to do a little more than just attend the conference, downtown Ottawa is full of prime tourist attractions. The NAC is also located a short drive over the bridge from Gatineau, Quebec, so those wishing to explore a little French Canadian culture don’t have to go far.
There were so many great moments at the BConnected Conference. Here were a few of my favourites:
Meeting Ottawa radio personality, Stuntman Stu, and hearing about his inspiring #NoMoreBullies initiative
Having Social Media giant, Dino Dogan, Founder Of Triberr, sit beside me during a session….and then…
Getting my hands on my favourite new t-shirt (Thanks Dino!)
B sure to check out all the 2014 BConnected Conference Blogs to see what others had to say about their conference experience!
For those of you who missed out on attending the BConnected Conference this year, there’s great news! Thanks to the success of its first year, BConnected Conference will B back next year – bigger and better than ever!
I’ll B there – Will You?
Many thanks to Chief B Lyne and her fabulous team, and to my fellow Ambassadors, for making the BConnected Conference a great experience I will never forget!
Chief B Lyne (far right) and her BConnected Team having a great time at the Giant Tiger Photo Booth (the Giant Tiger team are a FUN group!)
