Day 2: Blogger Bash Continues Excellence

Disclosure

Usually when I attend a conference, I’m able to wrap up all my thoughts and share enough photos in one blog post to convey how I felt about the event. I redirect people to my Instagram and Twitter feeds for additional photos and details as well as the event hashtag to see what other people are saying.

But as I said a couple days ago, there was too much awesomeness at Blogger Bash to cram into one post. Too many activities to completely share without overwhelming you (or worse, boring you to death.) So I shared all about the first day of Blogger Bash before and the rest of the “You’ll wish you were there” details are here!

Day 2 was equally as chaotic and awesome. The day kicked off with a breakfast sponsored by Kate & Mim-Mim with a Q&A session with their creators. I wasn’t familiar with Kate & Mim-Mim show since my girls are beyond their target age range. However I found their stories that their stories, inspired as well as sometimes written by their kids, did a good job of conveying valuable life-lessons. Following that was a presentation for the Bloganthropy awards.

Lunch included a presentation by Peanuts hosted by Ginger Zee. It’s a tried and true franchise and the young talent voicing these iconic characters are mature beyond their age. I watched as Bella Stine (Lucy) took time to give credit to some behind-the-scenes staff as well as step aside to shake hands with Ginger Zee following the presentation. She’s a class act and I look forward to seeing her become a role model for young girls everywhere.

In between all the morning activities, I managed to stop into Babypalooza to see what they had to offer. No, I’m not keeping any kind of secret. The event did feature baby products from companies like Oilogic, Fresh Wave, Evenflo and Fisher-Price, but also more universal companies such as Armitron Watches and Zazzle.

I was in awe of Noah Gallowey’s inspirational story. You may recognize the US Army veteran from Dancing with the Stars, but that’s only a small part of what he has done. I spent a lot of time talking to him about how he connected with Armitron, his family and of course, the importance of board games. I even gave him a few tips on some cooperative games that may be a good fit for his family.

In the same room that afternoon, there was a short coffee break sponsored by Shop Ireland. We were able to check out companies like Solvar, The Irish Fairy Door Company, Easydry, Lottie Dolls and more.

The afternoon also gave attendees the opportunity to hear the mom side of Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi and Jenni “JWoww” Farley. After a general keynote, they answered some questions submitted in advance by attendees.

When I wasn’t committed to other activities, I spent the rest of my time in the expo hall. Last year, the hall was small and I was able to connect with everyone in about an hour. This year’s “All Day Expo” rivaled Sweet Suite in size and I didn’t have enough time to meet with everyone there. It was fabulous to see companies like Office Max, Koehler, Sony, Duck Tape, Texas Instruments, Master Lock and SoulKix.

Oh… and Sprinkles Cupcakes. What’s a trip to NY without a Sprinkles Cupcake? Right? One of the highlights was talking with Baltimore Ravens’ offensive lineman, John Urschel, regarding the work he is doing with Texas Instruments to promote STEM education.

But all good things must come to an end and Blogger Bash wrapped up in style. The rain tried to shoo us away, but it cleared and although we had a slight delay, we were able to set sail as planned.

There was music, dancing, great conversations and a chance to say a final farewell to friends both new and old. The hardest part about any conference or convention is saying goodbye to the people we only get to see once a year or less.

And in true Blogger Bash style, we had an up-close view of the Statue of Liberty. What a perfect way to close things out.

Will I see you next year at Blogger Bash?