quick disney social media moms recap!

Yesterday we  returned from 5 fun-filled days at the Walt Disney World Resort, where I had the privilege of attending the Disney Social Media Moms Conference (#DisneySMMoms).   

I've been to many a bloggy event and I must say, this was the event to end all events. It was not only tons of fun, but it was also intimate, very well-organized, offered inspiring and informative speakers and it included my whole family. There is no way to cut down all that we did into a post that is less than 5 pages long, so here are just a few quick highlights…

• the Disney touch: When I say this conference was well-organized, I am not kidding. They thought of everything. Events started and ended right on schedule, buses were waiting to take us directly back and forth to the hotel and they were handing out umbrellas when it rained. Even little details, like the media fast pass or the activities for the kids during meals or serving the kiddos hot chocolate at a chilly outdoor event or handing out hand warmers at the evening concert… Disney does it right and this conference was no different!
• the speakers: I don't know who was in charge of lining up speakers for this conference, but who ever you are, you did a fantastic job. Maxine Clark, the founder and CEO of Build-A-Bear was inspired us to chase our dreams, Tony award winner Marissa Winokur encouraged us to find humor in balancing work and motherhood, Kathy Ireland challenged us to never give up and find our passion. Guy Kawasaki gave us tips on how to harness the power of Twitter for our sites while Chris Brogan gave us some common sense advice on marketing — both were terrific for busy moms who are always trying to make the most of our time!
• the people: I got to see many old friends and meet some fabulous new bloggers! I could not even list all the terrific people I met even if I tried. I loved hanging out with Colleen from Classy Mommy and Whitney from Mommies with Style (my Philly girls!) It was great to see Audrey from Mom Generations again and Danielle from Extraordinary Mommy was so lovely. It was a diverse group of moms (with a few dads thrown in and they were such a great bunch. People were so friendly and genuine – it really made the conference for me!
• my family: This was the first conference that I've seen that included my entire family. Like most other moms, my main struggle in attending conferences and events is arranging childcare. So to be able to bring them along was perfect. It was such an amazing event and being able to share the magic with my husband and children was priceless. Plus, it was great to meet everyone else's kids! As Mommy bloggers, so many of us write about our kids every day, so it was fun to meet the stars of all the blogs I read

There's so much more to share… but it will take a while it get it all down! I'll be posting more soon!