guest post from Then Heather Said: 3 Biggest Healthy Living Summit 2010 Regrets

A MEMO FROM THE CEO OF PIP: I can’t believe it’s been more than a year that I wrote a guest post for Heather of Then Heather Said - my very first guest post which was a part of her “More Than” series. Perhaps it’s her commitment to improving her running. Perhaps it’s her love for our presidents. Perhaps it’s her passion for Madison, WI (much like my passion for the CLE). But there’s something about this awesome chick that I dig – and you should too.

As many of us – INCLUDING ME! – are preparing to travel to Baltimore for Fitbloggin this week, I asked Heather if she could share her thoughts on blogging conferences & what we all could expect. Little did I know she learned a lot at the 2010 Healthy Living Summit and even shared it in usual PIP Tuesday style!

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Hello Poise in Parma readers! My name is Heather and I write at a little space on the interwebs, ThenHeatherSaid. It’s so nice to meet you here today.

Fitbloggin 2011 is just around the corner. With only a few days until the festivities kick off, I wanted to share with you a few of my regrets.

You may be asking; “What the hell is this girl talking about? I’m amping up to head to one of the greatest weekends in Healthy Living Blogger history and she wants to go all down-and-out and focus on regrets? mark.as.read.” But I beg of you to reconsider.

I was very fortunate to attend the Healthy Living Summit in Chicago last August, a weekend I wouldn’t trade for all the money in the world. While the conference was a great growth experience, however, I do have a list of regrets that if I were given a time machine and the ability to call “mulligan” on my first blogging conference, I would totally take the do-over. I wanted to share these with you today in order that you may have a regret-free Fitbloggin 2011 adventure!

TEN THREE THINGS THIS TUESDAY: Then Heather Said’s Biggest HLS 2010 Regrets

1. Sitting with the same 8 people every session. I truly loved spending time with dear blends who I adore, building our relationships and growing together during the extra moments between sessions. In hindsight, I can’t help but feel I slighted myself of a greater opportunity.

(photo c/o  Savvy Julie)

I really wish I would have sat at a different table, with different attendees, as often as possible. This would have allowed me to spark new connections and open my experience to more varying view points throughout the weekend.

Take away tip: Step- and SIT- outside your comfort zone!

2. Not taking time to meet vendors and sponsors. Blogging conferences are a great way to network yourself with other bloggers, of course, but also with companies who WANT to build blogger relationships.

(photo c/o  Savvy Julie)

I did connect with one company who was at HLS, but honestly – our connection was born BEFORE the summit due to this representative being an awesome presence in the social media relations of our special little genre. During my time at the summit itself, I passed on several opportunities to visit sponsors’ booths, activities, and make the connections offered to me.

Take away tip: Extend your hand, smile, and business card, to every company representative you see. You may not be able to imagine a working relationship with these people in the here and now, but you never know what lies ahead in the future.

3. Talking more than I listened. At the cocktail party that kicked off the official HLS schedule, I told the same story 722 times. Okay – that may be a bit of an exaggeration, but it sure did feel like it at times.

(photo c/o  Savvy Julie)

Thanks to an unexpectedfivehour delay, I had quite the “getting to the Summit” adventure, which no doubt, I tweeted about while experiencing. When I was meeting fellow bloggers hours later, I was often greeted with apologies for my experience, or questions about my traveling. I took this as an opportunity to share a five minute story with every person I met.

My poor roommates of awesomeness, who were near me throughout the evening! It’s surprising they didn’t abandon me, after hearing the same explanations – the details of how I finally made it to their hotel room that morning.

If I could do it all again, I would have saved the story for my blog, [I later told it there anyway], and politely moved conversation along to learn more about the people I was standing with, face to face. Though I met dozens of fabulous folks that evening, I left the event not really knowing much more about most of the people I had met. How selfish and insecure I was!

Take away tip: Listen with your whole heart. Ask questions. Get to know, really know, the people you meet.

Learn more about Heather by checking out her blog, Then Heather Said (http://www.thenheathersaid.com/) and on Twitter (@ThenHeatherSaid). I’m proud to be sponsoring her upcoming Fourth of July 5K – go get that race, girl!