In the two years I’ve been blogging, I’ve been fortunate enough to attend a few different conferences. I love going to conferences! The more I attend, the more I want to seek out to attend! I take away something new and valuable from each conference and always leave feeling recharged and newly inspired. I’ve also experienced what I like to call “conference regrets“. If you’re not sure what those are, they are the things you wish you’d done at a conference, but either forgot or were too intimidated to do, for whatever reason. I feel like I get brave after the conference is over, except then it’s too late to go back. I’m almost sure that every blogger has experienced “conference regrets” at least once in their career. What I’ve found to be most effective for tackling this problem is to take some time, prior to attending a conference, to set some small personal conference goals for myself.
I was recently invited to attend The 2015 Disney Social Media Moms Celebration at Walt Disney World Resort. I can still remember how magical it was when I opened that email containing such a special invitation! I think I let out a squeal that was probably heard around the world! It was such an honor to be invited and I really couldn’t believe it had happened for me. I KNEW I had to make every moment of what would be a “once-in-a-lifetime experience” count! So, in the weeks leading up to the conference, I proceeded to jot down notes on post-its until I’d put together a list of my personal goals for this conference.
At first I felt a bit overwhelmed by this goal-setting because I didn’t know what to expect from the conference itself. I’d heard so many stories and read several posts from others who had attended in the past, but I really wanted to focus on what was most important for me to take away from the experience. Finally, I compiled a list of 4 intangible things I’d be bringing with me to The 2015 Disney Social Media Moms Celebration, so let me share these things with you!
The first thing I brought to the conference was my love for Disney. I believe each and every one of the invited attendees has a love for Disney that’s unique and special. My own love for Disney stems from my childhood. I grew up in Southern California and our family was fortunate enough to live very close to Disneyland. (It was just Disneyland back then, not Disneyland Resort) As a child, I got to visit the park about once a year, usually during summertime. Visiting Disneyland with my family, as a little girl, is one of those childhood memories I can still actually recall vividly.
My love for Disney has grown by leaps and bounds as I’ve grown up. (Confession: I’ve actually never grown up though) I’m a proud Disneyland Resort Annual Passholder and visit the parks as frequently as I can. As a mom, I’ve had the opportunity to create special Disney memories with my own daughter. My love for Disney also carries over into many other aspects of my life too. I try to live life in “a Disney way”, which is something other lovers of Disney can fully understand. To be in an entire ballroom filled with other Disney-loving moms (and a dad) was an amazing experience.
Optimism was a very important thing to bring with me as well! It’s beyond important to come to a conference with an optimistic attitude. I consider myself a “Glass Half-Full Kind of Girl” and always try my best to see a positive side in every situation. Each conference is an new opportunity to connect with other influencers and often times, brands. If you walk in with a positive attitude and are full of optimism, it’ll draw people towards you and they’ll to want to get to know you. It’s also something that will make brands want to work with you. I’m always optimistic that something good is going to happen. Remember, “If you can dream it, you can do it!” Stay optimistic!
I’ve saved the best for last. I think courage and confidence are the most vital things you can bring to a conference! I am speaking from experience and as someone who has had “conference regrets” in the past for not bringing these with me! As I entered the convention center at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort and started to walk down the long hallway, it felt as if my breath had literally been stolen away. (in a good way) Hanging from the boughs were these amazing and enormous banners! It was surreal. I had mixed emotions at the moment before I entered the room for registration. On one hand I felt like royalty, on the other hand, doubt started to set in and I began to second guess myself. You can’t do that! You CAN’T doubt yourself! This is where courage comes into play!
If this starts to happen to you, just do what I did….I gave myself a pep talk (inside of my head of course). I told myself that I needed to remember my courage! I needed to have courage and confidence because I was there for a reason! I needed to have courage to approach people and make those connections that I’d come all this way to make. I needed to have courage and confidence in myself when others would ask me about what it is that drives the passion behind my own blogging. It’s important to remember that you are worth something! You are just as good as anyone else at the conference! If you think for one moment that you aren’t as good as some of the “bigger bloggers” who may also be at the same conference as you, just remember, they were once just like you! Honestly, if you approach most of those women, you’ll find that they aren’t as intimidating as you envision. I’ve become friends with many of the “bigger bloggers” and I can say they are some of the kindest, most uplifiting women in social media and, often times, will even help you out.
I packed all 4 of these intangible things into my suitcase and took them with me to The 2015 Disney Social Media Moms Celebration. I walked into that conference with all that I needed and I did my best! What’s most important to remember is why you came and what you hope to achieve. As you can see, I took a leap of faith (or should I say a jump of faith). Believe in yourself and don’t ever lose your courage or confidence!
It was our first time there and we were delighted to enjoy the accommodations at such a wonderful location. The hotel has such a beautiful location on the water and the property boasts nautical decor throughout. 
One of the first memories our family made on our visit was when we arrived at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort was when we entered into the hotel’s lobby and were greeted by “Captain Al”. 
If you’ve been there in recent years, I’ll bet you’ve probably met him too. He’s a very special Cast Member who stands front and center to greet you. Captain Al is one of those people you meet and just know within minutes of talking to them that you want to chat with them more than just a morning “hello”. He wears a very handsome nautical suit and captain’s hat and resembled the nautical Mickey in our hotel room a little bit. 
Al’s knowledge about the entire Walt Disney World Resort is amazing. He’ll tell you anything you want to know about it and help you get to where you’re going, What you’ll notice most about him, is that he isn’t in any hurry to get you a quick answer and send you on your way. He would spend all day helping you if that’s what it took. You don’t often find people with that type of work ethic nowadays. 
Something else I adored about “Captain Al” were his old school values. He told us right off that bat that he didn’t have a cell phone or use a computer. He believes that if people want to see him or talk to him will, they should do it the old-fashioned way…by regular (snail) mail or by actually calling him on the phone to talk. I couldn’t help but cling onto his every word because he reminded me A LOT of my own grandparents, who also held those same values. I’ll totally admit I love technology. I love the convenience of having everything in the palm of my hand (via iphone) , but Al was right when he talked about things getting lost in translation. 
How often do young people think that older people don’t know what they’re talking about? Here’s a man, not even trying to preach about anything specific, and yet his simple message spoke loud and clear to us. Be present. Be authentic. Unplug whenever possible. Not only did he talk about these things, he lives by his own motto every single day! Can you see why we adore him?
When the day arrived and it was time for us to depart from the Disney’s Yacht Club Resort, Captain Al insisted on carrying our bags out for us and refused to take a tip. We were sad to leave but happy to have visited and made such special memories together as a family. We were also happy that we got to meet such a Magical Cast Member such as Captain Al. I just hope we get to return one day and meet up with him again!
