Last August, I attended the first ever Niche Mommy Conference which took place in New Orleans. As I shared on my website, it was an amazing conference experience and I was honored to be a part of the inaugural event. This year, Niche Mommy has expanded to cover all parental realms with Niche Parent ’13, and it will be held in September at Fort Lauderdale Beach, September 5th through 7th. I will be in the house attending for my second year, and I will also be speaking during a presentation titled, SHINE: Yes Your Words Can Create Change. I would love for you to be there with me, and I am giving away one (1) full pass to Niche Parent.

I don’t have to tell you how important attending conferences are. As a blogger, we may have our forums online, but it is most important that we make sure we communicate and network offline as well to build our presence and friendships. Conferences aren’t always affordable to everyone, so when there’s an opportunity to win a full pass to something that could benefit your business and brand, I say go for it!

Here’s a little bit about Niche Parent; it’s a conference devoted to the parenting space that showcases and celebrates diversity through our parental experiences. At a 200 member cap, it will give attendees and brands the chance to really engage one another and communicate one-on-one. All of the panels and presentations are focused on entrepreneurship, inspiring others, and much more. It’s a conference that is put together with YOU in mind.

And it’s being held at the fabulous spot: The Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa. Need I say more?

So here’s the deal. One (1) reader will win a full pass to Niche Parent ’13, which will give the winner the opportunity to attend the conference for its entire duration as well as all of the events and parties open to conference attendees. To enter to win, simply tweet that you want to go to Niche Parent using #NeedtogotoNiche and #NicheParent13. You must also leave a comment below letting me know why you want to attend Niche Parent ’13. That’s it!

This giveaway is open to all of my readers and will end on Tuesday, June 18th at 7pm CST. The winner will be notified via email, so make sure to leave a working email address when commenting. The winner will have 48 hours to claim their prize, or another winner will be selected. The recipient of the full conference pass will be responsible for their lodging and travel expenses.

To double your chances, Niche Parent is also giving away a full pass as well, so make sure to enter there too!

And to learn more about Niche Parent and the Niche Parent ’13 Conference, follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

I hope to see you there!

The post Niche Parent ’13 Conference Giveaway: Win a Free Pass! appeared first on The Cubicle Chick.

The Chicklet during one of our trips to Chicago

Just when I thought I wasn’t going to be doing anymore traveling for the rest of the year, I was given an opportunity I couldn’t resist. As a person who is always traveling and going on one adventure to another, I was informed about the Family Travel Conference, which held it’s first event in New York City in February. The conference helps to connect other traveling families and assist them in developing tools to broadcast their travels via social media, blogging, video, and much more. When I heard about the conference from my friend, Barb, I knew it was something I needed to participate in.

The Family Travel Conference is taking place this weekend in Dallas and I am looking forward to meeting other travelers who incorporate their travels into their brands and blogs. I wouldn’t call myself a travel blogger per se, but as much traveling as I do on behalf of my blog and various projects that I work on, I know an event like this can benefit me greatly.

The conference is wonderful because it encourages you to bring your children. They have a lot of activities and workshops planned for the kids as well so they can get in on the fun and learn more about traveling. Unfortunately, I am not bringing The Chicklet with me this time (she has a lot of extracurricular stuff going on this weekend), but since she is my travel buddy from time to time, I am hoping to learn more about traveling with your kids and incorporating them into the journalistic process of it all.

The workshops that will take place during the conference include video, monetizing your brand, PR tools, Pinterest (my current Achilles heel) and much more.

We will be staying at the fabulous Omni Hotel in Dallas, and I will also be indulging in an excursion Sunday night in Grapevine, Texas. This is sure to be a great experience.

Stay tuned to my Twitter feed and FB page for updates and info about what I am learning. Also, I will be taking plenty of Instagram pictures, so make sure you are following me on there as well.

Wheels up, Buttercup!

 Special thanks to the Traveling Moms and Barb for including me on this fab event!

The post I’m Headed to the Family Travel Conference in Dallas #FTCDallas appeared first on The Cubicle Chick.

I must admit, I am a bonafide conference junkie. I love attending conferences, especially the ones that are highly regarded and offer a lot of workshops and empowerment sessions. When you are a business owner (and I do consider my blog my business) you not only need the skillset and the tools to produce quality work, you also need encouragement. Attending conferences are a great way to get your encouragement supply, and I consider conferences a great investment for my blog and my business.

This year, The Niche Mommy Conference caught my eye, and I knew it was a conference I wanted to attend. Described as “the first conference for the diverse and multicultural mom active in social media and those bloggers that embrace diversity (all are welcome, even men)”, and founded by acclaimed blogger Justice Jonesie, the first inaugural conference will be held in New Orleans, August 23-26, 2012, at the beautiful Roosevelt Hotel, A Waldorf-Astoria Collection (the conference hotel rate is $145 per night). The conference has content and growth in mind, and the agenda will include hands-on blogger workshops for new and veteran bloggers.

Since some of my readership actually are bloggers, people who want to blog, or social media enthusiasts, I am proud to offer the opportunity to give one of my readers a full conference pass to Niche Mommy 2012. Currently, a full pass to The Niche Mommy Conference is $199.00, so it would be a great savings to you to enter the contest and win a pass.

To enter this giveaway, do the following (each is one (1) entry):

• Like The Niche Mommy on Facebook  – www.facebook.com/thenichemommy  – leave a comment and say you followed (1 entry)
• Follow The Niche Mommy on Twitter- www.twitter.com/nichemommy  – leave a comment and say you followed (1 entry)
• Facebook Like, Tweet, or +1 this post  — one entry each, leave a link and comment and say you did (1 entry each)
• Follow TheCubicleChick on Facebook (1 entry)
• Comment below and let me know you’ve entered (1 entry)

So as you can see, you have 8 ways to enter and up to 8 entry methods!

This giveaway is open to all of my readers and ends on Monday, May 21st, 2012 at 6pm CST. The winner will be announced via my Facebook page. The winner will have 48 hours to claim the prize or an alternate winner will be selected. Void where prohibited.

I would love to see you at The Niche Mommy Conference in August, and I am looking forward to networking and learning with all of you!

To learn more about The Niche Mommy Conference, click HERE.

Now, who’s going to The Niche Mommy Conference in New Orleans?

The post Giveaway: Win a Full Conference Pass to The Niche Mommy Conference in New Orleans appeared first on The Cubicle Chick.

This past weekend, I spent a glorious and highly self fulfilling time in Key Biscayne, Miami for the Mom 2.0 Summit. I was a little late registering for the conference as it wasn’t even on my radar, but I am so glad that I saw the light and attended. I tweeted on Sunday that the conference was hands down the best conference I had been to; and let me tell you, I have been to ALOT of conferences. I also run my own as well. So that says oodles about how I felt about the conference and offerings.

Let me break it down like this:

Thursday

I arrived at around 9 pm. I was bummed about this because there was a fabulous White Party that was taking place that night and I was going to miss most of it, because I wanted a non-stop flight. But it ended up working in my favor because—get this—I checked in late and was upgraded to a luxurious suite at the Ritz Carlton Key Biscayne. Checking in late had it’s privileges.  That night as the White Party revelers strolled into the hotel bar and lobby, I met two girls who would change my life. Jen and Ann. We hit it off and it was on and popping afterwards!

Swag that awaited me in my room

Friday

Friday, the conference opened with a fabulous breakfast patio side. I was too busy visiting the sponsor booths to eat breakfast, and I paid for it later, for my tummy growled during all of the morning sessions. Then the conference got underway with a great opening keynote with Brene Brown and Jess Weiner. It was uplifting, powerful, and well-needed in my life right now. These women got us. They got what we were going through. And they championed us to be the best people we can be. Not for others, but for ourselves.

The Setting your course in what’s next: How do you even do that breakout session with Jessica, Gabrielle, Nicole, and Karen was really interesting and propelled me to go harder with my blog. Yes, I’ve come a long way, but I still have miles upon miles to go. And by using my voice and putting the tools these ladies gave us during this session, I feel like I can run the world (GIRLS!–Beyonce style).

The lunch sponsored by ALDI was amazing. Can you say Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese? Huh? I can’t hear you!

The afternoon closed with 7 minute sessions with an array of speakers including Justice Fergie (who I finally got to meet after years of networking socially online), Helen Jane,  and Kathryn Tucker. Oh, and I also learned that I am a Sh*tty Mom. Yeah. Just marinate on that for a second.

I am so THIS!

Friday evening was spent with the Glam Media team for a special dinner for us publishers at Cantina on the Beach. Swaglicious! Then it was time to hang out with my Chicas!

Jen, me, and Ann (my crew!)

Saturday

Just when I thought it couldn’t get better, it did. I made it to breakfast on time and actually ate with my new crew, Jen and Ann. We stayed up late the previous night talking about our lives, our loves, our dreams—it was amazing to be bonded with these girls upon first glance, but it happened. We are spiritual sisters now.

The Keynote Entrepreneurs Panel was awesome. It was wonderful to hear about Liz Lange creating her own niche in a world before maternity and pregnancy were “trendesetting”. Lee Rhodes, a 3 time cancer survivor brought me to near tears hearing her story of creating Glassy Baby.

The breakout session I attended called What’s Important to Us?: Hot topics of 2012 was right on time for me as well. As a blogger, sometimes I stray away from polarizing topics in fear that I will alienate my readers. But I learned that I can’t be everything to everyone. Sometimes, I will have to pick sides on an issue. And that is okay.

I fell in love with Kristen Howerton and her story of raising a multicultural family. She was so open and so honest and, gee. Amazing!

Saturday’s lunch sponsored by Sargento was super good. The pasta salad with their new 41 calorie per slice cheese was insane! I had like 3 helpings. Don’t tell my Zumba pals, they won’t like it.

The closing keynote with Jenny Lawson (TheBloggess) was interesting. I wanted to hear more from her, but the other panelists kinda took over. If there was a weak spot on the program, I would say that this session was it. I think it could’ve been moderated a little better so we could hear more from Jenny.

Afterwards, we all crammed in a bus in our fabulous glory and headed to the Versace Mansion on Ocean Drive in South Beach. And the rest, I will say, will stay in Miami (except for these pictures!)

Me and Ann on the bus on our way to Versace’s crib!

We came, we saw, we entered…

Ann, me, and Jen  in an Aladdin theme roomed in the mansion

Me and Time Dog founder Matt Cherry. He is the man!

I planned on wearing another dress but it didn’t look right. So this was Plan B.

Sunday

I slept in, beach bummed, stuffed my face, and had drinks with Nancy before departing for the airport. The life!

Chill mode

The most amazing view EVER!

Beach!

Mom 2.0 Summit was fabulous. I loved, loved, loved it! I will be going next year for sure!

Kudos to the Mom 2.0 staff and founders Laura Mayes and Carrie Pacini. Ya’ll did GOOD!

Here’s a video I made on my last day (Sunday) which includes a tour of my suite at the Ritz Carlton Key Biscayne.

The post My Totally Self Indulgent Mom 2.0 Summit Wrap up Post appeared first on The Cubicle Chick.

Hi there! As a gal on the go, I meet a lot of people. I am always attending an event or networking, or going to a conference. So I acquire a lot of business cards from other bloggers, companies, brands, and business owners. And even though there are ways to scan these cards digitally to keep them on your phone or computer, I like to actually keep the cards to refer to later. People spend a lot of money on their cards, so I don’t want to toss them out. Instead, I’ve come up with a clever way to keep the business cards I receive organized in a neat fashion.

This past weekend, I attended Bloggy Boot Camp as it traveled here to St. Louis (and it was a fabulous conference by the way). During the day long conference, I learned how seasoned and professional bloggers monetize their sites as well as make a name for themselves through their online mediums. I got a stack of cards, so much so that it was overwhelming. But that is also a sign of good networking, because you are talking to people and getting to know them.

I recorded a video that shows you how I organize the business cards I get. I also include some fabulous business card tips for those of you who attend conferences and events:

Here are 3 business card tips for conferences and events:

• Don’t introduce yourself by handing someone your business card. Establish a conversation first and end the connection by exchanging cards.
• Follow up with the people you have received business cards from. Connect with them via email, and online via their social networks.
• Use the business card and pay it forward.

 How do you organize the business cards you get?

The post Cube Video: How Do You Organize The Business Cards You Get? appeared first on The Cubicle Chick.

There are so many social media, blogging, professional, and niche conferences that is it is impossible to name them all. Conferences are an awesome way to network, learn, share, and gain more tools to help hone your craft. But, along with the wonderful swag, fabulous speakers, panels, parties and fanfare, is the sometimes enormous price tag that comes with the ticket price. If you are a professional and have your company paying for the ticket is usually the standard. But as a blogger or social media type who works for themselves, paying for the conference and its expenses like hotel, travel, etc. can be daunting. Obtaining a sponsor can help defray your costs!

I personally have obtained a sponsor for several conferences and events. And while I don’t do this for every conference I go to, I do like the ability to cut down some of the costs of the conference. Sponsorships are usually a win/win for both parties. The brand or company gets someone who others can identity with (you) talking about their product or service, and you get to have your expenses taken care of. Brands and companies are used to offering sponsorship opportunities to their influencers, either by sending a group of bloggers to an event or selecting one or two to represent them.

You want to make sure that you both are on the same page and both have each other’s best interests at heart. If you do not fully like the product or service that is sponsoring you, then it wouldn’t be a good idea to let them sponsor you. And if they aren’t totally 100% behind you and your blog, then it really could go badly.

Here are 6 Tips for Snagging a Sponsorship for a Conference:

1. Work with brands you’ve already worked with: We all have at least one favorite brand or company that we enjoy working with. Write a list of these companies and pitch them first. More than likely, you already have an immediate contact and a rapport that will help you ask for the sponsorship.

2. Know what you are willing to do (and not do): For instance, when I am sponsored for an event, I want to enjoy the event and not be bogged down with a huge itinerary of things to do while I am at the conference. It’s hard to enjoy it and get the most of out an event if you are always doing something on behalf of the sponsor. Know what you are willing to do, or not do. Are you willing to wear t-shirts, pass out materials, work a booth at the event?

3. Know the rules: Some conferences, such as BlogHer, outline the rules of having a sponsor for their conference. You have to make sure that what the brand is asking you to do is within those rules or guidelines. Conferences have sponsors themselves that have paid big money to be at the event, so they don’t want your sponsorship to overstep it’s bounds. Plus if you do, you may be asked to leave the conference.

4. Don’t be afraid to sell yourself: When pitching a company for sponsorship, you have to sell yourself, and that means tooting your own horn. Don’t be afraid to do this! Let them know your reach and demographic, as well as your social media influence numbers. If you were featured on television or online on a popular website, add that! If you are uneasy about preparing your pitch (which may consist of a media kit), ask a peer to help you create one.

5. Know your strengths: One strength I have is that I have a large African American readership. This would come into play with a company or brand that wants to reach out to this target demographic. A large group of my readers are also college educated and work for a living, so for a company who wants to appeal to that area, I would be a good fit. Know your numbers, your demographic, and the base of readers in which you serve, and use that to your advantage.

6. Get your social networking on: Reaching out to brands and companies on Twitter, Facebook, Google +, et al authentically can go a long way. After conversing with you online, a brand may determine that you are a good fit for sponsorship. Never underestimate the power of social networks or the power of connecting online. Building the rapport and relationship takes time, but the one-on-one action you may receive from that brand or company may be the key to asking for sponsorship.

7. Know what you need: Before you pitch or ask for sponsorship dollars, know the amount you need. How much is the conference registration, hotel, and travel costs? Can you cover some of the costs on your own? Would you be able to settle for a partial sponsorship amount?

Obtaining a sponsorship for a conference, trade show, or event is a wonderful way to be able to achieve your goal of attending the conference without worrying about all of the expenses. I hope these tips help you! Viva la’ conference!

P.S. Sponsorship not your thing? Maybe becoming a conference volunteer is for you! Details on how to do that coming up on my blog soon! Stay tuned!

The post Blogging 101: 7 Tips For Snagging a Sponsorship for a Conference appeared first on The Cubicle Chick.

When I first began The Cubicle Chick two years ago, I had no idea that there were so many conferences out there pertaining to blogging and social media. It wasn’t until I attended my first conference in the summer of 2010 that I saw the diverse list of conferences offered to us each year. With so much being offered, how does one narrow down the conferences that would most benefit them? It’s a very difficult thing to do.

I am a glorified conference junkie and I am proud to say it. But don’t let this post fool you—I cannot in any way attend all the conferences that I want to go to. Even with a sponsor helping defray some of the costs, it can still be quite taxing and time consuming to attend conferences. Add that I have a family at home that also have schedules and events they attend as well, so it’s quite a balancing act. I generally go to conferences that have a track record for being exceptional events (meaning the word on the street about them is good), and ones that I can learn information from and network with others. Cost and location are also factors as well. For instance BlogHer and BlogWorld are both in NYC this year. And even though I love The Big Apple, I don’t want to go there twice in a span of a few months. So I have to choose the best one for me and my needs.

So after a lot of thought and careful planning, these are the conferences I am planning to attend this year:

• Propel! (Atlanta, March 10th)
• Bloggy Boot Camp, (St. Louis, April 21st)
• Type-A Parent (Charlotte, June 22-24th)
• Blogging While Brown (Philadelphia, June 1-2)
• BlogHer (New York City, August 1-2)
• Show Me the Blog (St. Louis, October 19-20th)*

A lot can change as I perhaps garner sponsorship and travel opportunities, so this list may not be final. But for now, these conferences are listed in my calendar and I have already purchased my tickets for a few of them.

How can you select what conferences you should attend this year?

• Money is always a factor as not everyone can garner a paid sponsorship to every conference event they would like to attend. I view attending a conference and paying for my ticket as an investment in my business. I also write it off as a business expense on my taxes (as well as all of my travel fees).
• Content is critical too. Before I buy a ticket to a conference, I look for the content it will offer. The sessions, the speakers, the diversity. I want to feel that I will get something out of the event, no just go to be going.
• Location is also key for me. I love attending conferences in a city I haven’t spent a lot of time in so I can also use it as a vacation.
• Reputation for conferences goes a long way. For me, if others are singing its praises, then it’s something I want to attend for myself.
• Beware of free conferences. I fell into a trap of that last year during a conference. The ticket was free so I thought, why not? But once I arrived and went to the sessions, it wasn’t a well run conference. Some of the speakers advertised on the website and program weren’t even there. So free isn’t always good. Do your homework.

What conferences are you planning to attend this year? And what conference should I attend that is not on this list?

The post What Conferences Are You Planning to Attend This Year? appeared first on The Cubicle Chick.

After several months of planning, Show Me the Blog Social Media and Blogging Conference is almost here. After last year’s inaugural conference, I challenged myself once again to organize another conference, this time without any hiccups or snafus. I am not sure if I will meet that goal but once thing is for sure—the conference is next week and it’s full steam ahead from here.

This year, several things are different. I expanded the conference to two days—Day #1 will focus on Social Media and Day #2 will focus on blogging. It will be held at Lumiere Place Hotel and Casino in downtown St. Louis, the center of it all. I am looking forward to the conference and I think I have assembled a well-rounded, well-versed group of social media folk from all different backgrounds and persuasions. It has always been my goal to have a social media conference that was reflective of the social media community that I see online—not just a group of people who have been deemed the “experts”, but a mixture of experiences and backgrounds.

We have attendees registered that are coming from New York, Tennessee, Arkansas, Illinois, and more.

I am geeked!

If you are in the St. Louis area October 21 and/or October 22nd, then I would love for you to attend Show Me the Blog. Two day passes are $75 and a one day pass is $50. How many social media conferences do you know that are that cheap?

For more information on Show Me the Blog, visit the official site HERE. You can also see the schedule of sessions HERE and see our line-up of speakers HERE.

It’s on next week!

The post Show Me the Blog is Almost a Week Away! appeared first on The Cubicle Chick.

It’s not about the swag, but oh my. I had over 8 bags full of swag and gifts that were given to me and other attendees at this year’s BlogHer in San Diego that just wrapped up on Sunday, so I shot a late night video to give you just a snapshot of all of the goodies I got.

The post Late Night Video: BlogHer ’11 Swag Haul appeared first on The Cubicle Chick.

Here I am, just getting into my seat for my flight to BlogHer. I am so excited to be going to my first ever BlogHer Conference taking place this year in San Diego, the motherload of all blogging conferences for women. I am so looking forward to an awesome time meeting new friends and bonding with old ones at the many parties and events that surround the conference. I am so thankful to Chicalogic for making this possible for me to attend.

Talk to ya when I land, Cubes and Dudes!

P.S. This post was written on my trusty Android with my WordPress app. Pow!

The post I’m Leaving on a Jetplane appeared first on The Cubicle Chick.