BlogHer Conferences

Treasuring The Handwritten Card

Frelle — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 20:29:35 +0000

BlogHer 11 was my very first BlogHer conference. I loved so many aspects of attending, but one stands out in my mind, 6 months later, as having made a lasting impact.

Hallmark was one of the sponsors at BlogHer11, and they hosted a Recharge Suite where they provided a relaxing, beautifully lit, comfortable space to not only juice up your electronics, but chill out and center yourself. To take a moment for you amidst the sessions, events, and unrelenting socialization.

The wonderful women at Hallmark encouraged conference-goers to sit and chat, to partake of the gourmet chocolate chip cookies and other refreshments in the suite. We were invited to make use of the private skype stations they had set up to make calls to friends and family back home, and to investigate and try out the new recordable storybooks in their line of products.

My favorite aspect of the Hallmark Suite at Blogher was the unique and generous way that greeting cards were invited to be shared. Hallmark provided free greeting cards, with no limit on amount, for conference attendees to write in, address, and send to loved ones outside the conference, free of charge.

We were also encouraged to send cards to other conference attendees. Just by writing the twitter username of the person we wished to gift with a card, Hallmark would @ them and announce that they had mail waiting in the Hallmark suite. In another generous move, if an attendee didn't get to the suite, or didn't receive the alert until after the conference, Hallmark contacted the recipient for postal information and sent the card to them at home.

I'm a words person. I love to encourage others. I was over-the-moon excited that I could take a few minutes and hand-write a Hallmark card to some of my favorite blogging friends, and give them a small gift from me to take home from BlogHer. One of the cards I sent was to my friend Eileen.

BlogHer Conference Update - - February 10, 2012

loriluna — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 21:00:00 +0000

Happy Weekend! We've had another busy week and we're happy to share a very important announcement and some gentle reminders, onward and forward...

We are pleased to announce the International Activist BlogHer Scholarship Nominations for 2012. This is unique and special programming element to BlogHer where we are able to showcase women making a difference abroad by raising awareness, consciousness, or funding to change their community, region, nation, or the world!

Polly explains it best in her post this week:

BlogHer won the Anita Borg Social Impact Award from the Anita Borg Institute. The Award came with $10,000 in prize money. After community discussion, we decided to spend the award money offering four scholarships to bring activist women bloggers from around the world to BlogHer '09 in Chicago to present their work.
The panel was so empowering, so enriching and so inspiring that we decided we needed to continue the scholarship program, even with no unexpected windfall to subsidize it. So we did it in 2010, and again in 2011. Each time it has been stirring, inspiring, empowering, and humbling to hear the recipients talk about what they're doing in their communities back home, and how they're using social media to advance those aims.

Now is the time to nominate that amazing woman for the International Activist BlogHer Scholarship Nominations for 2012 and yes, it can be YOU!

Another important announcement for BlogHer '12 in New York is short and simple - early bird pricing ends on 2/29/12 (yay for Leap Year), register today and save $100!

And if you are planning on staying at the host hotel, the Hilton New York, please use this link to register online. Note: the BlogHer rate is valid August 1 - 5 only; if you are planning on staying before or after the prevailing rate will apply and it is recommended you call 1-800-HILTONS (code BLOG) to book your stay.

In addition to the announcements above we have also secured a small block of rooms for BlogHerEntrepreneurs in March; secure your room today.

Here are the gentle reminders:

We have announced our first round of mentors for BlogHerEntrepreneurs - check out Elisa post and register today
There is still time to register for BlogHer Food '12 in Seattle and book your hotel room!

Watch for more announcements next week!

Until then...

Lori Luna
vp, event operations

Announcing the 2012 International Activist BlogHer Scholarship Nominations!

Polly Pagenhart — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 23:24:06 +0000

Today we are proud to announce the BlogHer '12 International Activist BlogHer scholarship program and invite you to submit yourself or your favorite international activist BlogHer for consideration for this scholarship.

The Back Story:

In 2008, BlogHer won the Anita Borg Social Impact Award from the Anita Borg Institute. The Award came with $10,000 in prize money. After community discussion, we decided to spend the award money offering four scholarships to bring activist women bloggers from around the world to BlogHer '09 in Chicago to present their work.

The panel was so empowering, so enriching and so inspiring that we decided we needed to continue the scholarship program, even with no unexpected windfall to subsidize it. So we did it in 2010, and again in 2011. Each time it has been stirring, inspiring, empowering, and humbling to hear the recipients talk about what they're doing in their communities back home, and how they're using social media to advance those aims.

The 2012 International Activist Blogger Scholarship Program:

So today we open up the BlogHer 2012 International Activist Scholarship Program. If you or someone you know is a woman blogger, living outside the United States and blogging to raise awareness, consciousness, or funding to change their community, region, nation, or the world, then please nominate yourself or such a bloggerto win one of the three scholarships available this year. As with any of our programs, we encourage women to nominate themselves. Stand up and ask for the attention you deserve! Or by all means, call our attention to someone whose work deserves trumpeting.

Scholarship Winners Will Receive:

A full 2-day conference pass to BlogHer '12
Round trip airfare to and from New York, NY for the BlogHer '12 annual conference
2 nights stay at the Hilton New York during the conference
The opportunity to present their work during a session at BlogHer '12

The Criteria:

If you review the nomination form, you'll see that we're asking you to describe not only the mission of the blog/blogger and how they are effecting change, but also how they could benefit from their BlogHer experience.

How Winners Will Be Chosen:

We have formed a committee of eight to help choose the scholarship winners. Four of the committee members are BlogHer employees:

Elisa Camahort Page, BlogHer co-founder and COO
Polly Pagenhart, BlogHer Conference Programming Director
Shannon Carroll, BlogHer Conference Programming Manager
Amelia Elsbee, BlogHer Marketing Coordinator (and former International Student Program administrator)

And four of the committee members are highly respected women from the online community at large, including one of last year's scholarship winners:

Cheryl Contee, Partner, Fission Strategy and co-founder of Jack & Jill Politics
Angelica Perez-Litwin, Psychologist and publisher and CEO, New Latina
Reem Amr Abbas, author, Wholeheartedly Sudaniya, and recipient of a 2011 BlogHer International Activist Blogger Scholarship
Jessica Ferris, author, Chirky (and former BlogHer Conference Programming Manager)

The Timeline:

Because getting visas can be a huge issue, depending on the nation of residence, our timeline is brisk.

Nominations Open: Now! Submit nominations here.
Nominations Close: March 7, 2012
Winners Notified: March 31, 2012

If you have any questions at all, please don't hesitate to contact me or BlogHer conference programming manager Shannon Carroll.

It is not an exaggeration that many of us who work on this find it to be one of the brightest highlights in a year of highlight-filled programming. It is truly an honor to learn about the ways so many are making so much positive change, using the power of their words and actions online. And it's a thrill to see the recipients bring that energy to conference attendees here in the States. Please help us spread the word far and wide!

Yours,

polly@blogher.com

for Elisa, Jory, Lisa, and the entire Conference Programming Team

BlogHer Conference Update - - February 3, 2012

loriluna — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0000

Happy weekend friends! We've had a couple of really great announcements this week so I want to make sure you are up to speed on all conference related items.

BlogHerEntrepreneurs

On Thursday Elisa announced our first group of mentors for the Entrepreneurs event in March. Elisa describes these women best as:

"...amazing women leaders and role models who have signed on to share their experience, their expertise and their advice with our 100 attendees. They represent the sharpest minds in technology, social, and media, and they are ready to help the next generation of innovators and creators."

We are selling quickly so if you have a brilliant idea and are ready for the next level, this is the conference for you. Register now and join us March 22 & 23 in Silicon Valley.

The other big announcement centers around BlogHer Food '12 in Seattle - our agenda is complete!

We've got panels over two days in five different tracks -- Values, Vittles, Visuals, Vocation, and Voice -- as well as multiple Innovator Interviews and other fun. Take a peek at Polly's post and start planning your days with us in Seattle. And if you haven't registered, here is a quick and easy link, join us in June for fun, food and friends.

Last but not least, early bird pricing ends on February 29 (yep, an extra day - thank you Leap Year); register today and save $100 on the price of a full conference ticket.

Watch for more announcements next week!

Until next time...

Lori Luna
vp, event operations

BlogHer Food '12 Community Forum

BlogHer Entrepreneurs '12: Meet Our First Group of Mentors

Elisa Camahort — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 17:00:00 +0000

Last month we announced our second annual event for entrepreneurial women, this March at the Citrix Executive Briefing Center in Santa Clara, CA.

I am now proud to unveil the first group of amazing women leaders and role models who have signed on to share their experience, their expertise and their advice with our 100 attendees. They represent the sharpest minds in technology, social, and media, and they are ready to help the next generation of innovators and creators.

Without further ado, many thanks to this first group of confirmed mentors for BlogHer Entrepreneurs '12. If you want one of the few remaining slots for the conference (open only to 100 attendees), register here!

Funders and Acquirers. Including Amy Errett, Partner at Maveron, Lila Ibrahim, Partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield Byers, Janice Roberts of Mayfield Fund, Heidi Roizen, Partner at Draper Fisher Jurvetson, and Ann Winblad of Hummer Winblad

Entrepreneurs. Including Sue Callaway, Founder and CEO of the Auto 100, Barb Dybwad, co-founder of Tecca, Holly Hamann, serial entrepreneur and co-founder of BlogFrog, Shani Higgins, CEO of Technorati, Sandy Jen, co-founder of Meebo, Joanne Lang, CEO of AboutOne, Nicole Lazzaro, Founder of XEO Design, Alicia Morga, serial entrepreneur, angel and Founder/CEO of Refleta.com, Ellen Pack, co-founder of appSmitten and former co-founder of Women.com, and Kim Polese, former CEO of Marimba and SpikeSource.

Intrapreneurs. Including Christina Allen, Director of Product Management at LinkedIn, Amy Chang, Director of Google's Measurement and Reporting initiatives, Catherine Courage, VP Product Design at Citrix Systems, Gabrielle Toledano, Executive VP of Human Resources at Electronic Arts, and Telle Whitney, President and CEO of the Anita Borg Institute

Advisors and Service Providers for Entrepreneurs. Including Angela Benton, Founder and CEO of NewMe Accelerator, Shaherose Charania, CEO of Women 2.0, Deborah Jackson, Founder of Women Innovate Mobile (WIM), and Jen Shelby of Astia

Analysts, Trendwatchers, Media and Sales & Marketing Experts. Including Susan Etlinger of Altimeter and Shelley Taniguchi Sabol, Relationship Management Consultant

Stay tuned for the next group, to be announced in the next couple of weeks. We just couldn't keep the above group of impressive women under our hats any longer.

Elisa Camahort Page
BlogHer
elisa@blogher.com
My BlogHer profile truly shows you everything I do online...Check it out!!

Announcing the BlogHer Food '12 Agenda!

Polly Pagenhart — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 18:48:09 +0000

Today I'm excited to announce the agenda for this year's BlogHer Food conference, June 8-9 in Seattle! We received a bushel of proposals for topics, speakers, and full-blown panels. Our valiant BlogHer Food '12 Conference Advisory Committee (named in this post) spent their end-of-the-year holidays poring over your ideas, and delivered up their recommendations. We can't thank them enough for their contribution. This past few weeks, we here at BlogHer took your submissions and their recommendations and did our best to sift and sort, making sure we put together a program that was nutritious yet indulgent, reliably gratifying with an undertone of the unexpected and notes of inspiration.

This year, like every year, the hard work was in the winnowing. We received a record number of responses to our Call for Ideas, more than five times as many panel suggestions as there are time slots in fact, and fielded hundreds of speaker suggestions to go with them. To pull the best program from that cornucopia of ideas, we did a little seasoning, sometimes blending vigorously between multiple proposals; some we just cooked from scratch.

All along, we've been paying attention to what you've said you want to hear, and what the top-notch group of advisors (all food bloggers) have indicated are "must-have" topics. Alice Currah noted, when she delivered her recommendations, that she wants to see content that is "fresh, relevant, and practical." We hope that's what you'll find.

We've got panels over two days in five different tracks -- Values, Vittles, Visuals, Vocation, and Voice -- as well as multiple Innovator Interviews and other fun. You'll be inspired by the work of gifted photographic storytellers, tireless activists, and imaginative writers. You'll learn how to boost your traffic with smarter tools, process gorgeous images for next-to-nothing, and market your food writing inventively and effectively. We're taking you and your camera on location. We're going to get hands-on cutting veggies and mixing drinks.

We've also heard you that in this fourth year of the conference, and within a food blogosphere that has grown wildly, we need to focus panels to different levels of expertise and experience. You'll note that we've noted the level of each panel, and that there are panels for everyone from beginning to advanced bloggers, photographers, writers, and marketers in each time slot. We hope this way, each of you can build your own agenda, perfect for where you are in your blogging journey right now.

Go peruse the BlogHer Food '12 Agenda page, now stocked with panel titles, and imagine these conversations unfolding in front of you up in Seattle this June. And keep that napkin tucked into your collar, as we will be filling in the blanks you see over the coming days and weeks!

Note: If you submitted to our call for ideas, you should have received a response email today, either way, yea or nay. If you did not receive it, feel free to email me and our new conference programming manager, Shannon Carroll.

Yours,

polly@blogher.com

for Elisa, Jory, Lisa, and the entire Conference Programming Team

Saying Hello

mrlady — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 20:12:14 +0000

They say you never really know a person until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes, and after last week, I can confirm for you that the proverbial "they" are absolutely correct.

Last week, Jes Ferris announced that she will soon be leaving BlogHer, and I am *beyond* excited to announce that I am taking on her role as Conference Programming Manager. Jes and I spent the past week together, “brain-dumping” everything I will need to know in order to transition seamlessly(ish) into her role on the Programming team at BlogHer, alongside Polly Pagenhart.

I have to tell you, Jes Ferris has big feet.

Even as a veteran speaker at BlogHer’s Annual conferences, I never really grasped the full magnitude of all Jes and Polly, along with Elisa and Lori and the entire Events team, do to make these conferences the amazing events that they are -- powerhouses of knowledge and experience and fresh ideas to educate, inspire, and empower women. It’s a tremendous amount of thought and work and oh lord, the spreadsheets.

I am exuberant about this grand challenge before me, to find a way to best unite and combine and showcase your voices. BlogHer has meant so much to me, both as a blogger and as woman, and I can’t wait to pay those gifts forward to all of you.

What moves me most about the BlogHer community is that we are an endless sea of unique, changing, contrasting, raucous voices, thundering against the shores of what we as women are expected to say, to be, to feel. We are changing the landscape of our lives simply by daring to share them with each other, freely and openly, for the whole world to hear. This is why we don’t keep diaries under our mattresses, because together our voices are strong and beautiful and are changing the world. Each and every one of us. Even those we don’t always agree with.

And now, it’s my job to listen to all of you. Pinch me?

Some of you might know me as Mr Lady, but my name is actually Shannon Carroll, and I’m your Conference Programming Manager. I was a speaker at BlogHer '09 and BlogHer '11, a part of the first annual Voices of the Year Community Keynote at BlogHer '08.

[photo by Aimee Giese/Greeblemonkey]

I’m a personal blogger, a mother to three, a wife to one, and an unrepentant cookie assassin. I can be reached by email, on twitter, and on Google+.

And I really can’t wait to get to know you, too.

BlogHer '12 Community Forum

BlogHer Food '12 Call for Volunteers

Rachel Ladd — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 17:00:00 +0000

Is your tummy rumbling for another BlogHer Food conference, but your bank account is a little thin this year? Sign up to volunteer for the conference and you could get a free admission and a very happy tummy! We need your help to make this years BlogHer Food as delicious as 2011. Sign up to be a Mic Wrangler, Registration Desk Helper or Live Blogger for your chance at a free admission into BlogHer Food '12 in Seattle, Washington in June!

What is a BlogHership, you ask? BlogHerships are a way for people who cannot afford the conference pass to a BlogHer event to still attend. BlogHerships are always volunteer positions at the conferences. If we are asking for a significant amount of your time, effort or elbow grease to get something done at the conference, then we will compensate you with a full conference pass. All BlogHerships are designed to cover the $306.44 registration fee only, and do not include travel expenses.

Read more about the various volunteer positions below.

Mic Wranglers: Movers and shakers apply here! Mic Wranglers will need to maneuver through rooms to deliver the microphone to attendees who want to make their voices heard. This task is especially important because it also affects audio recordings, so you'll need to be able to move about the room quickly. The estimated time commitment is two sessions (2.5 hours) per day.
Registration Desk Helpers: This job encompasses more than being a friendly face -– Registration Desk Helpers have the critical task of coordinating check-in for attendees, providing badges, tote bags and maps, answering myriad questions and being a general know-it-all (or at least knowing where to find the answers). The estimated time commitment is three (3) hours per day.
LiveBloggers: Can you type quickly? Do you have a knack for remaining unbiased? In this position, volunteers will create an official record of assigned sessions for both attendees and non-attendees to reference. You must transcribe the session as it plays out, not summarize or editorialize the discussion between panelists and attendees. LiveBloggers must use their own wifi enabled laptops. The estimated time commitment is two sessions (2.5 hours) per day.

If you are interested in a BlogHership, don’t delay; you have until February 17, 2012 to apply.

Now for the Conference details:

When: June 8-9, 2012

Where: Fairmont Olympic Hotel, Seattle, Washington

See you in Seattle!!!

BlogHer Conference Update -- January 20, 2012

loriluna — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 22:00:00 +0000

Happy Weekend! Lots of fun things happening here with the BlogHer Conferences team so let's get started...

Did you see we have launched our Call for Volunteers for both BlogHer '12 in NYC and BlogHerEntrepreneurs? Check out what a BlogHership is all about and submit your request. We have said it from the beginning: Our volunteers help make our events so special.

Speaking of BlogHerEntrepreneurs... it's time to register for a conference that is unlike any other! Here you will meet the creme de la creme of women in business, talk to them one-on-one and make decisions that will likely shape your future. We have a limited number of spaces available so register today!

And as I mentioned above we are accepting a limited number of volunteers for this conference so do not delay, submit your request today.

If food is more your style, we have the conference for you -- BlogHer Food '12 in Seattle. It's our fourth annual Food conference and like all the others, it is sure to be a fun, food filled two days. Register today and book your hotel room at our host hotel, the historical Fairmont Olympic hotel.

Then we move on to New York City for BlogHer '12!! We are planning some new and exciting things for this conference and of course we'll bring back some of the things we know you love (nope, not telling yet). Trust me when I say it's going to be another great time with friends and lots of learning too!

Register for BlogHer '12, book your hotel room and join us for a few fabulous days in one of our favorite cities. Remember we are currently accepting applications to be a volunteer -- submit your request today!

Finally, we are sad to say we are losing a member of the BlogHer Conferences team, Jes Ferris, but, we're gaining someone new (more on that later). Check out Jes' post in our Career section and wish her a fond farewell.

Until next time...

Lori Luna
vp, event operations

Photo Credit: Asher-Sears Photography.

BlogHer Food '12 Community Forum

BlogHerEntrepreneurs '12 Call for Volunteers

Rachel Ladd — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 16:11:52 +0000

*************UPDATE: Thank you for all of your submissions! The BlogHerEntrepreneurs '12 Call for Volunteers is now officially closed.****************

Help Us Help You (circa Jerry Maguire)! Sign up to be a volunteer today and if you’re accepted you get a complimentary pass to BlogHerEntrepreneurs ‘12!

We want to make this year’s BlogHerEntrepreneurs Conference even better than last years, but we can’t do it without you- our volunteers! We have positions open in mic wrangling, live blogging or registration desk helper. Apply for a BlogHership today and you could get a free conference pass to BlogHerEntrepreneurs ’12 in Santa Clara, California!

What is a BlogHership, you ask? BlogHerships are a way for people who cannot afford the conference pass to a BlogHer event to still attend. BlogHerships are always volunteer positions at the conferences. If we are asking for a significant amount of your time, effort or elbow grease to get something done at the conference, then we will compensate you with a full conference pass. All BlogHerships are designed to cover the $249 registration fee only, and do not include travel expenses.

Read more about the various volunteer positions below.

Mic Wranglers: Movers and shakers apply here! Mic Wranglers will need to maneuver through rooms to deliver the microphone to attendees who want to make their voices heard. This task is especially important because it also affects audio recordings, so you'll need to be able to move about the room quickly. The estimated time commitment is two sessions (2.5 hours) per day.

Registration Desk Helpers: This job encompasses more than being a friendly face -– Registration Desk Helpers have the critical task of coordinating check-in for 4,000 attendees, providing badges, tote bags and maps, answering a myriad of questions and being a general know-it-all (or at least knowing where to find the answers). The estimated time commitment is three (3) hours per day.

LiveBloggers: Can you type quickly? Do you have a knack for remaining unbiased? In this position, volunteers will create an official record of assigned sessions for both attendees and non-attendees to reference. You must transcribe the session as it plays out, not summarize or editorialize the discussion between panelists and attendees. LiveBloggers must use their own wifi enabled laptops. The estimated time commitment is two sessions (2.5 hours) per day.

If you are interested in a BlogHership, don’t delay; you have until February 3, 2012 to apply.

Now for the Conference details:

When: March 22-23, 2012

Where: Citrix Executive Briefing Center, 4980 Great American Parkway, Santa Clara, CA 95054

See you in Santa Clara!!!