Of Vegas & Sexy Social Media Conference That was Blogalicious

Arriving in Vegas (via my Instagram)

Finally approaching Red Rock Resort & Spa

My new Samsung Galaxy & my jewelry taken off to work. Image c/o LBC

Roxana, me, Ana Flores, Rachel Matos

So in it! 

All kinds of goodies! (via Instagram except top left c/o LBC)

Yumminess at Tea Party

More Yumminess at Tea Party

Chrystal and me looking cray cray after 2 hour of dancing at the Doug E Fresh Gain Party (via my phone)

Sexy cabana at main pool (via my Instagram)

Sipping on a $16 cocktail, poolside

Welcome to Las Vegas! ¡Bienvenidos a Las Begas! ... as Cubans would say. It took me 5 days to recover from the most ratchet flight to the west coast and back ever. 9 hours there and 10 hours back, leaving at midnight from the bright city. I was not the chirpiest upon my return, having been up close to 36 hours w/out sleep... I was exhausted and wanted to desperately count sexy shoes in my dreams.

But I had just come back from Vegas so who cares I didn't sleep.

I went to Blogalicious 3 weeks ago for the 1st time and experienced what I really hadn't anticipated. Lots of boom, boom, bam and hey, there you are!  From the slated panels and sessions ranging from storytelling as explained by two friends Eric Payne and Taryn P., to how to maximize using G+ and Pinterest by my espresso addict friend Christy Glascoe and Stacy Teet, goddess of all things boards, to a tea party with a fabulous swag bag and uber cute petite fours, to meeting some "old" social friends in real life for the first time, the conference had the right amount of mixed events and sentiment. A little something for everyone. Even the picky palates got a hold of some good treats during the lunches... not to mention the decent 2 am breakfasts at the Grand Café for all of $2; fitting for the over-danced soul!

That's Vegas for you.

Those elements were some of the highlights for me but that means there were pensive, chill and really high moments not to be forgotten. As with any other social media and blogging conferences,  hundreds of people, some new, some veteran, are all scrounging to keep the calendars in check while making time to stop and chat. During one of the breakout sessions, I  connected with the event's media director, a super sweet young lady I've known via email for a few years, and who actually lives 4 miles from me in the DC-area. Putting a face to her name was one of those moments where I become really grateful for the social space that's been created for us with a voice. Xina and I enjoyed a cocktail, nibbled on some of Red Rock's sexy treats served during a mid-afternoon fiesta and talked about the business of blogging conferences. We split away for a second to enjoy a light Japanese dinner inside the resort. It was there I realized how much I was really enjoying a few days of listening to others' experiences, challenges and goals in blogging and branding; not attached to my laptop. I even left my DSLR in my dinky room (insert hotel CIRCUS CIRCUS) so I could enjoy talking to people. I opted to minimally snap a few pics with my new Samsung Galaxy II for Instagram and not over do it.

Blogging is not for the lazy. It's that one of few jobs where you do out of simple love for your own life and the things you do that make it special and worth sharing. Sure, not everyone may be interested in the nuances of your day to day or even your defined skill, but at the core it's a beautiful  way of curating your life for you to reflect on years down the road. With the amount of growing pains I've experienced and have seen others fight through, there's always a glimmer of sparkly hope when we come across opportunities to grow our blog, brand and business, if we've made one out of blogging, like  conferences, events, meet -ups  and public shindigs filled with like-minded people. We all gather  to scratch each others' brains in hopes of walking away with something new that you can apply immediately.

Learning at these conferences is always the objective. New tricks, tools, sites, leaders and concepts are the ideal list of "things to consider" when studying your blog and its direction. However, a successful conference always knocks it out the box with non-work, non-informational and purely fun events... Such was the McDonald's pool party for the ladies... full of sexy bodied men, mani's (I iced out my nails and have my initials done in crystals -- it's called branding, baby-- see pic above!),  ice cream, more swag and dancing. But the absolute highlight of the sidebar activities was the Doug E Fresh party where I, in my best 6" heels and skin tight jeans, stood and danced for 2 hours non-stop! I was in a time warp, taken back to my HS days where hip hop reigned and owning Guess jeans in every color scooted you to to the top of the cool clique.  All we did was dance. I won't share the video where a handful of us are showing off in a really oblivious manner that's gone viral. Because that would violate all kinds of cliche rules. Like the one that says "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas."

After attending 5 sessions, connecting with 4 potential new clients, sweating off 2 cocktails, 4 brownies and sushi at the retro party and later being kicked out by security out of a private suite hosted by my amazing sponsors at Sprint while hanging with my hot Latin hermanas, I left the main floors for the swanky poolside cabanas to enjoy the stunning weather and $16 cocktails.

Those are things that happen at conferences. Every bit of it. Sure, there are plenty of dirty little secrets, both good and bad that I've left out, but that's because you have to be there to live it for yourself.

Oh, my biggest take away? I learned how to do the Dougie at the golf course! This is going to be epic next time I'm at the range!

Looking forward to more conferences and more live interactions with the lovely people that visit my blogs or are just getting to know me. It's what makes these sphere go round and round!

*by the way, I never got around to wearing that pretty LBD I showed in my prep conference post. I stayed in jeans, shorts, tanks, and a hat of course! 

And, since I finally, finally got more familiar with my Samsung Galaxy II, I did a short vid chatting up how it helps me streamline my workload while traveling for work. Cuz you know, lugging that big Nikon is not always cute with my outfit and too clunky to carry. Thankfully, there's PhotoShop! Don't mind the light and background. I was in my remote work hole for the day after an intense workout.... 

Won't you follow and share on TWITTER| FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM  | GOOGLE + :) 

*I attended Blogalicious as part of an interactive campaign sponsored by Sprint and BoostMobile. I was compensated for this post as part of my relationship with them and Latina Bloggers Connect! All opinions, stories, thoughts, sayings, pictures and emotions are my own!  

Read More

Prepping For a Social Media Conference...in Vegas, Baby!

I'm the traveling type. You know... a family trip is always in due order at least once a year. Those are the most fun. My press trips are equally exciting, but require a different mind set. It's a deep plunge into work and constant analysis of what I see and learn. But then there are the spontaneous, less planned trips that are beneficial to my business -- not quite work and not all the way a vacay score. I find a way, though!

Blog conferences are that awesome medium where I get to get away and enjoy a bit of both sides of the equation. Especially when the hosting venue is a city like Vegas! Yes!! Blogalicious, a multicultural conference now in its 4th year, will be my home for 5 days next week (at least for me) in Sin City. It's officially on and I'm in pack mode.

The question is... what do I take?? The last conf. I attended was in Miami and I was a speaker and staying at my manager's place, so planning was a hectic in a different way. At least I know where I was staying and very familiar with the city. However, I've not been to Blogalicious before, though I spoke on a lovely and highly interactive panel in Atlanta last year in anticipation of the 3rd year which was in DC. So, as I got excited about being in Vegas, I went back to my mental notes on all the things past years attendees had to say about their experience, and started planning out my trip. Certain things had to be just right in order to make the trip a valuable experience, both from the business side, but also on the social. Social being some time to enjoy the amenities the resort has, some visits on the Strip and most importantly, meeting blogging friends I've known for some time and hooking up with the fabulous I've not seen in a minute.  That's always the most significant part of going on press trips and attending conferences. Nothing like the human connection.

And, since I haven't been to Vegas in 10 years and I'll be moving around a lot (b/c I'm staying on the strip and about 11 miles from the host hotel), I'm mostly concerned with packing smart and taking light yet sexy chic clothes that will defy the typical conference attire. After all, this is a social conference and standard rules don't always apply. We think for ourselves and a lot of us work from home. And in hot weather on the dessert, means airy clothes and fabulous shoes; maybe even a bikini and big fabulous hat!  And of course, my "can't-live-without" techie tools to make the intense session-hopping as efficient as possible.

Here are a few of my essential picks that must make their way to my suitcase...

Every chica needs a fabulous travel tote to carry all the necessities. Love this purple one from Michael Kors I was recently gifted.

These are too fun! Lighter than look, a funky platform that's comfortable and a kick-a$$ print! These will be the default shoe all weekend.

Scored these Sam Edelman sling-backs on eBay for a whopping $30, brand new and originally $110 at Nordstrom. Loooove these. By far my favorite purchase this past spring. 

A LBD because you never know what last minute cocktail party will present itself. This is from the Jason Wu collection at Target. I've yet to wear it and can't wait. So perfect and dainty. 

And to boot, I went out and bought an iPad! Yes, I did. Queen of procrastination. I've been fighting this purchase since the tablet came out but I realized how tired I am of lugging my laptop around just to take notes and hop online. I love my lil' sexy white mini-computer! I can do everything on it. It's so sleek and will alleviate some shoulder pain. And of course, no out of town trip would be effective or visually fun for those following on my outlets if it weren't for my for my phones, especially my new Samsung Galaxy II (with 4G lte) to capture the really important and delicious moments! I see it already.
Everything will be Instagram'd! Mobile devices are a lifesaver in these fast-paced environments. From From what I've seen so far on the Galaxy, I may be relying on it more than I anticipate!

3 more days, baby, 3 more days and off to the city of pecas. But I'm a good girl so we'll see how much damage I really do!

Thanks to the thoughtful folks at Sprint & LBC I get to hang in Vegas for a few days and finally experience everything I keep hearing about! I'm hoping to escape for a few hours to catch a show! I'm thinking on the lines of Cirque! A story behind that, but later for that.

I'm working on a quick vid of my frantic state of mind when waiting til the very last minute to pack for a trip using my new Samsung. I'm excited to see how this swanky piece of equipment works.
Stay tuned. Will share in the next few days!

{How do you prep for blogging conferences? Any must-haves in that suitcase or tote?}

Won't you follow and share on TWITTER| FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM  | GOOGLE + :) 

*I'm attending Blogalicious as part of an interactive campaign sponsored by Sprint and BoostMobile. I was compensated for this and a scheduled post-event recap. Thanks to the ladies of Latina Bloggers Connect for making this possible. 

Read More