Oh man. Before I dive into why you should attend a conference, let’s address the elephant in the room here…I own Snap – a conference for craft and DIY bloggers and creative entrepreneurs. In fact tickets for our 2016 event go on sale in two and a half weeks! Wowzers.

You might wonder how I can reasonably address this topic with such a bias. Here’s why. BEFORE starting Snap, I attended many other business conferences and still do to this day.

Next week I will be speaking at Type A, followed by a quick trip in November to Chicago to BlogHer Food. I anticipate attending at least one more event before Snap and I will be at Mom 2 immediately following.

On the surface, it looks like I travel to events simply to teach. Not so. I also travel to these conferences to take classes and if we’re being entirely honest, to play. However, there is an even more valuable reason to attend. I would go so far as to say it is the one thing that offers the HIGHEST potential to advance in our field. FACE TIME.

Real, in-person conversation is the inspiration for innovation. When you attend a conference the opportunity to sit down and chat with like-minded people will be invaluable. Here’s why…

8 Reasons Why You Should Attend A Conference

1. Inspiration. Being around other bloggers is inspiring. Everyone in the room “gets it” and we feed off of one another’s energy, which is motivating and encouraging. That inspiration often provides direction and next steps for business.
2. Opportunity. People like to collaborate with those they like and trust. People admire and share more from those they’ve met in person.
3. Connections. Face to face connections opens the door for you to have the attention of and talk to people you wouldn’t otherwise be able to easily talk to or find. Even more importantly, you will encounter others who will have a network you can tap into as well. Agencies represent multiple brands and bloggers work with a number of additional sponsors.
4. Growth. Consistently networking with NEW bloggers will help your blog to grow. Circling back with the same people over and over provides consistency, but doesn’t bring new life to the table. Working with new (to you) bloggers will provide you with access to a whole new audience.
5. Personal advice. Having like-minded creatives to talk to also gives you the opportunity to get advice from them on all sorts of things related to your blog or even your personal life and obtaining the ever elusive work-life balance.
6. Confidence. By pushing yourself to talk to people you don’t know, you will grow and learn how to facilitate future conversations and make lasting connections. This push will provide you with increased confidence to go and do!
7. Raise Your Profile. Being visible and getting noticed is a big benefit of attending conferences and meeting in person. Regular attendance ensures your face is known and will help you build your reputation as a knowledgable, supportive individual. This will result in support that will bolster your own blog.
8. Friendship. Nothing secures a friendship more than time spent in real life. You will make friends that will stay with you throughout your entire life, whether you’re blogging or not.

To those of you who’ve really got it in the pocket and think that a conference will not help you grow, consider the service you could give back to your blogging niche. You have unique knowledge and unique interests that might generate new ideas for someone else.

A rising tide floats all boats. In the long-term, helping others will only serve to help you.

Conferences are designed to make you think. To spark inspiration. They are where the next big thing truly lies. 

If you are a craft, DIY or home entertaining blogger or a creative entrepreneur, I hope you will give Snap Conference a try. Tickets for our 2016 event go on sale October 15.