Plan to Meet The Brands at the 10th BlogPaws Conference

The 10th BlogPaws conference is only 14 days away and I couldn't be more excited!  (You can read my previous two posts here and here for more info and tips and tricks.) One of my roles as the Cat-Focused General Ambassador is helping attendees connect with brands. It’s helpful to have a strategy so you can make the best of your time in the exhibit hall.  

DEVELOPING A PLAN TO MEET AND INTERACT WITH THE BRANDS

1.  Have an elevator pitch 

An elevator pitch is a brief, persuasive speech that you use to spark interest in what you do. I’m still perfecting this, but I get a little better each year. You don’t have to have the perfect elevator pitch but you should be prepared to say what your blog is about. You don’t want to have the deer in the headlights look (like I did at my first conference!) TheMuse.com has some tips on How to Nail Your Elevator Speech. I recently realized I need to work on mine when my new vet asked me what I blog about!

2.  Bring Your Business Cards 

After you introduce yourself and give your elevator pitch, you want the brand representative to be able to get in touch with you. Don’t forget your business cards! Having a business card makes you look professional, organized, and seriously interested. Don’t worry about having fancy, expensive cards. You can print some at home that will be very professional looking. Canva has thousands of templates to help get you started. 

3. Be Social 

Interact with your favorite brands on social media before the conference. You can see the complete list of sponsors here. The list keeps growing, so keep checking it! Tweet about how you can’t wait to chat with them or share a post you wrote about one of their products; take a photo of your pet with one of their products and tag them on social media; tell the world why they’re meaningful to you. Get them familiar with your blog’s name and get on their radar.  You can find all the sponsor’s Twitter handles here. Being social doesn’t stop once the conference starts. Take photos of the booths and the products on display, or ask to pose for a photo with them. Post it all over social media and tag them. The brands will appreciate your efforts and the exposure. 

4.  Make a List

Sit down before the conference and make a list of brands you want to meet. Prioritize the list and start with your top choices and mark them off as you complete them. Trust me – you may have a plan in your head, but BlogPaws is such a whirlwind that you can quickly and easily forget who you wanted to meet. You don’t want to be sitting on the plane on the way home when it hits you: “Oh My Cat, I forgot to talk to Brand X!” Here’s a tip; there will be lots of cool products on display in the Cat Lounge that you can post about on social media.

5.  Follow-up 

Quick follow-up is so important! (Don’t do what I did after my first BlogPaws conference and wait too long or forget altogether. Learn from my newbie mistakes!)  Remember, the representatives will be speaking with a lot of people and it’s easy to forget a face that goes with a name, or even the name itself!  Quick follow up not only ensures they will remember you, it shows your level of interest in working with them and that working with them is important to you. (Remember to get their business card so you have the correct email address.) 

I’M AN AMBASSADOR!

In my role as the Cat-Focused General Ambassador I’ll be:

• Networking with both the cat-focused attendees and the brands/products.
• Sharing information about the brands on social media.
• Helping connect attendees with brands they are looking for or align with the brand’s needs.
• Helping attendees and brands get answers to any questions they may have.

Of course, if you have a need that is not cat-focused you can still seek me out and I will help you get your answer. 

SPONSORS I’M EXCITED TO MEET

As the sponsor list grows there are more brands I’m excited to see. Just a few are Chewy, Helen Woodward Animal Center, Petmate, Wellness, AAHA, Cuddle Clones and Morris Animal Foundation. I’ll be working on my plan very soon. 

10TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

This year marks BlogPaws’ 10th conference! There are many surprises in store for attendees such as experiential areas complete with a living room stocked with books written by the BlogPaws community. (I heard Lola and Lexy meowing about purrsonally pawtographing our book for the event – be sure to look for it!)  Did I already say I’m excited? I didn’t? Well, I am! 

Mark your calendars today! Here is all the info you need: 

• Dates: April 18 - 20, 2018
• Venue: The Sheraton Kansas City at Crown Center Hotel
• Location: Kansas Cty, MO

Haven’t registered yet? Use our link to get your ticket. And don't forget to make your hotel reservations here. 

I can’t wait to get to Kansas City to see old friends and make new ones. Will I see you there? 
Dawn
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of BlogPaws. The opinions and text are all mine.