BlogHer Part II- Swag

 

Photo courtesy of StimeyCapitalizing on the purchasing power of women, companies came out in full force and swag was everywhere. It randomly appeared in our rooms, could be found in suites all over the hotel, in the bags we picked up at registration, and all over the exhibit hall. Swag was nice at first and then became completely overwhelming. Each night Stimey, WhyMommy, and I retreated to our rooms for a night of sorting and debriefing. Had we not, we would have been swallowed by swag in our sleep. We traded among ourselves but also collected an amazing amount of stuff for the recycle room. We recycled bags of paper to stuff in the hotel’s recycling bins and gave full size bottles of shampoo, conditioner, hairspray, shaving cream etc. to Kim Moldofsky’s Save our Soap boxes that were heading to women’s shelters.

Many times the swag at BlogHer seemed excessive and was a sharp contrast to the stuff I got last month when I attended the National Educator’s Computer Conference (NECC). NECC is a conference that is designed for school administrators and teachers who integrate technology into instruction and attendees have to work a lot harder for swag. It is rare that you actually are handed something other than a pen at the conference. Teachers are happy to sit through a presentation for the chance to win something and often walk away with nothing other than the pen they were handed when they first approached the booth. This year there were more t-shirts being given out than in the past. An amazing number of NECC attendees roll the dice and don an ill-fitting shirt from an exhibitor for a chance to be spotted wearing it because maybe they will get a free laptop, website subscription, or a Flip. The coolest swag I got from NECC was a photo of me with Super Why and Princess Presto at the PBS booth and a Clifford flash drive from Scholastic.

The focus of the two conferences differ but the bottom line is about building awareness. While teachers have an amazing influence over classrooms of children and parents, BlogHer made me realize that educators aren’t seen as influencers like women bloggers are.

Ponder that for a moment.

Now here’s my BlogHer swag roundup:

Most Needed– The pair of socks from Hanes after the flight attendant on my flight accidentally knocked over my full glass of tomato juice just seconds after handing it to me. Since I was wearing capris, the tomato juice dripped down my legs and into my socks, staining them for all eternity and making them destined for the trash upon arrival in Chicago.

Most Delicious– The golden kiwis that were a fabulous and healthy late night snack. My dad has always grown kiwis at our home in California but the golden ones were a treat to try. I especially loved the spives (spoon/knife combination utensils) that were handed out to make the kiwis easy to eat. Little Miss Techie loves kiwis and I can see myself packing a kiwi and a spive in her lunch as she heads to kindergarten in the fall.

Most Indulgent– As a victim of an ambush makeover at the Social Luxe Louge, Momfluential’s Ciaran gifted me with a gorgeous new navy blue purse, bangle bracelets, Armani sunglasses, and a fabulous pink leopard print scarf that Little Miss Techie is sure to steal for her dress up collection and items that I probably wouldn’t splurge on for myself.

Most Shocking– I arrived to the Room 704 party quite fashionably late and there was a lot of buzz about certain items in the swag bags. 2 of the MamaLaw justices showed me the things that were from sponsor Eden Fantasies and thought they might be victims of some sort of hidden camera joke. Eden Fantasies…Use your imagination!

Most Unexpected– Gift cards that bloggers were giving out on behalf of their sponsors.

Most Imaginative– Graco’s Lindsey Lebresco was giving out prepaid FedEx shipping labels as swag so those who found her could spare some room in their suitcase. Since I didn’t score one, I was so grateful to have the largest L.L. Bean duffel we own packed into my carry on!

Most Wishing I Had Won– Zappo’s shopping spree or one of the laundry fairies who would have come to do our laundry for an entire year. Yes, really wash, fold, and put away! Sigh.

Best Overall Party Swag– Social Luxe Lounge, Mommy Needs a Cocktail (MNAC), and the Blogalicous Lush parties did not disappoint. Social Luxe had ginormous bags ‘o swag that were highly coveted. I love my shiny new stainless steel colander from the MNAC party but I think Stimey had wished that Kristen’s new baby, Mason, was in her bag! Thanks to Blogalicious and Lush I will smell fabulous with products both gifted and purchased. Mental note: product junkies like me should. not. bring. credit. cards. to. Lush. ever!

Most Wanted Swag: Coupons. The sheer volume of stuff was just too much. I appreciated the companies that handed out coupons to redeem for products later because they were easy to pack.

Last Year’s Swag That I Most Wanted Again This Year– An aluminum water bottle from LeapFrog. My beloved bottle is well traveled and suffered many encounters with the pavement. As a result, it is looking well worn and loved. I would have loved a second one this year!

Most Prevalent Swag– Deodorant. I don’t know about everyone else but ended up with 4 deodorants. Yes, 4. My pits will be in great shape for a long time!

Swag Trend– The prevalence of company sponsored suites made attendees go into a Where’s Waldo type hide and seek frenzy. Word quickly spread about the suites on various floors. UrbanMama and I joked about getting off at every floor just to see whose suites we had missed in our travels but were already overwhelmed with stuff.

Of course the conference wasn’t all about swag. It was about the chance to connect, form relationships, and learn which I appreciated the entire time I was there!