Hey y’all! This was not the intended post I had in store for today, but I wanted to answer the questions I received over social media in regards to my post yesterday regarding the #rStheCon. I spent literally hours on Snapchat trying to respond to people & explain questions, & it got overwhelming so I figured this was the best way to share. You can read all about the conference here from my post yesterday as well as see all the outfits I wore during the conference. I made one statement in the post mentioning I learned a lot (some good, some bad), & it sparked a lot of interest so here we go. The good, the bad, the ugly. You can probably catch some snippets of my snapchat last night talking about it (user name is @lawrenbagley).
First off the good. I enjoyed going to Dallas & being able to meet new brands & have one on one sit downs with companies. They were all very kind & it was nice to discuss how we can work together. The classes were informative & I learned new things in regards to technical stuff I would have never otherwise. I also enjoyed getting to meet a lot of women that I speak with literally every day on social media. It’s always nice to put a face to a name. I really enjoyed getting to know my roomie Kristin better, & because it seems we have a lot of the same values we got along really well. With all that said I was there for my business. The fact that I was able to meet & spend time with other ladies was a plus, but it’s not a cheap trip. We have to pay for our flight & stay, & let’s be honest…most of us bought new outfits for the themed parties. I had some great conversations with brands (there were about 25 of there), & the classes were pretty decent. If something comes of the brand meetings it would have been worth it. If it doesn’t….let’s just say I won’t be going back. I suppose that leads me to the bad.
Did I have a good time? Yes…BUT…it also kinda sucked. I’m a very peppy & nice person, & unfortunately that’s just not how most of this crowd was when it came to the other bloggers. It was quite literally the “you can’t sit with us” mentality, & “we’re too good for you.” I’ve never in my life been at an event where women were so catty. I don’t even know how to explain it, but even the women who you think are going to be nice are just plain bitches…including some I speak with on a daily basis via social media. #Sad. I hate to swear & say that, but I honestly think it’s meant to be said because they don’t deserve a nicer word. By golly we are the top 200 publishers for a company all there for the same reason. We should be giving each other high fives & hugs, not putting our noses up at each other. It was really unfortunate to witness. I have not been more surprised & flabbergasted by women in my life. I expected something so much different from most of these women, but for the most part it was just really disappointing. I am always so happy & supportive of anyone who can do well, & I wish that’s how these other women thought. This leads me to final thoughts.
Like I stated, all of the brands I got to speak with were fantastic & that’s what I was there for. Unfortunately each blogger only had a few one on one brand meetings aka a “formal” sit down when you’re there by yourself speaking with a rep. The rest of the time was in the brand suite where it’s kind of just a “free for all.” You still get to speak with a company rep, but it’s not as intimate & could be interrupted any second by someone else. Those were all still good, & I have no bad things to say about the brands. It’s the bloggers that were a disappointment. I like to surround myself with people that are uplifting & supportive, & this trip was not that. Luckily I had an awesome roommate, & I am so grateful that we got to know each other better & felt the same way about the conference. I’m happy to answer any other questions that you may have, just continue to shoot me an e-mail/tweet/snapchat, or whatever if you want to know anything. Please don’t bother asking me to divulge names though. That was a big question I got last night & am not going to share. This is simply my own opinion of what I experienced from the conference. I’m pretty sure most others won’t be speaking this openly, but I want to be honest & as helpful as I can. I don’t regret going as it may actually pay off. I do feel sad for the the people we were surrounded by though. I just don’t get it. Do unto other’s folks.