A huge SHOUTOUT to Blogger Babes for giving me the opportunity to grow as an influencer and experience The Collective Conference LA held in Wanderlust Hollywood! 

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Influencer… what?

I started officially blogging after graduation. I had ZERO idea on what an “influencer” even was or that, it even existed as a term. When I first found out I had WON a free ticket, thanks to a Blogger Babes giveaway, I wasn’t sure what to expect. This was my first time attending an influencer-type event, and at first, I was wondering, wow 10am-7pm? That’s longer than a regular work shift. Little did I know, boy was I in for a treat!

Upon arrival, I was immediately in awe with the aesthetics of this venue. I have to commend The Collective for choosing such an eloquent place paralleling not only THEIR style but all of the attendee’s styles as well. From bloggers to entrepreneurs to media powerhouses, the audience was diversified Los Angeles-edition. It was such an incredible experience just being in the same room as all of these like-minded individuals. So much passion and vision in one place, I knew this place was HOME for many.

Conference Galore

The tables were each gifted from different brands (I’m in LOVE with my new case! Thank you, Casetify!!), which I thought was insanely clever! From Quest Nutrition to Bliss & Baker to Dogeared, there was something for everyone. Hosted by Cristina Quitania, founder and host of the Refashion Podcast, she did an exceptional job introducing the founders of The Collective Ferial Moloo and Mary Vallarta (both highly visionary!) as well as the panelists. The day started off with “The Changing Faces of Influencers” with personal favorites – Lauryn Evarts from The Skinny Confidential to What’s Gaby Cooking? followed by a fireside chat “The Real Me” featuring Mr. Kate and Joey Zehr (so freakin’ cute – use code COLLECTIVELOVE for 20% off! ) Then Blythe Harris discussed how Stella & Dot came about (can you believe she was hit by a truck?! And still managed to get her vision onboard!!).

With Heidi Nazarudin The next panel on how to monetize trends consisted of my #girlboss Heidi Nazarudin (aka The Ambitionista/founder of Blogger Babes), Jennie Yoon from Casetify and one of my yummiest to-go places Guisados, just to name some favs. The day ended with “Getting Brand Communities Right” led by Destination Luxury and The Balanced Blonde followed by Cocktail Reception including Elizabeth Keene, June Quan, and Tommy Lei.

Who doesn’t love a good highlight? *wink*

Highlighting just a quick recap, here are my Top 10 takeaways from the panels and discussions:

1. Have a schedule. Use Google Calendar. Create editorial boards. Gaby from What’s Gaby Cooking? mentioned using giant editorial boards with post-its to make things interchangeable and flexible. Plan ahead (most of these visionaries plan up to at least 6 months ahead!)
2. Evolve and pivet. Don’t get too comfortable. It is indeed a 24/7 job, but that’s the thing; entrepreneurs are the only people to work 80 hours a week just to avoid working 40 hours.
3. Create a story. Build that narrative/story. What is valuable to YOU?
4. Don’t swim with the other fish. STAND OUT. Ride YOUR platform.
5. It’s not about the medium, it’s about the message. Have your community walk away with VALUE.
6. The Power of Snapchat – it’s raw, authentic, genuine, and filled with imperfections. Let them know the real you.
7. Consistency. It’s not about the person coming in the first time; it’s about them coming in for the SECOND time. It’s all about dependability.
8. Use different content for each platform. What is your audience on each one?
9. Include your followers in the process. Reach out to them as this increases engagement and organic growth. It’s not about the numbers.
10. Stay resistant to brands and true to yourself!

Aside from the panelists, I had the chance to meet so many other bloggers, influencers, digital content creators, entrepreneurs… To be in a room filled with creative minds is an eye-opener. With today’s time and age, trends in fashion, food, and travel all overlap. When you go on someone’s blog, you not only want to know what they did in Greece per say, but you also want to know their outfit deets, what they ate, etc. It’s exciting to see such immense growth in one cultured melting pot, and I could only imagine the creative works to come 5 years from now.

My faves – Anne Phung & June Quan of StirandStyle

Appreciation + Gratitude

Just wanted to thank zeroUV and Keep Collective for their generous gifting suites (I’m in love with my sunglasses + personalized bracelet!) as well as Salt & Straw (the best damn way to have dairy!), The District by Hannah An, Wanderlust, and The Springs for feeding us during Taste of LA… and of course, to top it all off, CHAMPAGNE! This conference was definitely one for the books! Only at conferences, such as this one, will you find digital content creators DOCUMENTING everything! From pictures taken at every single angle to phrases such as “flat lay” or “on brand” casually being thrown around, influencer-type events are starting to dawn on my niche! Let’s grow our vision together. Until next time! xo

PS: I adore how these flowers are so ON BRAND! 😉