In the beginning of January 2019, I decided to attend a blogger conference called Flock Presents in Orlando, Florida. At first when I saw a friend of mine was going, I thought, “What is a Flock Conference? Should I go to a Flock Conference?” I paid and signed up anyway because it was taking place inside Disney’s Contemporary Resort.
I think history has proven I’ll do just about anything to get into Disney. But I had the best experience and I learned a lot. I am writing this because I want to put my honest options out there to anyone who is considering a Flock Conference.
What are FLOCK Presents Conferences?
First of all, Flock conferences are for bloggers and influencers. You will only benefit from the conference content if you fall into those two categories.
I will tell you, Flock conferences are small. They aren’t like the huge BlogHer or Mom 2.0 type mega conference. They are small and intimate and you can usually meet and network with almost everyone who attends.
These mini conferences are typically 1 day long from morning to early evening. They can have a “workshop” type feel, depending on what the theme of the conference is. They have a few breaks and provide yummy lunches/snacks. But the information and sessions are intense so you will want to pay attention and take notes!
If you want to check out the actual website, check out Flock Presents.
Where are 2019 FLOCK Conferences?
No matter what type of blogger / influencer you are, Flock has a conference for you. They have content creator themed like travel, food, disney, etc. They are also focused specifically on blog traffic or insider social media info.
January 2019 there was the conference I attended. It was called “Beyond the Likes, Retweets, and Filters (Disney World)”. It was sponsored by the Disney Moms Panel and took place in Disney.
March 9, 2019, there is a Flock event happening in Nashville, Tennessee. It’s called “The Places You’ll Go: Capturing and Creating Extraordinary Travel Content”. This is great for any and all travel related creators!
April 13, 2019 in San Antonio, Texas will be a Flock presents, “More Than Just a Pretty Picture: Mastering Instagram for Growth and Engagement” I’m sure the dreaded Instagram Algorithm will change 40 times before then!
May 18, 2019 in Phoenix, Arizona, Flock will bring you “Pinterest, Food, and Photography: Catering Content to Hungry Audiences” I bet all the food bloggers will be craving what they will be serving up at those sessions!
June 24, 2019 in Charleston, South Carolina will be hosting the “Creating Value in All Directions: A Blogger’s Guide to Brand Partnerships”. Flock knows that blog traffic alone doesn’t pay the bills. We need to partner our audience and content with Brands. Sounds like this conference will cover everything from partnerships to affiliate relationships.
July 20, 2019 in Seattle, Washington. This Flock is titled “Lights! Camera! Action!: Adding Video to Your Online Presence”. It’s no secret that video is the next big thing. TVs are becoming obsolete and individual channels are even competing with Netflix, Prime & hulu. If you want to be relevant in 2020, you need to have video content out there.
August 24, 2019 in Memphis, Tennessee has the “Beyond the Likes, Retweets, and Filters: What’s Next for Social Media?” Flock conference. To make it in the blogging world, you need to have a social media presence. This also means you need to stay updated on the changes. Because honestly, it never stops changing!
September 21, 2019 in Disneyland (Anaheim, California). Flock is bringing us “More Than Just a Pretty Picture: Mastering Instagram for Growth and Engagement”. You’re living in the stone ages if you don’t realize that the #1 social media platform is Instagram. Grow an audience with the epic speakers that are booked for this event!
October 10, 2019 in Orlando, Florida – back at Disney World! Flock presents a very important intense micro-conference on the topic, “How to Drive Traffic to Your Blog: And Keep Them Coming Back”. Literally the top question EVERY blogger and micro influencer is yelling into the universe! I really hope I can attend this one. It’s on the top of my list!
What did I get out of Flock Presents?
The conference I attended in January 2019 was super personal for me. I was going because a bunch go my friends were going. I knew it was being sponsored by Disney Moms Panel. I have a ton of Disney content on my blog because the Disney brand / legacy is a passion of mine since I was young. So I drove 7 hours south from North Carolina to Orlando, Florida.
Personally I was shocked at first at how small it was. I had this idea of a giant conference room filled with a hundred Disney bloggers. In all honestly, it was probably half that or less! I was a little relieved that it was small enough to go up and talk with the speakers after the conference or exchange business cards with everyone in the room.
I had the delight of reuniting with some bloggers friends that I don’t get to see often. The Positive Mom, The Coupon Mamacita, and Play Party Plan! Hanging out with other bloggers makes me feel normal! It’s a job that you’ll only understand if you are hustling in it daily.
This is my tribe, these are my people and I love it so much. I also got to meet some bloggers that I’ve looked up to for years!
As the sessions began, I was furiously writing in my notebook. There was a ton of content was I had been researching that past week regarding video content, instagram insights and creative strategies.
You guys know I like Instagram so much and any tips or tricks, I gobble them up! I learned that Impressions are more valuable than engagement numbers when it comes to insights.
Personally, I learned how to write an effective caption and how to boost myself in the algorithm with “calls to action”. This means asking people to double tap, send them to your post in stories, and ask them to save the post. This tells instagram that they should show your content to more people because more of your audience is engaged with your content.
I also learned a lot about what Disney has coming up in the parks, cruise lines and Adventures by Disney! Lisa Mendillo shared a few insider nuggets and we were so grateful!
There was a ton of inspiration I took home about how to better define my brand and voice. This will trickle down to all of my creative outlets.
Is it worth it?
Yes and No. The tickets are expensive, around $250 a ticket. That’s a lot of money for a newbie blogger like me. I’m not generating millions a year with my business and I’m really careful with my money. Do I regret spending that much on a ticket? No, I do not. Am I glad I paid and attended? Absolutely. I’ll explain why.
Meeting up with other blogger friends and developing that supportive community is invaluable. If that’s all you get out of attending a Flock event – then it’s worth the $250. This is a tough business to thrive in, we need to support each other in any way we can. We need a tribe to cheer us on and encourage us to keep going.
Amazing brand reps from Disney and Mediavine attended this event. If you are also looking to network and put your face to your name – you should go to one of these conferences. Meeting someone face to face will always trump an email, every time, hands down.
If you have been blogging for 8-10+ years, I don’t think you should attend a Flock Presents conference. You should probably be speaking at one of them!
If you are an SEO expert and have been blogging for many years, maybe a Flock Conference won’t be as beneficial. If you are already rocking it and maybe just want to freshen up on social media changes – attend the august Flock Presents in Memphis.
I have started applying what I learned at Flock to my blog investments and my Instagram strategies. You can already see positive results, just a few weeks later. It feels like what I learned built on my current knowledge and it contributes to my blog foundation.
I have got to figure out how to turn this knowledge into influence and influence into money! But that’s the blogging hustle game, isn’t it?
xo
