If someone told me it was over a week ago since the #BlogAtTheBeach event, I’d probably look at you like you were mad. Time is flying, at a rapid rate. It’s pretty scary. It’s probably because I’m so fixated on getting the hell outta this country. ASAP. When I was invited to the event I knew I just had to go, having leaving the travel industry of eight years, I have missed talking about Travel immensely. The masters behind the event were the lovely IceLolly.com, which is a price comparison site for travel. Now that is my kinda website. They’d also lined up some excellent speakers for the day & I was ready to get stuck in and learn a lot.
On arrival we were greeted by the lovely Emma, Kate & Annis who quickly made sure we had some punch in hand to start mixing with everyone. It was so nice to see some familiar faces but also great to catch up with some new bloggers too. There was also a great spot for some beach selfies, because the fabulous team at Ice Lolly had created a mini beach (it was also a particularly warm & muggy day which added to the experience of being on holiday too!) After a quick ice breaker, it was time to head in to Robb Frost’s talk from WMG about SEO. To say Robb thought his talk was boring was the most absurd thing to say, despite the countdown to cocktails, every piece of information he gave us was frantically being scribbled in to my notebook. It was a bloggers dream to listen to it. SEO and all the metrics surrounding how our blog is placed in the eyes of google and search engines is a difficult task to master but with a few handy hints and tips from Robb, I’ve already seen small changes to my blog. For example, keep your keywords to two words & your meta descriptions to about 65 characters (including spaces). Also, think about how people search for things on google, different phrases produce different results. I know I will be keeping his guide very close by when I’m in need of some extra inspiration!
COCKTAIL TIME. I mean, who doesn’t like cocktails, especially when they are made by The Alchemist? There was some serious wizadry going on in the cocktail stakes. With glasses being shaken and plumes of smoke filling the air we knew we were in for a treat. I went for a cocktails that bubbled and smoked, because who doesn’t like a theatrical cocktail? I know I do. I was even drooling over their copper tumblers too! The lovely people from The Alchemist’s pop up bar handed us buy one get one free vouchers, so I think I will be heading there very soon. With all the excitement it was time to head in to Monica of The Travel Hacks blog (did I mention she is like Blogging Royalty?)
Monica’s chat was all about working with brands and not selling out. This was a great topic as we see bloggers not just in travel but in all different categories writing about things they wouldn’t normally blog about and it’s see-through. As a blogger I know that I want to keep my integrity as a writer and be able to comfortably say no to opportunities that wouldn’t be a great match for the blog. But, just because that brand or PR is not offering you that magic fit now, doesn’t mean they won’t later on down the line. Monica also touched on how we can collaborate with brands and the best way to approach. A motto I say time and time again is, ”if you don’t ask, you don’t get” and a similar message was resonated in this talk. Brands need to see that you have value to them just as much as we feel they add value to us and our blog. It doesn’t kill to be kind so a little politeness goes along way too. A good way to really understand if something is a good fit for your blog is to ask yourself, would you buy it yourself? If the answer is no, politely decline – but if the answer is yes, go for it! Don’t be afraid to reach out to brands, just create a clear and concise email with your benefits and why you feel it would be great to work together. I have already sent my first email and it wasn’t too scary. Whilst I haven’t had a definite yes or no yet, my request has been noted (please keep your fingers & toes crossed I get a sea view, beachfront room in Mexico in September!) Monica is a big inspiration, she’s gone from using her blog as a hobby and really finding her niche and running with it. She now manages a large team that are all behind her blog, The Travel Hack – so go and have a sneaky peak because there really is something for everyone.
Lunch was colourful and exciting and let’s be honest, I’m a huge lover of food so it was a welcome sight. It also gave us the chance to catch up, it was great to see Natalie of The Tofu Diaries and Fran of Then Let’s Begin. And a little bit if Pimms to wash the food down went down an absolute treat too. We managed to take some snaps for the #BlogAtTheBeachComp too. There was a 5 night trip for to Madeira up for grabs & after being told by my husband the week before that he wanted to go there I was on a mission to win!
Next up was Gregg from Travezo, the video company. They create the most beautiful pieces of cinematography of far flung destinations and it was time for us to learn the tricks of the trade. Whilst I’m not venturing in to vlogging any time soon, it’s opened my eyes up to potentially filming on some of our trips away and not just blogging about it. You can capture some beautiful memories too for when you are grey and old! Gregg taught us that it isn’t all about the fancy cameras these days – it is about the movement of the camera (and understanding a great shot). He played a video that was shot entirely on iPhones and it was great! He is an energetic character who rarely keeps still, he fast-paced and it’s clear he is passionate about what he does. I’d love to spend a day in his Brighton offices watching him at work editing.
No event is complete without a goody bag and WMG & Ice Lolly had put together a great choice, a moleskin notebook, pens, portable phone charger and a Frisbee (that is definitely coming with me to Mexico!) Earlier on I mentioned that I went all guns blazing to win a trip to Madeira. Well, yours truly only went and won it. With over 300 retweets and favourites on Twitter, you helped me (so I thank you all a million times) win a break away which I have to say is well needed. I have to thank you all because you came out in droves and it just shows how wonderful the blogging community is. I want to say congratulations to Emma of The Cosy Traveller who kept it a fierce battle along the way, there wasn’t much in it – so well done to you too! I can’t wait to start organising a trip of a lifetime to the beautiful island.
Do you use IceLolly.com to search for the best travel deals? Where are you jetting off to next?
Bee xxx
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