I don’t think I mentioned it on the blog before I went, but this weekend, I had the pleasure of attending Haven Conference in Atlanta. The quick and dirty: Haven is a conference for DIY bloggers, by DIY bloggers. Bloggers plus sponsors put the attendance around 400.
You know in a TV shows when that girl is trying to show her friends photos from her vacation, and she’s oblivious to the fact that they’re so bored with everything she’s showing them? Yeah?
Guys, just indulge me.
Thursday
We left around noon to drive forever five and a half hours forreeevverr. At least we got to see Gaffney SC’s finest asset (pun 110% intended).
The conference was at the gorgeous Buckhead Hyatt. We arrived just in time for me to switch out of travel clothes and hop downstairs for a cocktail reception. I got a drink, found a table with some friendly looking faces (Candace and Shan), and was pleasantly surprised to learn that Candace is also from Raleigh!
We floated around the reception a bit and met even more Raleigh-based bloggers, like Holly and Amy. And I met Dusty! Candace, Shannon, Katie, Mimi and I grabbed a late night slice of pizza (can you count 9 p.m. as late night?). All the while, Ryan was enjoying a Braves game.
I stole the top and the bottom left photo from Candace because I was REALLY bad about taking photos, so please go visit Vintage News Junkie and tell her I’m sorry.
Friday – Day
The first full day of the conference kicked off with breakfast, vendor bonding time and a keynote from Ana White. She’s just so cool. I don’t know her well, but I feel like she’s a great empowering female role model.
Then, off to class! There were three class times through the day, with several different classes offered at the same time. Picking which class was tough, but I ended up getting SEO tips from Brooke (definitely a good thing that I can apply to this blog and real-life job), learning about brands and blogger relations and getting insight on advertising from Beth, Sarah and Myra.
Friday – Night
The evening kicked off with another cocktail reception, sponsored by Home Depot and Rustoleum. From there, we went across the street to join Ryobi for drinks and delicious hors d’oeuvres. They were kind enough to let me bring my plus-one, so we partied with new blogger friends and learned about Ryobi’s very sleek line of tools. More pictures here.
Side note: I learned that Ryobi does all marketing and PR in-house instead of hiring an agency. I think that’s pretty darn cool.
Saturday – Day
Much like Friday, except instead of technical bloggy advice classes, I did the hands-on, fun stuff! Like playing with paint with Marion and Shaunna and getting some hands-on woodworking practice with the folks from Ryobi and Kreg.
And we met Sherdog! Okay, that was Friday. But it fit into this collage, and that’s how the cookie crumbles.
Send my apologies to Candace again, I borrowed that bottom left photo from her. Side note: We’re wearing the same shirt, different colors. Holla, Target!
Oh, and do you know who Jeff Wilson and Tom Bury are? They’re from HGTV and Food Network, respectively. Jeff was repping Thompson’s Water Seal and Tom was with FrogTape. The perils of living in a cable-free home: I had no. idea. who either were. Like, I started talking to Tom like he was a PR rep. I mean, I guess he is as a spokesperson. But at least he’s aware of a blogger’s priorities.
@tombury1 @frogtape Yeah, but you were a reaaallly close second. 🙂
— Paige (@livelygreendoor) August 6, 2013
Saturday – Night
There was another dance party opportunity, but I shied away from it in favor of some husband time. We went to a beautiful outdoor French restaurant, Anis, and had a lovely meal. Finding a restaurant is always tough – I try to pick things that are different and have good ratings. Also, I know if a burger is on the menu, my husband is going to order the gosh darn burger. I try to pull him out of his comfort zone every once in awhile by going to a restaurant that doesn’t serve burgers. He still ordered a chicken breast on a bed of mash potatoes with green beans 🙂
Sunday
Before leaving ATL, we went to Coke and drank what I consider a year’s worth of soda. On the drive home, we stopped at Pottery Barn Outlet in Gaffney but left empty handed. Le sigh.
And we saw a hot air balloon hanging out near I-85 on the way home!
So there you go. Haven! Looking forward to doing it again next year!
Hi Paige – Homes.com & ForRent.com enjoyed the opportunity to sponsor the event and had a great time connecting with attendees such as yourself at the Haven Conference! Be sure to take a look at all the photos from the event on Facebook, tag yourself & share with family/friends! https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151783562125943.1073741827.38844010942&type=3 Excited to chat with you soon! 🙂
I am so glad I got to meet you….I am just really sad it was not the first night 🙂
Ah! Paige! Great recap… you deserve those photos as your were my personal photographer for many of them!! I can’t believe we ran into each other at Pottery Barn… what? like… 3 hours away from Haven!? You got to see me in all my non-makeup, bummy clothes goodness!! That’s how I roll! (Oh! And in really cute Target shirts!)
Hi, Paige and Ryan! I met you both on Friday night. Remember the woman who had too much wine and showed you her list of future home improvement projects, including painting a green door? That was me! I enjoyed looking at all of your Haven pictures. I look forward to seeing more of what you do on the blog.
P.S. – I have that Target shirt too!
Hahaha! YESSS.