 |
| Photo: Alt Summit |
Five years ago, I remember scrolling through my blogs on my Google Reader (RIP) and every winter all of my favorite bloggers would be raving about some event called “Altitude Summit.” It was around that same time that I was getting more serious about Design fixation, so I became curious about this Alt Summit thing. It turns out that it’s one of the biggest and best conferences for creative bloggers and entrepreneurs. So I become even more obsessed.
Ever since then, I’ve had blogger-conference-envy every time Alt Summit rolls around. So this year I finally decided to go. It was no easy feat – in addition to buying the conference ticket, it also included flying to Palm Springs, California from Boston, booking a hotel for four nights (not to mention five overnights for my pup Charlie), and buying all kinds of fun outfits 🙂 But it was worth EVERY PENNY.
 |
| Photo: Alt Summit |
As my sign suggests, the conference was incredible. Although I didn’t know a soul there, I pushed myself out of my comfort zone and met tons of people. Because almost everyone was there for the same reasons (networking, learning, meeting sponsors), people were generally super receptive to random conversations and business card trading.
 |
| Photo: Faith Towers |
Here’s the famous “business card wall” which grew larger and larger as the week went on. Rumor has it that 550 people attended… that’s a lot of business cards! I came back with many dozens of cards which I’ve been working my way through.
 |
| Photo: Faith Towers |
The fact that Alt Summit was held in sunny Palm Springs, California this year definitely sweetened the pot. Those of you who know me personally probably know how much I abhor winter, so a week of sun and palm trees was heavenly. Many of the events were held in the colorful courtyard pool area at The Saguaro Hotel, shown above.
 |
| Photo: Alt Summit |
It was possibly the perfect place to hold a conference filled with such colorful people. I mean, at what other conference are there pool floats in the shape of donuts, pizza and diamond rings?!
Here are some of the most important things I learned about Alt if you’re planning to go:
- Bring lots of business cards (like at least 100), a notebook and a portable phone charger
- Go to as many events as you can, even if you’re tired. That’s what coffee’s for!
- If you can’t stay in the hotel that’s hosting, stay within walking distance
- Get to each session early to get a seat – some are more crowded than others
- Don’t be afraid to walk up to random people to say hi – people standing by themselves are usually the most receptive
- Wear bright colors and patterns… they are great conversation starters
- Bring your own snacks with you, especially if you have specific dietary needs
- Bring an extra empty duffel bag for all the swag!
Here I am posing in the Sherwin-Williams booth after a long day of classes… how cool is this booth?!
My biggest advice is to be as actively involved as you can. Join the Alt attendee group on Facebook ahead of time. Write notes about each person on their business cards as you meet them, while they’re fresh in your mind. Follow them on social media that night. And talk to every single sponsor that’s there. Feel free to contact me with questions if you’re thinking of going next year!
Check out more photos from Alt over at my Instagram page, and here’s my post about the colorful city of Palm Springs.
Comments are closed.