Monday, June 24, 2013

Louisville Bloggers Meet and Greet: Recap

Put together an assortment of bloggers, yummy refreshments, and awesome swag bags and you’ve pretty much got all the makings for a fantastic blogger meet up.  At least, this was my experience last week when I partnered with my friends Emily of The Em Dash and Amanda of The Hanger to host the first Louisville Bloggers Meet and Greet.

Louisville Bloggers Meet and Greet #loublogs

Our event was held at a local boutique,  The Hanger, which was the perfect spot for an intimate gathering.  Amanda, owner and fellow blogger, generously rearranged her shop to accommodate our group and contributed wine and door prizes for the guests.  The girl is a rock star.

Louisville Bloggers Meet and Greet #loublogsLouisville Bloggers Meet and Greet #loublogs

Upon arrival, bloggers were asked to sign in and grab a name badge to introduce themselves and their blogs.  Emily designed these adorable badges as well as all of the graphics used for the event.  (Emily shares her free blogger meetup printables HERE.)

Louisville Bloggers Meet and Greet #loublogsLouisville Bloggers Meet and Greet #loublogsLouisville Bloggers Meet and Greet #loublogsLouisville Bloggers Meet and Greet #loublogs

Before the event, we sent a Facebook message to the guests to bring business cards to share if they had them.  It’s a great icebreaker to introduce yourself and hand over a card, and it’s a nice way to put faces with blog names.  We supplied business card key rings for everyone to keep track of the cards they collected, and had a prize for the blogger who collected the most cards at the end of the evening.  We also provided blank cards that could be used by those that needed them.

Louisville Bloggers Meet and Greet #loublogs

We displayed these #loublogs hashtag signs throughout the venue to easily share pictures and updates of the evening on social media.

Louisville Bloggers Meet and Greet #loublogsLouisville Bloggers Meet and Greet #loublogs

I can’t resist an excuse to create a photo booth; I’m completely predictable like that.  Mustaches for everyone! You can download free photo booth props here.

Louisville Bloggers Meet and Greet #loublogsLouisville Bloggers Meet and Greet #loublogsOur swag bag sponsors were amazing!  Every sponsor is a local, small business.  Gigantic thanks to:  LindsayLou Jewelry, Revelry Gallery, Miss Happy Pink, Good Garbage, Craft E Magee, The Hanger, Em Dash Designs, MoMo’s Creations, and Heine Brothers Coffee.

Louisville Bloggers Meet and Greet #loublogs c/o dupontdiaries.com

Hosting a social gathering with local bloggers has been a vision of mine for a while now, and I could not have pulled off this wonderful event were it not for my amazing co-hosts and all of the bloggers who attended.  It was a wonderful evening, and I am so happy to have made friends with ladies who are sharing amazing talent and insight through their blogs.  In addition to the bloggers already mentioned, I would also like to extend a special thanks to these Louisville Bloggers for making this event a success:

Erica – Blooming In First

Sarah – The Mint Julio

Dorothy – The Louisville St. Louisian

Christine – Bluegrass Blogger

Amber – The Pretty Gritty

Carrie – My Ordinary Fairytale

Christine – A Daisy On My Toe

Niki – The Hillville

Mary Margaret – Fly Away Fox

Kristen – K D Illustration

Therese – Get Party Chic

Kirsten – The Dupont Diaries

If you would like to learn more about Louisville Bloggers, you can follow the Facebook page here.  If you are a Louisville blogger and would like to join our group, you can send a request here.

Have you organized or attended a blogger event in your city?  I would love to hear your experiences!

~julee~